Technews Bulletin
September 2000
ISSUE #8
* CROSS REFERENCES * CROSS
REFERENCES *
"We couldn't find this subject
easily in ATLAS. Could you add a cross-reference?"
"Someone pointed out that Mary
Kenan Bingham was one of Henry Flagler's wives. Could we add
something to ATLAS that shows the connection?"
Cross-references, please! When
a subject heading isn't clear enough for patrons to find just what
they are searching for, cross-references are called for. As we
catalog, we may find some Library of Congress subject headings that
are not in "natural" English, such as Swine or Conduct of Life. When you want to find a book on
pigs, would you normally search under Swine? Or if you
wanted to find a book on behavior, would you think to search under Conduct
of Life? Probably not. In instances such as these, we
add cross-references to enhance patron and staff access to these
subjects. We use Library of Congress subject headings for
consistency in the catalog, but with good cross-references you can
easily find these terms and many others you may be looking for.
We received a request (right after
Annual Training Day) to add Mary Flagler to our database with some
staff thinking there were no hits. We did have her listed as
Bingham, Mary Lily Kenan, but without the Flagler connection. It was
pointed out to us that she was married to Henry Flagler and that a
cross-reference from Flagler to Bingham would be beneficial for
searching. This type of addition is especially important to us since
Flagler is such a prominent local name. We added the reference
with this being one of five ways in which she may be found:
s=flagler mary
1. Flagler, Mary Lily Kenan, 1867-1917. (0)
2. see Bingham, Mary Lily Kenan,
1867-1917. (4)
Should there be an instance where you
think a cross-reference is indicated, just fill out the Technical
Services Inquiry Form with your request and send it to Technical
Services, in care of Sue Bermann or e-mail it to me at the address
below. We will try to respond to your cross-reference request soon
after it is received.
This newsletter editor would appreciate your suggestions for
future issues.
Please send them to Sue Bermann, Technical Services (or e-mail bermanns@pbclibrary.org)
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