Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Changes after 1999

1
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)Changes after
1999

• Dr. Yan Ma

2
Topical Subheadings

• They are same as we discussed in earlier slide
  presentation.

3
Pre-1999 Subheading String and New Practice

• Pre-1999
• 650_ 2 Main heading x topical subheading z
  geographic v form x language
• New Practice
• _ 2 Main heading x topical subheading
• _ 2 Geographic x topical subheading
• 655_ 7 Genre or publication type 2 mesh

4
Publication Type

• Publication type
• These descriptors characterize what a publication
  is rather than what it is about.
• See the list of publication types.

5
Publication Type

• How do we use it in cataloging?
• NLMs new practice
• 655_ 7 Congresses 2 mesh
• 655_7 Atlases 2 mesh
• 655_7 Bibliography 2 mesh

6
Publication Type

• How do we use it in cataloging?
• In OCLC The publication type is in the v
  subfield code.
• For example
• 650_2 Neoplasms v Congresses.
• 650_2 Neoplasms v Bibliography.

7
Form Subheading or Physical Carrier

• The physical carrier such as CD-ROM,
  videocassettes,etc. is not considered to be a
  genre or publication type. The physical carrier
  is identified in the bibliographic description,
  notes and the fixed field.

8
Form Subheading or Physical Carrier

• They are coded in 300, 500, fixed field. There is
  no rule on how to put a note for the physical
  carrier.
• In Practice Many libraries decided to continue
  their conventional practice.

9
Form Subheading or Physical Carrier

• Video Recording in MeSH is a main heading. It is
  used to describe the main topic of the item. It
  is not used for subheadings.
• /videocassettes is a subheading in MeSH. Can we
  still use it? Yes. But, it is not listed in a
  single form subheading list in the beginning of
  the MeSH list.

10
Language Subheading

• Language is coded in 008/35-37. It is MARC21)
• In OCLC, we use 041 for language and fixed field.

11
Geographic Subheading

• Geographic subheading is stored in 651.
• The two topical subheadings ethnology and
  epidemiology are retained for use with geographic
  names and stored in the x subfield of the 651.
• 651_2 Texas x epidemiology.

12
Age Groups

• When a record contains age group terms and the
  subject terms are to be qualified by an age
  group, a 9 a subfield is added.

13
Age Groups

• Old Practice
•  
• 650 12 Child Development
• 650 22 Communication x in infancy childhood
• 650 22 Learning x in infancy childhood
• 650 22 Thinking x in infancy childhood

14
Age Groups

• New Practice
• 650 12 Child Development
• 650 22 Communication 9 a
• 650 22 Learning 9 a
• 650 22 Thinking 9 a
• 650 22 Infant
• 650 22 Child

15
Age Groups

• In COLC, it is translated into this
• 650 12 Child Development
• 650 22 Communication x Infant
• 650 22 Communication x Child
• 650 22 Learning x Infant
• 650 22 Learning x Child
• 650 22 Thinking x Infant
• 650 22 Thinking x Child

16
MeSH Application

• Application of MeSH for Medical Catalogers
• http//www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/cataloging/catmesh.html