LTI Offers Conversion of Genre/Form Headings in 650 to 655

LTI has completed testing of a new option to convert form/genre headings currently tagged as topical subject headings (650) to the tag defined for form/genre headings (655). In the absence of official Library of Congress authority records, many libraries have coded them as topical subjects. Since LC has begun to create and distribute authority records for form/genre terms, libraries may now want to change the tagging to 655.

Because nearly all form/genre headings are also valid subject headings, LTI processing is limited to headings taken from the LC files that have been identified as usable also as form or genre and which conform to limitations expressed by LC in its announcement regarding genre/form headings. Specifically, "Note also that in this initial phase, geographic subdivision and 'language of film' headings will not be authorized."

Consequently, LTI will convert only those headings without nationality/language modifiers and without subdivisions.

For example:

650 _0 $aAmateur films

will be converted to:

655 _0 $aAmateur films

or, depending on the library's profile, to:

655 _7 $aAmateur films$2lcsh

but, neither

650 _0 $aAmateur films$zFrance

nor

650 _0 $aAmateur films$xAwards

will be converted.

Similarly:

650 _0 $aShort stories

will be converted to:

655 _0 $aShort stories

but, neither

650 _0 $aShort stories, American

nor

650 _0 $aAmerican newspapers

will be converted.

If you have questions about conversion of subject headings to form/genre headings or to add conversion to your library's profile, please contact Marsha A. Hunt at LTI.