Form Subject Headings

Another type of subject heading is the Form heading. This type of subject heading is used to describe the genre, or style, of the item being cataloged. 

Examples of this type of heading would be CHILDREN’S LITERATURE, referring to collections of works published for children, regardless of their topical content; POETRY, referring to collections of poems, again without looking at the specific topic(s) covered by those poems. Using form headings can be a way to indicate to the library user and staff where materials in a specific form can be found, such as essays, plays, poems, biographies, various forms of literature, etc. Form headings can either be used alone, or can be combined with a topical subject, such as CONCENTRATION CAMPS—DRAMA, indicating both the content and form of the library item.

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