How do call numbers and subject headings get created and assigned? A virtual field trip to the Library of Congress!

Call numbers and subject headings are key to locating relevant books. The Library of Congress is the entity that creates and assigns these headings, as well as the classification for providing call numbers.

On this Library of Congress (LOC, or LC) page you will find a description of the collection scope and guidelines of our nation's library for Fine Arts: http://www.loc.gov/acq/devpol/fineartsbooks.html

This subject is organized as follows for classification purposes:

N (Visual Arts General including the History of Art)

NA (Architecture)

NB (Sculpture)

NC (Drawing, Design, Illustration)

ND (Painting)

NE (Print Media)

NK (Decorative Arts, Applied Arts, Decoration and Ornament)

NX (Arts in General comprising material dealing with 2 or more of the arts in broadest sense; also includes other subjects such as funding for the arts).

If you would like to see a detailed breakdown, please visit this document:

http://www.loc.gov/aba/cataloging/classification/lcco/lcco_n.pdf

The twin star of classification is subject headings. The master list of subject headings is endearingly known as "the red books", now in a five volume set! And as the Library of Congress tells us, "LCSH 31 provides the most comprehensive list of subject headings in the world. It's the best way to keep your subject headings current--the key to accurate cataloging and topical searching."

How are these broad headings applied to art? Subdivisions are applied to indicate time frame, geography, and type of source. Here are examples of how these rules are applied, from http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/h1148.pdf

And what about access to images? For that, a good starting point will be:

http://www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2005/2005-dp01.html

And I've also stumbled upon a site that collects this type of information:

http://artcataloging.net/index.html

Looks like this art librarian has some reading to do over the summer. I make absolutely no claims about really knowing how to catalog, but I have found that understanding how the records are structured makes me a much better researcher.