It is during the subject determination process that the critical terms are created that link any given document to its audience, the information seeker. Perhaps it is rational that subject cataloguing should itself be subjective, but, in fact, subject cataloguers create and use the processes that assist them in assigning classification numbers and subject headings. The process of subject determination, however, is little understood outside the cataloguing department. Sauperl dissects the subject cataloguing process, seeking to answer the question, "How do cataloguers determine or identify the topic of a document and choose the appropriate subject description?" Her investigation encompasses the work of 12 subject cataloguers, examining how they understand and employ standards to create subject representation, as well as what unwritten rules and practices they use during the process. The volume addresses the cognitive processes that lie behind the application of cataloguing rules. It should help cataloguing students and practising cataloguers to gain a better understanding of their craft.
More broadly, it is intended for a wide audience of librarians and information scientists, for whom a better understanding of subject determination will assist with search methodologies and information retrieval in a variety of environments.