Access Terms used in our Catalogs

Please note that the Library Company’s cataloging records vary; older records do not include all possible access terms.

For access by subject, the Library Company of Philadelphia applies Library of Congress subject headings.

African American and Women’s History Terms

For African American and Women’s History, the Library Company also applies the following local subject headings:

  • African American History  (for all material with any African American aspect)
  • African American organizations
  • African American poets (for works by African American poets)
  • African American publishers (for works published by African American publishers)
  • African American translators (for works translated by African Americans)
  • African American writers (for works by African American writers)
  • African Americans — Relations with Quakers
  • African Americans — Religious education
  • Black pirates
  • Black writers (for any material by or about black writers who are not African American)
  • Blacks — Relations with Mayas
  • Blacks — Religious education
  • Race relations — [Place]
  • Slave trade — International law
  • Slave trade — Justification — [Country]
  • Slavery — Constitutional law
  • Slavery — Justification — [Country]
  • Slaves — Autobiography
  • Slaves — Religious education
  • Women artists (for works by women artists as well as about women artists)
  • Women biographers (for works by women biographers as well as about women biographers)
  • Women booksellers (for works issued by women booksellers; pre-1821)
  • Women editors (for works edited by women as well as about women editors)
  • Women former owners
  • Women in science (for works by women in science as well as about women in science)
  • Women printers (for works printed by women printers as well as about women printers)
  • Women publishers (for works published by women; post-1820)
  • Women translators (for works translated by women as well as about women translators)
  • Women writers (for works by women writers)
Genre and Other Terms

In addition to subject headings, the Library Company includes genre and other terms in its cataloging records. Full lists of these terms are available online and an introduction to these six thesauri is available online.

  • Genre terms are used in addition to these local genre terms:
    • Anti-slave-trade literature — [Country]
    • Anti-slavery literature — [Country]
    • Anti-slavery literature — [Country] – Periodicals
    • It-narratives
    • Mendicant books
  • Binding terms are used in addition to these local binding terms:
    • Binding alterations
    • Binding oddities
    • Buckskin coverings
    • Celluloid bindings
    • Gilt edge boards
    • Imitation tree calf bindings
    • Marbled cloth bindings
    • Padded bindings
    • Personalized bindings
    • Printed cloth bindings
    • Raised panel bindings
    • Silk bindings
    • Silver blocked bindings
    • Sunken panel bindings
  • Printing and publishing terms are used in addition to these local printing and publishing terms:
    • Books in parts (Publishing)
    • Subscription editions (Publishing)
  • Type terms:
    • Seldom included in the Library Company’s cataloging records.
  • Paper terms:
    • Seldom included in the Library Company’s cataloging records.
    • Note one local term: Writing tables (for paper or vellum treated to enable erasure, and intended for use with a metal stylus)