Subject

Definition

The subjects or topics that succinctly describe the content of the resource.

Where Can the Subject Information be Found?

In some cases, subjects may come from accompanying or supplementary information; generally the item must be read/examined to assign subjects and keywords, such as:

Item Types	Information Sources
For text	titles abstracts tables of contents section/chapter headings introduction/scope statements/text content
For images	notes on bottom or back of a photograph visible items (people, surroundings, objects, etc.) illustrations
For maps	statement in a caption notes around the outside of the map geographic area and time period of the map (content)
For music scores	title page or header table of contents lyrics
For videos	label on disc container cover title screens or content
For sound files	information on disc/cassette container information content of audio
For computer files	title page/screen text of document (content)

How Subject Works in the Metadata Form

Parts:

1. Subject qualifier – drop-down menu

2. Subject – text field

Repeatable?

Yes - to include multiple subjects, click ‘Add’ to repeat all field parts

Required?

Yes - two subject terms are required (more information)

How Should the Subject be Filled in?

General Subject/Keyword Rules

• Information in the subject field should describe what the content is “about” answering questions like: who, what, where, and when

• Add as many terms as necessary to capture subject content:

  • Two subjects (any type) are required, but an average of five subject/keyword entries is recommended (number varies depending on content)

  • Avoid terms that are too general to describe a particular item

  • Only include geographic subjects when the particular place is significant to the content

  • Generally do not repeat information that is represented in other fields (e.g., material/resource type, geographic names that are identical to coverage locations)

  • The use of controlled vocabularies is not required (except UNTL-BS terms for items in the Portal)

• Proper names can be subjects (persons, places, titles, etc.)

• Follow the general formatting rules for consistency:

  • Use appropriate capitalization, punctuation, etc. depending on the type of subject

  • Terms from controlled vocabularies must use the exact formatting prescribed by the source

  • Choose the appropriate subject type from the controlled vocabulary

Keywords and Phrases (KWD)

Formatting Keywords

Guideline	Examples
Add informal keywords as needed to help users locate the resource Do not repeat terms from controlled vocabularies as keywords	puppies
Keywords should be lowercase	costumes
Only capitalize proper nouns	Cretaceous geologic period
Use punctuation when applicable	long-range planning
If needed, including multiple versions with different spacing/punctuation	man-made lakes manmade lakes
Do not add quotation marks to titles	Romeo and Juliet
Use plural forms of keywords	clothespins
The singular form may be used when there is no reasonable plural	quilting
When referring to a company, organization, school, military installation, etc., the abbreviated version of the name can be used, but the full name must appear at least once in the record (e.g., the content description or subject)	Description: Postcard of buildings at Ft. McIntosh. Keyword: Fort McIntosh UNT
Prefer applicable controlled terms when they are readily- available (e.g., for more specific material information)	LCGFT: Portraits Keyword: quarterly reports TGM: Cabinet photographs

Assigning Keywords

• When assigning keywords, keep in mind that they should help users find the item you’re describing and also help the item be found with other, similar items

• Follow all formatting guidelines (e.g., generally lowercase and plural)

• Here are some suggestions:

Guideline	Instead of:	Consider:
Keep keywords short – break up long, complex phrases	ACI service awards for Austin and Dallas airports	Airport Council International ACI service awards airports
	crude oil and petroleum products markets	crude oil oil products petroleum products fuel markets
Split up proper names and abbreviations/acronyms	National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)	National Environmental Policy Act NEPA
Remove unnecessary articles	the DREAM Act	DREAM Act
Reorder words to create shorter phrases, when appropriate	disposal of waste	waste disposal
	books in astronomy	astronomy books
Every keyword should have a noun	horseback	horseback riding horseback riders
Add descriptors if the term is extremely vague	processing	data processing grain processing water processing financial processing agricultural processing

Named Animals (namedAnimal)

• If an identified pet or other animal is visible in a photo or a primary subject of a text, the name can be added as a “Named Animal”

Guideline	Examples
Include the name exactly as written/punctuated	Rolph Dox Happy Rx Bit O’Man

Named Persons (named_person)

• ‘Named persons’ refers to people who are significant in some way to the content of the item (see below for clarification)

• Only include names as ‘named persons’ if a surname is known

• If only a first name, first and middle names, or nickname is known:

  • Use the name in the content description (if relevant)

  • Use the name in the title (if relevant)

• All names should have the same format:

Guideline	Examples
Invert the name (Last, First Middle)	Lott, Leanna Ivory
Use any known part of the name, including initials) if the full name is unknown	Thompson, J. D.
Include additional names as middle names	Williams, Mary Deline Xenia Buchanan
Names that are hyphenated or have multiple parts are all considered “last names”	Smith-Jones, John van Tyen, Jan
Include known titles before the first name (optional when not necessary to identify the specific person, as these may change over time) Include known suffixes at the end of the name after a second comma	Steever, Col. Edgar Z. Stolte, Hugo C., Jr. Petersen, Mrs. P. J.
Nicknames can be included in parentheses at the end of the name	Wind, Ellis (Pee Wee)
If a person has an alternate name or alias, include their real name under “named person” and aliases as keywords	Named Person: Cody, William Frederick Keyword: Buffalo Bill
If an authorized name (from the Library of Congress ) is known, it may be used in the named person entry Alternately, if the authorized version does not include information (such as “Jr.”) that could be helpful, it may be included as an LCSH term, with fuller version in named person	Named Person: Austin, Stephen F. (Stephen Fuller), 1793-1836
	LCSH: Johnson, Lady Bird, 1912-2007 Named Person: Johnson, Claudia Alta Taylor (Lady Bird)
If a person is identified with both a married name and a prior name, a separate named person entry for each surname may be entered, or the maiden name may be incorporated	Buchanan, Menvil Mae Seastrunk, Menvil Mae Quinby, Georgianna G. Richardson

Should someone be a ‘named person’?

• For images, the person must physically be part of the content

• For text, part of the content must be “about” the person

• Here are some general guidelines:

Named Person	Not a Named Person	Instead:
Person definitely identified in a photograph	Person hesitantly identified (S. M. Garvin?)	Add name as a keyword
	Person is not physically visible in a photograph
	Statue or likeness of a person
Plaintiff or defendant in a court case	Person mentioned once in court transcript	(Not included)
Person who is the subject of an entire or significant portion of a book	Person mentioned in a paragraph or two of a book	(Not included)
Author of an autobiography	Author of texts not about themselves	Add author as creator (or contributor)
Personal author and addressee of a letter	Person mentioned in passing in a letter	(Not included)

UNT Libraries Browse Subjects (UNTL-BS)

• UNTL-BS terms are used for records in The Portal to Texas History

• For records about Portal objects, include at least one subject (preferably more) from the UNT Libraries Browse Structure

• Choose as many appropriate terms as necessary from the UNTL-BS list

Guideline	Examples
Terms in the UNTL browse subjects are separated by a single dash and spaces (Term - Term)	Sports and Recreation - Riding - Bulls
For subject strings that have several levels, do not include each part separately – only use the most specific or relevant string(s) For example, not: Social Life and Customs and Social Life and Customs - Customs and Social Life and Customs - Customs - Weddings	Social Life and Customs - Customs - Weddings
Only use UNTL-BS terms starting with “Places” when: The place itself is important to the content of the item – i.e., it is “about” the place” – such as a map or travel book The place is not duplicated in the coverage place field – such as U.S. regions or historic locations that are in the UNTL-BS but cannot be coverage places And/or there are not other, more relevant terms	Places - United States - Midwestern Region Places - Republic of Texas

Note: Additional subjects are added to the UNTL-BS when there are enough items to warrant it, so the number of subjects is consistently growing. If you would like to suggest a new subject, please notify Hannah Tarver (hannah.tarver@unt.edu).

Subjects from Other Established Thesauri or Controlled Vocabularies

• The UNT Libraries schema supports a number of controlled vocabularies and encourages the use of any readily-available subjects (e.g., from established thesauri or discipline-related word lists) that would be helpful for users

• Editors are never required to include terms from external controlled vocabularies

• When included, the vocabulary used should be identified for each term

• Do not use terms that duplicate resource types, e.g., “Photographs”

• If the name of the controlled vocabulary is not in the list, choose “other” and notify the metadata administrators

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)

Guideline	Examples
Subject strings must be formulated according to Library of Congress rules Terms are separated by a double dash (Term – Term)	Bee culture -- Equipment and supplies Capote, Truman, 1924- Fort Wolters (Tex.)
If the item has been previously described in a library catalog record, that may be a good source of relevant subjects You may need to tweak the formatting depending on how the subjects are displayed	Costume -- China -- History -- Ming-Qing dynasties, 1368-1912
Generally prefer terms that don’t duplicate other information, e.g.: Consider leaving out geographic subdivisions that overlap with coverage place(s) Use separate LCGFT terms rather than form subdivisions	LCSH: Texas. Department of Transportation -- Evaluation LCGFT: Periodicals LCGFT: Annual reports

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT)

• If there are relevant genre/form terms (e.g., taken from an LCSH subject string), they may be added as subjects

• Note that unlike other subjects, these terms describe the physical item or type of content rather than what the item is about

Guideline	Examples
Subject terms must come from the LCGFT thesaurus Add one (or more) terms if they add more information Do not add LCGFT terms that only duplicate the resource type (e.g., Photographs or Postcards) Terms that provide more specific information may be included (e.g., type of map, book, photo)	Blank forms
	Greeting cards
	Cadastral maps
	Handbooks and manuals
	Statistics

Other Examples:

Navy pamphlet: The Texas Navy.

• UNTL-BS: Military and Wars - Wars - Texas Revolution

• UNTL-BS: Military and War - Transportation - Ships

• LCSH: Texas -- History, Naval

• LCSH: Texas -- History -- Republic, 1836-1846

• KWD: independence

• KWD: battleships

• KWD: schooners

• KWD: naval vessels

• KWD: Nimitz

Photograph: [Look-out Tower at Fort Davis]

• LCSH: New Deal, 1933-1939

• LCSH: Davis Mountain State Park (Tex.)

• UNTL-BS: Architecture - Civil Works

• UNTL-BS: Landscape and Nature - State and National Parks

• KWD: Civilian Conservation Corps

• KWD: overlooks

• KWD: scenery

• KWD: mountains

• KWD: deserts

Photograph: Jim Goin and Mr. [Fred] Cummings. Ice delivery in Aubrey

• UNTL-BS: People - Individuals

• UNTL-BS: Business, Economics and Finance - Transportation - Automobiles

• KWD: cars

• KWD: wagons

• named_person: Goin, Jim

• named_person: Cummings, Mr. Fred

Letter to Cromwell Anson Jones, 19 May 1869

• UNTL-BS: People - Individuals - Mary Jones

• UNTL-BS: Social Life and Customs - Correspondence

• LCGFT: Personal correspondence

• LCSH: Jones, Mary Smith McCrory, 1819-1907

• named_person: Jones, Cromwell Anson

Map of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway

• UNTL-BS: Landscape and Nature - Geography and Maps

• UNTL-BS: Business, Economics and Finance - Transportation - Railroads

• LCSH: Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway

Texian Campaigne plate

• UNTL-BS: Military and War - Wars - Mexican War

• UNTL-BS: Social Life and Customs - Furnishings - Dishes

• NMC (Chenhall’s): Food T&E

• NMC (Chenhall’s): Tools & Equipment for Materials

• KWD: ceramics

• KWD: plates

• KWD: Texian Campaigne

Surgical Scalpel, 19th Century

• UNTL-BS: Science and Technology

• OTH: Devices, Medical

• KWD: surgical knife

• KWD: surgical knives

Thesis: An 8-step program: Shaping and fixed-time food delivery effects on several approximations and undesired responses in goats

• LCSH: Clicker training (Animal training)

• LCSH: Goats -- Training

• LCSH: Operant conditioning

• KWD: shaping

Music score: Daisy: Opera in Two Acts

• LCSH: Low, Juliette Gordon, 1860-1927 -- Drama

• LCSH: Girl Scouts

• LCSH: Operas

• LCGFT: Scores

• KWD: Girl Scouts of America

• KWD: music

• KWD: conductors

• KWD: voices

• KWD: instruments

Photograph: [Portrait of Jessie Bogle Hubbard]

• LCSH: Bogle family

• UNTL-BS: People - Individuals

• UNTL-BS: Social Life and Customs - Customs - Weddings

• KWD: wedding dresses

• LCGFT: Portraits

• named_person: Bogle, Jessie

• named_person: Hubbard, Jessie Bogle

Architectural Drawing: Elementary School Building, Fort Stockton, Texas: Ceiling Plans

• LCSH: Public schools – Designs and plans

• UNTL-BS: Architecture - Buildings

• UNTL-BS: Education - Schools - Buildings

• AAT: elementary schools (buildings)

• KWD: Fort Stockton Independent School District

Comments

• Since the “subject and keywords” element may describe both what the object is about and the format in some cases, subject-related information may be repeated in other elements:

  • An image with a Resource Type “Photograph” could have a more specific subject term such as “cabinet card,” (keyword), “Panoramic photographs” (TGM), or “group portraits” (AAT)

  • To describe a resource, such as an autobiography, that is about its creator, place the creator’s name in both the subject/keyword element and the Creator element.

  • Although geographic terms are normally handled by the :doc: Coverage <coverage> (Place Name) element, subject fields could include geographic terms as well if the location is significant to the content, or if there are variant names.

• When using an established controlled vocabulary, follow all rules related to scope and formatting

  • E.g., the scope for the LCGFT includes the following disciplines: moving images (films, television programs, and video recordings), spoken-word recorded sounds, legal materials, and cartographic materials

Resources

• UNT Subject Qualifier Controlled Vocabulary

Resources for Selected Vocabularies:

Controlled Vocabulary	UNTL Code	Links to Resources
University of North Texas Libraries Browse Subjects	UNTL-BS	University of North Texas Libraries Browse Subjects
Art and Architecture Thesaurus (Getty)	AAT	Art and Architecture Thesaurus
Library of Congress (LC)		Thesauri and Controlled Vocabularies Classification Web (Accessible to UNT staff/students)
Legislative Subject Terms	LST	Legislative Subject Terms
Library of Congress Subject Headings	LCSH	Library of Congress Authorities Library of Congress Subject Headings
LC Genre/Form Terms	LCGFT	Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms
LC Medium of Performance Thesaurus	LCMPT	Library of Congress Medium of Performance Thesaurus
LC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials	TGM	Thesaurus for Graphic Materials I: Subject Terms Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

More Guidelines:

• Quick-Start Metadata Guide

• Metadata Home