Ulrichsweb: Ulrich's Subject Headings FAQ

Ulrich's Subject Headings are proprietary subject headings used to classify the serials in the Ulrichsweb database. They are generally based on Library of Congress (LC) subjects, but are created and maintained by Ulrichsweb. The subject headings are overseen by our Ulrichsweb editorial team. Ulrich's subjects are known and respected in the library community, are patron-friendly, and provide an easy-to-use, flexible alternative to Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress subject classifications for serials.

There are approximately 110 top-level Ulrich's subject headings and more than 1000 overall.

Ulrich's was first published in 1932 as "Periodicals Directory: A Classified Guide to a Selected List of Current Periodicals Foreign and Domestic." In 1943, the directory was given the name "Ulrich's" in recognition of its original creator, Carolyn Ulrich, Head of Periodicals at the New York Public Library. The headings are used to classify serials Ulrich's were initially created by librarians and have been added to, modified, and updated by the Ulrich's editorial team.

The publishers who provide Ulrich's with EDI data may select and assign Ulrich's subjects to their publications. If a publisher does not designate an Ulrich's heading, but provides a Dewey or LC subject classification, the Ulrich's editorial team maps the original heading to an Ulrich's subject and stores the original classification in the Ulrich's record. If data are received without pre-assigned Ulrich's headings or without Dewey or LC subjects, the editorial team determines and assigns one or more of Ulrich's headings based on the publisher's content description, information from the publication's website, or other sources. A title in Ulrich's may be classified under as many as 4 Ulrich's subjects, although the vast majority of titles are classified under one heading or a heading and sub-classification. The inclusion of Dewey and LC classification in addition to Ulrich's headings means that records have multiple access points at the subject level.

Ulrichsweb Subject Headings are displayed in Title Details and may be searched using Advanced Search.

Subject Areas display utilize a wider scope than Subject Headings. These more general Subject Areas will make it easier for patrons, as well as for librarians, to identify titles in broader subject areas of interest.

Ulrich's Subject Areas are accessible as a facet for filtering search results. They can also be used in Advanced Search as a limiter.

Ulrich's predates MARC format, and was never designed to be a MARC cataloging database. However, some librarians choose to include Ulrich's Subjects in their MARC 69X fields as local subjects on their primary catalog records. Including Ulrich's subjects in their MARC records provides an additional point of reference (and linking) between catalog records and a library's Ulrich's products.

• Date Created: 9-Feb-2014
• Last Edited Date: 29-May-2018
• Old Article Number: 8927