Introduction to Geographic Headings

General Introduction

Geographic headings for place names may appear in geographic subject headings or as all or part of corporate body headings (as a government heading or as the government at the beginning of a government body heading).  The primary focus of this document will be on geographic subject headings.  The first two sections are intended primarily for copy cataloguers; the third section, "Special situations," contains information of interest to original cataloguers.

For additional information on geographic headings, see Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd ed., chapter 23, and the Subject Cataloging Manual:  Subject Headings, sections H690-H1055.

For additional information on qualifying geographic names and using them in geographic subdivision, see also “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  A Summary of Contrasting Structures.”

MARC Tagging:

• Authority record heading:  151.

• Bib record subject heading:  651.

• Bib record corporate, government heading:  110 or 710.  (See below, under "Political jurisdictions.")

• Geographic subdivision:  $z.

Categories of geographic headings

There are two broad categories of geographic headings.  The rules for the form of a geographic heading vary to some extent depending on the category.

1. Political jurisdictions:  Places that have or had jurisdictional status on some level:  Such politically defined places -- e.g., countries, cities, and provinces -- could have governments that issue works and function as corporate authors.  A jurisdictional heading potentially serves a dual function; it may represent:
   • The geographic area (651 field)

   • The government of that area (110 or 710 field)

   E.g.    Argentina

   Buenos Aires (Argentina)

   Louisiana

   Jefferson Parish (La.)

   North Yorkshire (England)

   The form of access point should be the same regardless of the function in a given bib record, whether it represents a responsible body or a subject, a government or a geographic area.  The basic rules for the construction of geographic jurisdictions are covered in AACR2 revised, Chapter 23, and its associated LCRI.  Additional rules appear in the Subject Cataloging Manual.

   Today, jurisdictions are set up as name authority records, with 010 record number prefix “n.”  Historically, however, they were sometimes set up as subject authority records, depending on the situation and the LC division (Descriptive Cataloging or Subject Cataloging) where they first came up.  Subject authority records have the 010 record number prefix “sh.”  While LC has made an effort to merge duplicate name and subject authority records for jurisdictions, you will sometimes find duplicate authority records for them.

   NACO libraries (including Tulane) may establish jurisdictional headings (NACO records have 010 prefixes beginning with “n,” e.g., “no” and “nr”).

   Please note:  As a government, a jurisdictional heading may also appear as the first element of a government body heading.

   E.g.    110 1    $a Argentina. $b Ministerio de Educación y Justicia

   Government body headings are treated according to rules and guidelines for corporate name headings, not geographic headings.  For corporate body authority work for OCLC-member copy, see "Summary of Interim Procedures for OCLC-Member Copy Authority Work."

2. Non-jurisdictional headings:  Geographic features or areas without jurisdictional status:  Such places do not have any political identity and could only relate to a work as subjects.

   Examples include:

   • Individual mountains or mountain ranges.

     E.g.    Alps

     Olympus, Mount (Greece)

   • Rivers, bays, and other bodies of water.

     E.g.    Mississippi River

     Po River (Italy)

     Black Sea

     Atitlán, Lake (Guatemala)

   • Valleys.

     E.g.    Mississippi River Valley

     Ganges River Valley (India and Bangladesh)

     Valley of the Kings (Egypt)

   • Regions larger than countries, including continents and unofficial groupings of countries.

     E.g.    Europe

     West Indies

     Africa, Sub-Saharan

   • Regions within countries or other jurisdictions that do not correspond to political divisions.

     E.g.    Atlantic Coast (Nicaragua)

     Italy, Northern

   • Streets, roads, etc.

     E.g.    Saint Charles Avenue (New Orleans, La.)

     Appalachian Trail

     Appian Way (Italy)

   The rules for the construction of non-jurisdictional geographic headings appear in the Subject Cataloging Manual.  In the authority file, they are established as subject authority records, with 010 record number prefix “sh.”  They may not be established directly by NACO libraries, only through the SACO process of reporting suggested headings to LC.

   Some general features of non-jurisdictional headings:

   • BGN form (H690, sec. 1-3):  The form approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is the one chosen in most situations.  (See also "Verifying and Establishing Geographic Headings.")

   • English-language form (H690, sec. 3b.):  When a vernacular and an English-language form have been approved by the BGN, the English-language form is preferred.

     E.g.    Fuji, Mount (Japan)            [not “Fujiyama (Japan)”]

   • Basic pattern:

     <Distinctive part of name>, <Generic term> (<Qualifier>)

     or

     <Distinctive part of name> <Generic term> (<Qualifier>)

     For information on qualifiers, see the Subject Cataloging Manual, H810, and "Geographic Headings and Subdivisions."

   • Generic term (H690, sec. 3-4):  If a generic term for a type of geographic feature is part of the name, it is placed at the end of the name.  If the name has to be transposed, English-language names show the inversion with a comma.

     Note:  This pattern applies to entities with a known English-language name, so use of the comma in headings with generic terms may appear inconsistent.

     E.g.    Mississippi River

     Mexico, Gulf of            

                   [not “Gulf of Mexico”; comma present in transposed English-language name]

     Caonillas, Lake (P.R.)

                   [not “Lake Caonillas (P.R.),” “Lago Caonillas (P.R.),” or “Caonillas, Lago (P.R.)”;

                   listed with conventional English-language name; comma present in transposed English-language form]

     The generic term is usually translated into English if it is in a foreign language.  The generic term is still placed at the end of the name, but no comma is used to show inversion.

     E.g.    Saint Gotthard Pass (Switzerland)

                 [not the Italian “Passo del San Gottardo” or German “Sankt Gotthardpass”]

     Maracaibo Lake (Venezuela)

                 [not “Lago de Maracaibo (Venezuela”) or “Maracaibo, Lago de (Venezuela)”;

                   no conventional English-language name; no comma present]

     Exceptions to translating the generic term:  If:

     • The entity is best known in the vernacular even in the English-speaking world.

       E.g.    Rio Grande

       Sierra Madre (Mexico)

       Blanc, Mont (France and Italy)

                   [this name is still transposed, however, using a comma]

     • The generic term is an inseparable part of the name.

       E.g.    Kilpisjärvi (Finland and Sweden)

                   [the “järvi” at the end is the equivalent of “lake” but cannot be

                     separated grammatically]

     • The entity is a park, reserve, garden, road, street, or trail.  (These types of headings have their own rules; parks, reserves, gardens, etc. are discussed below and in H1925, while roads, streets, etc., are covered in H2098.)

       E.g.    Giardino di Boboli (Florence, Italy)

                   [not “Boboli Gardens (Florence, Italy)”]

       Autobahn A 7 (Germany)

                   [not “A 7 Expressway (Germany)”]

   • Initial articles (H690, sec. 6):  Initial articles are usually dropped. 

     E.g.    Harz Mountains (Germany)

                 [not “Der Harz (Germany)”]

     Massif Central (France)

                 [not “Le Massif Central (France)”]

     However, if an initial article is used in a name in English-speaking countries, it is retained.  The English “The” is inverted.

     E.g.    Los Angeles (Calif.)

                 [“Los” is in fact considered part of the name of this U.S. city, not a Spanish article]

     Fens, The (England)            [the region is named “The Fens”]

   • Abbreviations (H690, sec. 5):  For non-jurisdictional headings, abbreviations are spelled out.

     E.g.    Saint Charles Avenue (New Orleans, La.)

                 [not "St. Charles Avenue (New Orleans, La.)," even though it is usually written with the abbreviation "St."]

     North Twin Island (Nunavut)

     Saint Gotthard Pass (Switzerland)

Special situations:    In Progress

1. Name changes:  Name changes and changes in territorial status or boundaries complicate the establishment and assigning of geographic headings.  For more information, consult the Subject Cataloging Manual, H708 (linear jurisdictional name changes) and H710 (jurisdictional mergers and splits).

   The appropriate heading or headings to use in your record may depend on:

   • the time period covered
   • the geographic area covered
   • whether the heading is valid and can be used as a subject heading or only as a name heading.

   Therefore, historical jurisdictions — cities, kingdoms, or other jurisdictions that existed in the past but that no longer survive — may sometimes be valid as subject headings but sometimes only as name headings, with a modern name used in the subject heading.  Please check carefully all 667 and 680 scope notes in geographic authority records.

   (For extinct, ruined cities, see below, Extinct cities.)

   In subject cataloguing:

   • Geographic area covered is basically the same:  As long as the territorial identity is essentially unchanged, use the latest name of a political jurisdiction.  This is the only valid subject heading, even if an earlier name has been established as a valid name heading.  The name authority record for the earlier name should include a 667 field specifying:

     SUBJECT USAGE:  This heading is not valid for use as a subject.  Works about this place are entered under <later name>.

     LC refers to this straightforward type of name change as a linear name change.

     E.g.    Aragon (Kingdom)

     The mediaeval kingdom is considered the equivalent, geographically, of the administrative region:  Aragon (Spain)

     Therefore, the relationship is treated as a linear name change:  Aragon (Kingdom) is valid only as a name heading (used, for example, in records for laws of this kingdom), not as a subject heading.  For the subject heading, use:

     651  0  $a Aragon (Spain)

     (compare with Leon (Kingdom))

     E.g.    Leningrad (R.S.F.S.R.)

     The Russian city of St. Petersburg changed its name to Petrograd, then Leningrad, then changed it back to St. Petersburg:

     Current heading:  Saint Petersburg (Russia) — use for works about the city during all periods.

     Former heading:  Leningrad (R.S.F.S.R.) — only valid as a name heading, for works issued by the government of Leningrad..

     Another former heading:  Petrograd (R.S.F.S.R.) — only valid as a name heading, for works issued by the government of Petrograd.

   • If the geographic area covered changes, the situation is more complicated.  The general principle is to assign subject headings that correspond to the geographic extent of the area discussed in a work.  If you have any questions whether an appropriate heading has been assigned in such cases, or about which heading to assign, consult your trainer or the Subject Cataloging Manual.
     • Often, the heading appropriate to the particular geographic area assigned will be used, even if it no longer exists as an independent jurisdiction.  This approach is necessary when there is no modern equivalent place name.

       E.g.    New Spain:

       Valid as both a name and a subject heading.

       This Spanish colonial territory extended over several modern jurisdictions (in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Central America north of Panama, the coast of Venezuela, Florida, and the present southwestern U.S.)

       E.g.    Lycia:

       Valid as both a name and a subject heading.

       Ancient country in Asia Minor, not corresponding to any modern Turkish administrative, jurisdictional unit.

       E.g.    Leon (Kingdom):

       Valid as both a name and a subject heading.

       Mediaeval kingdom in Spain.  Does not correspond to a modern Spanish administrative unit.

       (compare with Aragon (Kingdom))

     • However, if smaller jurisdictions merged to form a larger one, books that cover the entire geographic area of the later jurisdiction, even during a period prior to its creation, will be assigned the broader heading.

       E.g.    Germany  (H945):

       Formed in 1870; then divided in 1945 into post-war zones of occupation, followed in 1949 by two separate jurisdictions, Germany (West) and Germany (East); then merged again in re-unification in 1991.

       The heading "Germany" is used for works on:

       • The region now called Germany, even before the formation of the nation in 1870
       • The country of Germany before or during World War II
       • The post-World-War-II zones of occupation collectively
       • East and West Germany collectively during the period 1949-1990
       • Reunified Germany since 1990.

       In contrast, for example, the heading "Germany (East)" is used for works on:

       • The eastern part of Germany before 1949
       • The Russian occupation zone, 1945-1949
       • The German Democratic Republic from 1949-1990
       • The eastern part of reunified Germany since 1990

       Book that covers 17th-century history of the territory now called Germany:

       Use:  651  0   $a Germany

       Book that covers late 19th-century history of the nation of Germany:

       Use:  651  0  $a Germany

       Book that covers history of East Germany only, from 1949 through 1980:

       Use:  651  0  $a Germany (East)

       Book that covers history of both East and West Germany, 1950-1970:

       Use:  651  0  $a Germany         [not both Germany (East) and Germany (West)]

       Book that covers the equivalent area of eastern Germany only, 1995 to the present

       Use: 651  0  $a Germany (East)

       E.g.    Formation and break-up of Soviet Union  (H1023):   (see below, "Russia and Soviet Union")

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2. Extinct cities (H715):  Defined as any city, town, or other substantial settlement in the Eastern Hemisphere (“Old World”) that ceased to exist by 1500.

   E.g.    Troy (Extinct city)

   Leontopolis (Qaly¯ub¯iyah, Egypt : Extinct city)

   Cities in the Western Hemisphere that ceased to exist by 1500, i.e., Pre-Columbian settlements, are treated as archaeological sites.  In the Eastern Hemisphere, the distinction between an extinct city and an archaeological site is not always hard-and-fast; it can sometimes depend on the reference sources consulted at the time that a heading is established.

   To meet the definition of an extinct city, there should not have been both geographic and chronological continuity with a town or city that existed after 1500.  If a settlement known by an ancient name developed into a modern community, with the exact site continuously occupied, the heading for the modern community should be used, with the ancient name as a cross-reference.

   E.g.    The settlement of Lutetia, on the Seine River, developed into Paris.

   Heading:	151    Paris (France)
   Cross-reference:	451    Lutetia (France)
   	[the cross-reference uses “France” as the qualifier     simply because the heading does]

   On the other hand, if a city became ruined and abandoned, then another settlement happened to be established in or spread into the same place later — in other words, there was no chronological continuity — an extinct city heading is valid:

   E.g.    The ancient and mediaeval city of Carthage was destroyed, rebuilt, then eventually fell into ruin.

   From the 19th century, the modern Tunisian city of Tunis expanded to cover most of the site of Carthage, with a suburb called, in Arabic, Qar_.t¯ajannah.

   2 headings:    151    Carthage (Extinct city)

                       151     Qar_.t¯ajannah (Tunisia)

   If an extinct city is not located in the same place as a modern one of the same name — in other words, there is no geographic continuity — two separate headings are also justified.

   E.g.:   The remains of the ancient city of Sparta are located just outside the modern Greek town of Sparta.

   2 headings:    Sparta (Extinct city)

                        Sparta (Greece)

   Extinct cities are usually established as subject headings.  They may occasionally be valid as name headings, when use as a main or added entry is appropriate.

   For the use of qualifiers with extinct cities and their use in geographic subdivision, see “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  Extinct cities.”

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3. Archaeological sites (H1225, section 3):

   Archaeological sites are generally established using the term “Site” and an appropriate qualifier.  (See also “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  Archaeological sites.”

   E.g.    Tulum Site (Mexico)

   Passo di Corvo Site (Italy)

   A distinctively named archaeological site that happens to be located within a modern city should be established as a site, qualified by the heading for the city.  Research is sometimes needed to determine whether a separate site heading is needed, or whether the heading for a modern settlement should be used, with the subdivision “$x Antiquities.”

   E.g.    Saraçhane Site (Istanbul, Turkey)

         but just

   Darrow (La.) $x Antiquities.

               [archaeological site at Darrow, Louisiana; the "Darrow site"]

   On the other hand, sites located outside of modern settlements should be established separately, even if the names are the same.

   E.g.    Chiapa de Corzo Site (Mexico)

               [archaeological site located near the town of Chiapa de Corzo]

   Chiapa de Corzo (Mexico)

               [modern town]

   A site that is called “Cave,” “Rockshelter,” or “Mound” should be established using the word “Cave” or “Mound” rather than “Site.”

   E.g.    Altamira Cave (Spain)

               [a prehistoric site, located in a cave]

   Klein-Aspergle Mound (Germany)

               [a Celtic burial mound]

         but

   Newgrange Site (Ireland)

               [a mound site, but not generally referred to as a mound]

   Monsú Site (Colombia)

               [a mound site, but not referred to as a named mound in the source found]

   Middle Eastern archaeological mound sites, a category known as “tell” (a common romanization) or “tall” (standard LC romanization), are often established using a form of this term, unless the site qualifies as an extinct city.

   E.g.    Kowm, Tall (Syria)

               [cross-reference: “Kowm Site (Syria)”]

   Tell el-Amarna (Egypt)

               [although some might have established it as “Akhetaton (Extinct city)”]

   Dayr ‘All¯a, Tall (Jordan)

         but

   Gezer Site (Israel)

               [cross-reference: “Tell Gezer (Israel),” etc.]

   In practice, a few other (often fairly well known) archaeological sites have been established without a “Site” qualifier.

   E.g.    Stonehenge (England)

   Grimes Graves (England)

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4. Islands  (H807)

   While many islands are jurisdictions in their own right --

   E.g.    Madagascar

               [heading represents the country as well as the island]

   -- others are simply geographic features that are part of jurisdictions.

   E.g.    Cat Island (Miss.)

               [barrier island off the coast, part of the state of Mississippi]

   The main complications relating to island headings involve the appropriate qualifier and use in geographic subdivision.  For more information on these topics, see “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  Islands” and “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  Places on islands.”

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5. Russia and Soviet Union  (H1023):  For subject heading purposes:
   • Entire territory of Russia during different periods:
     • pre-1917, Russian Empire:    use:    Russia

     • 1917-1991, Entire Soviet Union (USSR):    use:    Soviet Union

     • 1991- Entire area, collectively, after breakup of Soviet Union:    use:    Former Soviet republics

       Please note:  “Commonwealth of Independent States” (political organisation formed by several former Soviet republics) is not valid as a subject heading, only as a name heading

     E.g.   Book that covers 19th-century history of the Russian Empire:

     Use:  651  0   $a Russia

     Book that covers history of Soviet Union during World War II:

     Use:  651  0   $a Soviet Union

     Book that covers history of developments in the area that used to be the Soviet Union since its breakup:

     Use:  651  0   $a Former Soviet republics

   • Individual Russian republics:  Often represent linear name changes from their Soviet-period names to current ones.  The earlier Soviet-period names are valid only as name headings.

     The core area still referred to as Russia, the former Russian S.F.S.R., generally corresponds to:
           Russia (Federation)

     E.g.    Book that covers history of the Russian Federation since 1993:

     Use:  651  0   $a Russia (Federation)

     Book that covers history of the Russian S.F.S.R. during the 1920s:

     Use:  651  0   $a Russia (Federation)       not      Russian S.F.S.R.

     Other examples:

     Azerbaijan		(Azerbaijan S.S.R. is valid only as a name heading)
     Belarus		(Byelorussian S.S.R. is valid only as a name heading)
     Georgia (Republic)		(Georgian S.S.R. is valid only as a name heading)

     On the other hand, the names of some republics are used for places that have changed in extent over history, so earlier names are still valid as subject headings.

     E.g.    Armenia:

     • Kingdom of Armenia before 1918:    use:    Armenia

     • Soviet republic of Armenia, 1918-1991 and post-Soviet republic of Armenia, 1991- :    use:    Armenia (Republic)

       (Armenian S.S.R. is valid only as a name heading)

     For use of Russian qualifiers and subdivisions, see:

     • “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  Change or name change of larger jurisdiction” (for treatment of places within individual Russian republics:  use the latest form of the republic’s name as a qualifier and in subdivision)

     • “Geographic Headings and Subdivisions:  Qualifier that, as a heading, is itself qualified” (for treatment of names with qualifiers, such as Russia (Federation) and Georgia (Republic), when they themselves are used as qualifiers for more specific places:  do not use a qualifier within a qualifier)

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6. Parks, Reserves, Gardens, etc.   (H1925)

   Scope:  This category includes

   • public and private parks
   • nature reserves, wilderness areas, conservation areas, etc.
   • wildlife refuges, management areas, etc.
   • forests, forest reserves, etc.
   • named seashores, marine reserves, wild and scenic rivers, etc.
   • named trails, etc.
   • gardens -- public and private
   • historic sites, monuments, etc.
   • amusement parks

   Please note:

   • Park headings and similar headings in this category are separate from headings for geographic features that may share the same general name and location.

     E.g.    151     $a Lake District National Park (England)

     151     $a Lake District (England)

     E.g.    151     $a Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (New Orleans, La.)

     151     $a Sauvage, Bayou (New Orleans, La.)     [not yet established]

     E.g.    151     $a Queen Maud Gulf Migratory Bird Sanctuary (Nunavut)

     151     $a Queen Maud Gulf (Nunavut)

     E.g.    151     $a Obed Wild and Scenic River (Tenn.)

     151     $a Obed River (Tenn.)

   • A corporate body that runs a park or other place in this category may need a name heading.  Such bodies typically have staff and may issue publications, such as newsletters and annual reports.  If so, under the rules since 2005, a separate 110 name heading is established for the corporate body, using the qualifier "Agency" when needed to avoid conflict with a 151 geographic heading for the park itself.

     E.g.    151      $a National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)

     110 2   $a National Park of American Samoa (Agency : U.S.)

     Prior to 2005, botanical gardens were not treated as geographic headings (151) but only as corporate bodies (110).  Older headings of this sort still exist.

     E.g.    110 2   $a Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

     E.g.    110 2   $a Jardín Botánico de Tenerife

   Heading form:  For those headings treated along the model of names of parks, certain special rules apply.  While tagged as geographic headings and not truly jurisdictional headings, in some ways they are treated more as corporate headings.  The heading should be:

   • Directly under its own name, not inverted to put the generic term last.

   • In the vernacular, not in English unless the name is well-known enough to appear in English-language reference sources in a conventional English-language form (or unless, of course, the vernacular of the country is English).

   Qualifiers, however, follow the standard patterns for qualifiers for geographic headings.

   E.g.    151     $a Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe (Netherlands)

   E.g.    151     $a Tongariro National Park (N.Z.)

   E.g.    151     $a Nationalpark Neusiedler See-Seewinkel (Austria and Hungary)

   E.g.    151     $a Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia)

   E.g.    151     $a Audubon Park (New Orleans, La.)

   E.g.    151     $a Passeio Público (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)     [1st public park in the Americas]

   E.g.    151     $a Tawau Hills Park (Tawau, Sabah)

   E.g.    151     $a Area de Protección de Flora y Fauna Maderas del Carmen (Mexico)

   E.g.    151     $a Refugio de Fauna Silvestre Rafael Lucas Rodríguez Caballero (Costa Rica)

   E.g.    151     $a Kakamega Forest Reserve (Kenya)

   E.g.    151     $a Cockscomb Forest Reserve/Jaguar Preserve (Belize)

   E.g.    151     $a Indiana Dunes State Park (Ind.)

   E.g.    151     $a Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (Ind.)

   E.g.    151     $a Cartier Island Marine Reserve (Ashmore and Cartier Islands)

   E.g.    151     $a Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (Wis. and Minn.)

   E.g.    151     $a Kokoda Trail (Papua New Guinea)

   E.g.    151     $a South West Coast Path (England)

   E.g.    151     $a Murava Road (Ukraine and Russia)      [found in English-language reference sources]

   E.g.    151     $a Grande Randonnée Cinq (Trail)      [located in more than 2 countries]

   E.g.    151    $a Garden of Cosmic Speculation (Scotland)    [locally established only]

   E.g.    151    $a Majorelle Gardens (Marrakech, Morocco)

   E.g.    151    $a Giardino del Lago (Rome, Italy)

   E.g.    151    $a Shalamar Garden (Lahore, Pakistan)

   E.g.    151    $a Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (Ind.)

   E.g.    151    $a Columna de la Independencia (Mexico City, Mexico)

   E.g.    151    $a New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (La.)

   E.g.    151    $a Saint Croix National Heritage Area (V.I.)

   E.g.    151     $a Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée, France)

   E.g.    151     $a Parque Rodó (Montevideo, Uruguay)

   E.g.    151     $a Tivoli (Copenhagen, Denmark)

   Cross-references are needed for variant forms, including:

   • English-language forms not used for the heading

   • Forms beginning with a specific proper name if the heading begins with a generic term. Provide an inverted form when necessary.

   E.g.    151     $a Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe (Netherlands)

   451     $a De Hoge Veluwe, Nationale Park (Netherlands)

   451     $a Hoge Veluwe National Park (Netherlands)

   E.g.    151     $a Nacionalni park Plitvi?ka jezera (Croatia)      [Plitvicka:  Plitvic-hacek-ka]

   451     $a Plitvica Lakes National Park (Croatia)

   E.g.    151     $a Giardino del Lago (Rome, Italy)

   451     $a Garden of the Lake (Rome, Italy)

   E.g.    151     $a Refugio de Fauna Silvestre Rafael Lucas Rodríguez Caballero (Costa Rica)

   451     $a Rafael Lucas Rodríguez Caballero, Refugio de Fauna Silvestre (Costa Rica)

   E.g.    151     $a Frihedsstøtten (Copenhagen, Denmark)

   451     $a Freedom's Pillar (Copenhagen, Denmark)

   451     $a Liberty Monument (Copenhagen, Denmark)

   E.g.    151     $a Arisugawa no Miya Kinen K¯oen (Tokyo, Japan)

   451     $a Prince Arisugawa Memorial Park (Tokyo, Japan)

   E.g.    151     $a Garden of Cosmic Speculation (Scotland)    [locally established only]

   451     $a Cosmic Speculation, Garden of (Scotland)

   E.g.    151     $a Ma.hm¯iyat al-Jubayl lil-Ihy¯a’ al-Ba.hr¯iyah (Saudi Arabia)

   451     $a Al Jubail Marine Wildlife Sanctuary (Saudi Arabia)

   451     $a Jubail Marine Wildlife Sanctuary (Saudi Arabia)

Verifying and establishing geographic headings

The following sources should be consulted, generally in this order, until you have found an appropriate established heading in an authority file or until you have collected enough information from other sources to establish a heading.

• LC/NACO and LC/SACO authority files in OCLC

• Voyager authority files
  • Search all geographic headings as subjects, using the Staff Subject Headings search.

  • For jurisdictions:  If no authority record is found using the Staff Subject Headings search, also search as a name, using the Staff Name Headings search.

• Voyager bib file

  Not an authoritative source, but a useful source of likely heading forms and variant forms for cross-references.  Search also for the BGN form.

  For jurisdictions:  Search both as a subject heading and as a corporate name heading or the first part of a corporate name heading.

• OCLC bib file

  Not an authoritative source, but a useful source of likely heading forms and variant forms for cross-references.  Search also for the BGN form.

  For jurisdictions:  Search both as a subject heading and as a corporate name heading or the first part of a corporate name heading.

• Sources for BGN form:

  The form of geographic name authorized by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is the one chosen for the heading form in most situations.  To find BGN forms of names online:

  • Places within the United States:  Search GNIS

  • Places outside the United States:  Search GEOnames using GNS Search (text)

• The work being catalogued itself

• Other reference sources:

  Useful if a clear BGN form has not been found.  Examples include:

  • Webster’s new geographical dictionary.
  • The Columbia gazetteer of the world
  • LANIC (Latin American Network Information Center) sections on geography and maps -- for Latin American places
  • gazetteers for the specific country

    E.g.      U.S. Gazetteer

    E.g.      Ordnance Survey (Great Britain) gazetteer

  • gazetteers oriented towards a particular discipline

    E.g.      The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites

  • atlases for the specific country

HTML document last reviewed:  16 October 2007; section "Verifying and establishing geographic headings" updated 22 April 2009