Sears List of Subject Headings

2010 marks the publication of the 20th edition of the essential Sears List of Subject Headings, the standard thesaurus of subject terminology for small and medium-sized libraries since 1923.

Providing a heading for every idea, object, process, or relationship that catalogers might encounter is an impossible task. Instead, the Sears List of Subject Headings delivers a core list of key headings, together with patterns and examples to guide the cataloger in creating additional headings as required. It features


•Agreement with the Dewey Decimal Classification system to ensure that subject headings conform with library standards
•Easy-to-use thesaurus-like format
•Accompanying list of canceled and replacement headings, and legends within the list that identify earlier forms of headings
•Scope notes accompanying all new and revised headings where clarification of the specialized use of a term may be required

Also included is “Principles of the Sears List”, a 23-page document outlining the theoretical foundations of the Sears List and the general principles of subject cataloging.

Sears' explanation of subject headings is written in clear English and is an excellent description of the function and construction of subject headings. Libraries that assign Library of Congress subject headings can easily adapt the 'Principles of the Sears List' to refer to the LC subject list because the fundamental principles of subject analysis are the same."—Technicalities


The 20th edition features expanded coverage for developing topics, as well as updated headings in some areas.

New headings in this edition reflect the growing literature in areas such as ecology and the environment, including

•Rainforest ecology
•Grassland ecology
•Climate change
•Sustainable agriculture

Headings have also been established for the different types of dinosaur, including

•Raptorex
•Pteranodon
•Edmontosaurus

New trends in social networking are represented by entries like

•Twitter (Web site)
•Facebook (Web site)

And new headings for arts and crafts have also been added, such as

•Acrylic painting
•Wire craft

Headings referring to people and places have also been reorganized to reflect modern political sensibilities:

•Soviet Union headings have been canceled in favor of period subdivision under Russia—History.
•Indians has been re-established to denote the people of India. A number of headings for the literature and culture of India—such as Indian music and Indian literature—have been reconciled with this change, and new chronological subdivisions have been established for the history of India