Genre and form headings

LCGFT: Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Genre/Form headings are used to indicate what an item IS, rather than what it is about. A 'form' is defined as a characteristic of works with a particular format and/or purpose. A “short film” is a particular form, for example, as is “animation.” Genre refers to categories of works that are characterized by similar plots, themes, settings, situations, and characters. Examples of genres are westerns and thrillers.  The LC genre/form thesaurus is separate from LCSH, and is identified as the Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials, or LCGFT.

LCGFT terms are always used in the 655 field, can never be subdivided, and are coded:
655  _7  $a [term]. $2 lcgft
 
MARC Coding of LCGFT Authority Records
Until May 24, 2011, the LCCN prefix for LCGFT terms was “sh,” the same as for LCSH subject headings. The prefix is now “gf.” The change was instituted as part of the separation of LCGFT from LCSH, and is one way by which a record can be identified as a genre/form authority record.

Authority records for LCGFT terms will be coded as follows:
LCCN prefix: gf
008/11: z (“Other”)
040$f: lcgft
Example:
008/11 z
010 $a gf2011987654 $z sh2009025020
040 $a DLC $b eng $c DLC $f lcgft
155 $a Topographic maps
455 $a Hypsographic maps
455 $a Hypsometric maps
455 $a Relief maps
455 $a Topographical maps
555 $w a $a Maps
[Note that the deprecated LCCN is being retained in field 010$z, to facilitate automatic updates.]

The LC FAQ on genre/form headings and the Subject Headings Manual (SHM) have both been updated to reflect this change.

LCSH: Library of Congress Subject Headings

LCSH terms are authorized for use in the 655 if the term is expressing the form and not the topic of the resource, and if the authority record does not explictly forbid using that term as a form/genre heading. The SHM does not explicitly address the use of LCSH as genre/form terms, but H 1790 Section 3.b (Literature: Fiction) suggests that they should not be subdivided. Therefore, local policy is that LCSH terms used as form/genre headings cannot be subdivided by geographic area or year.  LCSH terms used in the 655 field are coded:
655 _0 $a [term].

LCGFT and LCSH are different thesauri and operate under different rules. It is acceptable cataloging practice to find both LCSH and LCGFT terms used as form/genre headings in the same record, but be aware of the differences in coding.

RBMS: Rare Books and Manuscript Section Vocabulary Terms

RBMS terms are fully documented on the RBMS website. They are used predominantly for Special Collections material to collocate based on genre and/or artefactual aspects of an item. They include terms from six distinct thesauri. Five of these six thesauri call for terms to be followed by qualifiers that indicate the thesaurus of the term. Only the RBMS Genre Term thesaurus does not require qualifiers. Some example terms:

*Note: Printing and Publishing Terms are documented in the same Printing & Publishing Evidence thesaurus, but are recorded with different qualifiers and $2 codes.

RBMS terms may be subdivided geographically ($z) using NAF and LCSH established forms of geographic subdivisions. They may also be subdivided chronologically ($y) using LCSH chronological subdivisions or individual years.

RBMS terms that do not end in a parenthesis (such as RBMS Genre Terms or any subdivided RBMS term) are to end in a full stop.