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Choosing appropriate subject headings is an important step in developing a subject search strategy for searching the WSU Libraries Catalog and most other library catalogs. This brief guide gives specific tips for selecting Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in the biological and earth sciences.
It supplements the Library of Congress Subject Headings research guide that gives general tips on finding and selecting subject headings.
In some cases subject headings are subdivided by major taxonomic divisions e.g., Nervous System - Fish. There are also standard subdivisions that can appear under any taxonomic subject heading. See Fishes for a listing of these subdivisions which apply to all animals, e.g., Fishes - Behavior or Ants - Behavior.
Books which contain a geographic treatment on a specific organism are listed under at least two subjects:
This means you can find, e.g., under "Birds - Kansas" all studies on specific birds in Kansas.