Subject Headings vs. Keywords

Subject headings are very specific to a particular set of databases, or library catalogues. They are part of a controlled vocabulary, where a term is only used in a subject heading when the item is specifically about that term. Usually a person has assigned these terms based on their knowledge of what's in the book. For example, books with "Marriage" in their subject heading are mainly and specifically on the topic of Marriage.

Keywords are simply words that can appear anywhere in the title, subject heading, abstract or even full text of the article. If you search Marriage as a keyword, then you can locate books that mention marriage on a single page, or have a short chapter addressing Marriage.

Subject headings can narrow your search if your results are too broad. You can also combine keywords and subject headings in the advanced search in any database to narrow or broaden your results.

Colgate Libraries use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to organize our books, a system of controlled vocabulary created by the U.S. Library of Congress. These terms are used in libraries across the United States, but changing and updating the terms can take a very long time, through a complicated and political process. You may find that the subject heading terminology is outdated or even offensive or triggering. This list is not meant to be exhaustive. For more subject terms and search suggestions, see the Call Numbers section of this page

Click on a term to browse the subject heading in the library catalogue

How subject headings are defined

• African American [topic] or [topic], African American
  • Adjective used to modify another term or topic
• African Americans
  • Works on citizens of the United States who are of Black African descent. ex. African Americans, New York.
  • More information from the Library of Congress
• Blacks
  • Works on Blacks as an element in the population. ex. Blacks, Brazil; Blacks, Cuba
  • Note: Blacks, United States specifically refers to groups who temporarily reside in the U.S. (such as students from abroad, resident aliens)
  • More information from the Library of Congress
• Black Race
  • Works on Blacks from an anthropological point of view
  • More information from the Library of Congress

Selected Subject Headings

• Abolition
• Abolitionists
• African American anthropologists
• African American architects
• African American art
• African American artists
• African American bisexual
• African American children
• African American dramatists
• African American farmers
• African American gays
• African American lesbians
• African American men
• African American teachers
• African American transgender people
• African American women
• African Americans, Antiquities
• African Americans, Attitudes
• African Americans, Bibliography
• African Americans, Civil Rights
• African Americans, Cultural Assimilation
• African Americans, Drama
• African Americans, Education
• African Americans, Folklore
• African Americans, Funeral customs and rites
• African Americans, Genealogy
• African Americans, History
• African Americans, Intellectual Life
• African Americans, Land Tenure
• African Americans, Language
• African Americans, Mental Health
• African Americans, Migrations
• African Americans, Music
• African Americans, Politics and government
• African Americans, Population
• African Americans, Portraits
• African Americans, Psychology
• African Americans, Public Opinion
• African Americans, Race
• African Americans, Reparations
• African Americans, Research
• African Americans, Sexual Behavior
• African Americans, Social Conditions
• African Americans, Social Life and Customs
• African Americans, Study and Teaching
• African Americans with Disabilities
• African Diaspora
• African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME)
• American Drama, African American Authors
• American Literature, African American Authors
• Black Arts Movement
• Black Lives Matter
• Black Nationalism, United States
• Black Power
• Education, African American
• Freedmen, United States
• Human Experimentation in Medicine
• Middle Class African Americans
• Older African Americans
• Poor African Americans
• Racism
• Social Justice
• Social Work with African Americans
• Stereotypes (Social Psychology)
• Stereotypes (Social Psychology) in [topic]
• Suburban African Americans
• United States, African American Influences
• Upper Class African Americans
• Urban African Americans
• White Nationalism
• White Supremacy
• Whites, Race Identity
• Women, Black
• Working Class African Americans

Call number ranges from Sarah Howard & Steven Knowlton's "Browsing Through Bias: The Library of Congress Classification and Subject Headings for African American Studies and LGBTQIA Studies" in Library Trends, 67:1, 2018.

These terms can also be used as subject headings and search terms.

Case Library, 2nd Floor "CASE MAIN":

Philosophy and Religion

• B 944.A37: African American Philosophy
• BL 65.R3: Race, religious aspects
• BL 625.2: African Americans, religious life
• BL 2490: Survival of African religions in America, Vodou
• BL 2532: Religious movements of the West Indies and Caribbean area, Ifa, Obeah, Santeria, Rastafari movement
• BL 2565: Afro-Caribbean religions
• BL 2590.B7: Afro-Brazilian religions
• BL 2592: South American African-derived religions, Candomblé
• BP 190.5.R3: African American Muslims
• BP 221 - BP 223: African American Muslims, Nation of Islam
  • BP 223.Z8.E4: Elijah Muhammad
  • BP 223.Z8.L5745: Malcolm X
• BR 128.A16: Relation of Christianity to African religions
• BR 563.N4: African American Christians
• BR 1644.3: African American Pentecostals
• BS 521.2: Black interpretations of the Bible
• BT 82.7: Black theology
• BT 734 - BT 734.3: Doctrinal theology of race
• BV 639.M56: Christianity and minorities
• BX 1407.N4: African American Catholics
• BX 5979: African Americans and the Episcopal Church
• BX 6194.A4: African American Spiritual churches
• BX 6440 - BX6460.9: African American Baptists
• BX 8435 - BX 8473: Black Methodists
• BX 8440 - BX 8449: African Methodist Episcopal Church
• BX 8450 - BX 8459: African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
• BX 8460 - BX 469: Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

History

• CB 235: Civilization and African Diaspora
• D 639.N4: World War I (1914-1918) African Americans
• D 810.N4: World War II (1939-1945) African Americans
• DT 16.5: African diaspora in the history of Africa
• E 29.A43: Akan diaspora in the Americas
• E 29.N3: Blacks in the Americas
• E 98.R28: Indians of North America, relations with African Americans
• E 184.A1: Race, ethnicity, and race relations in the U.S.
• E 184.A24: African immigrants in the U.S.
• E 184.36.A34: African American-Jewish relations
• E 184.5 - E 184.7: African Americans, African American Studies.
• E 185: African American History
  • E 185.18: African American history to 1863
  • E 185.2: African American history, 1863-1877
  • E 185.6: African American history, 1877-1964
    • E 185.61: African American history, 1877-1964 race relations
    • E 185.62: Interracial marriage
    • E 185.625: African American racial identity
    • E 185.63: African Americans in the Armed Forces
  • E 185.8: African Americans, economic conditions
    • E 185.86: African Americans, social life and customs
    • E 185.89.I56: African Americans, intellectual life
    • E 185.89.R45: African Americans, reparations
  • E 185.9: African Americans in the North
  • E 185.92: African Americans in the South
  • E 185.925: African Americans in the West
  • E 185.93.N56: African Americans in New York
  • E 185.96: African American genealogy (collective)
  • E 185.97.A - E 185.97.Z: African American genealogy (by and about individuals)
    • E 185.97.D73: W.E.B. Du Bois
    • E 185.97.G3: Marcus Garvey
    • E 185.97.H35: Fannie Lou Hamer
    • E 185.97.K5: Martin Luther King, Jr.
    • E 185.97.L79: Alain Locke
    • E 185.97.N48: Huey Newton
    • E 185.97.R27: A. Philip Randolph
    • E 185.97.R6: Paul Robeson
    • E 185.97.T8: Sojourner Truth
    • E 185.97.W4: Booker T. Washington
    • E 185.97.W55: Ida B. Wells-Barnett
    • E 185.97.W6: Walter White
• E 269.N3: African Americans in U.S. History, the Revolution 1775-1783
• E 423: History of slavery in the U.S., 1849-1853
• E 433: History of slavery in the U.S., 1853-1857
• E 438: History of slavery in the U.S., 1857-1861
• E 440.5: History of slavery in the U.S., November 1860-March 4, 1861
• E 441: Antislavery movements
• E 442: Slave markets and auctions
• E 443: Slave life
• E 444: Personal narratives of slaves
• E 445: Slavery and antislavery in individual states
  • E 445.N56: Slavery and antislavery in New York state
• E 446: History of slavery in the U.S. to 1830 (general works)
• E 447: Slave insurrections in the U.S.
• E 448: African American colonization of Africa
• E 449: History of slavery in the U.S., 1830-1863
• E 449.D75: Frederick Douglass
• E 450: Fugitive slaves
• E 451: John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry, W. Va., 1859
• E 453: Slavery during the Civil War, 1861–1865
• E 492.9: African American regiments in the Civil War, 1861–1865
• E 540.N3: African American participation with the Union in the Civil War, 1861-1865
• E 585.A35: African American participation with the Confederacy in the Civil War, 1861-1865
• E 668: Reconstruction, 1865-1877
• E 907 - E 909: Obama Administration, including books by and about the Obama family
• F 128.4: African Americans History in New York City, Early to 1775
• F 128.9.N4: African Americans history in New York City, 1775-1865
• F 130.N4: African Americans history in New York State

Anthropology and recreation

• GR 103 & GR 111.A47: African American folklore
• GR120 - GR 121: Caribbean area folklore
• GV 706.32: Racial discrimination in sports
• GV 1624.7.A34: African American dance

Housing, commerce and labor

• HD 2358: Minority business enterprises
• HD 4861 - HD 4865: Slave labor
• HD 6057: Employment of minority women
• HD 6490.R2 - HD 6490.R22: Race relations and minority membership in unions
• HD 7288.7 - HD 7288.72: Minority housing
• HD 8081.A65: Working class African Americans
• HF 5549.5.A34: Affirmative Action
• HF 5549.5.M5: Diversity in the workplace

Family and sexuality

• HQ 76.27.A37: African American lesbians
• HQ 777.9: Multiracial children
• HQ 801.8: Interracial dating, interfaith dating
• HQ 1031: Interracial marriage, interfaith marriage

Communities, class, and race

• HT 221: Race relations in cities
• HT 731: Freedmen
• HT 851 - HT 893: Slavery (general)
  • HT 869: Biographies of slaves
• HT 901 - HT 905: Economic aspects of slavery
• HT 910 - HT 921: Religion and slavery
• HT 975: Modern slavery (general)
• HT 985 - HT 991: Modern slavery
• HT 1025 - HT 1033: Anti-slavery, abolition
• HT 1501 - HT 1561: Races, ethics and psychology
• HV 3181 - HV 3185: Protection, assistance and relief of African Americans
• HV 6250.4.E75: Ethnic minorities as victims of crimes
• HV 6455 - HV 6469: Lynching
• HV 7936.R3: Racial profiling

Case Library, 3rd Floor "CASE MAIN":

Note: Other titles of the 3rd floor are CASE REF (Reference materials).

Music

• ML 410 .E44: Duke Ellington
• ML 410 .H476: Jimi Hendrix
• ML 417 .M846: Thelonious Monk
• ML 418 .M45: Charles Mingus
• ML 419 .A75: Louis Armstrong
• ML 419 .C645: John Coltrane
• ML 419 .D39: Miles Davis
• ML 419 .P4: Charlie Parker
• ML 420 .B818: James Brown
• ML 420 .F52: Ella Fitzgerald
• ML 420 .H58: Billie Holiday
• ML 420 .S667: Bessie Smith
• ML 3186.8 - ML 3187: Gospel music
• ML 3478 - ML 3479: African American music
• ML 3505.8 - ML 3509: History and criticism of jazz
• ML 3518: History and criticism of big band music,
• ML 3520.8 - ML 3521: History and criticism rhythm and blues
• ML 3527.8: History and criticism of Funk
• ML 3531: History and criticism of rap and hip-hop music
• ML 3532: History and criticism of Reggae music
• ML 3532.5: History and criticism of Reggaeton
• ML 3533.8 - ML 3534: History and criticism of rock music
• ML 3537: History and criticism of soul music
• ML 3540: History and criticism of techno music
• ML 3540.5: History and criticism of underground dance music
• ML 3556: History and criticism of African American folk music
• ML 3561.J3: History and criticism of jazz songs
• ML 3918.B57: Social and political aspects of blues
• ML 3918.J39: Social and political aspects of jazz
• ML 3918.R37: Social and political aspects of rap and hip-hop music
• ML 3918.R63: Social and political aspects of rock music
• ML 3921.8.J39: Religious aspects of jazz
• ML 3921.8.R36: Religious aspects of rap and hip-hop music

Case Library, 4th Floor "CASE MAIN":

Political science and law

• JC 312: Nationalism and minorities
• JK 1924 - JK 1929: African American voters
• K 3242: Discrimination and non-discrimination
• KF 482: Slaves and the laws of the U.S.
• KF 3464: Racial discrimination in employment, and its prevention
• KF 4151 - KF 4155: Discrimination and segregation
• KF 4545.S5: Constitutional law and slavery (including 13th Amendment)
• KF 4558 14th: 14th Amendment
• KF 4755: Antidiscrimination in general (includes Critical Race Theory)
• KF 4755.5: Affirmative Action
• KF 4756 - KF 4757: African Americans civil and political rights and liberties
• KF 4893: African American suffrage
• KF 5740: Discrimination in housing
• KF 8745.M34: Thurgood Marshall
• KF 8745.T48: Clarence Thomas
• KFA - KFW: Laws of individual states

Education

• LC 212 - LC 212.43: Discrimination in education
• LC 212.5: Segregation and racism in education
• LC 212.7: Segregation in higher education
• LC 2717: African American education (general)
• LC 2731: Afro-centrism, African American schools, and African American education
• LC 2741: History of African American education
• LC 2771 - LC 2778: African American education in elementary and public school
• LC 2779: African American secondary education
• LC 2781: African American higher education
• LC 2802 - LC 2803: Local African American education (by region, state or city)
• LC 2851.A - LC 2851.Z: Individual higher institutions and African Americans
• LC 3601 - LC 3643: Education of racially mixed people

Fine Arts

• N 6538.N5: African American visual arts (modern art)
• N 8232: African Americans as subjects of art
• NA 2543.R37: Architecture in relation to race
• ND 238.N5: African American painting history
• NX 180.R3: The arts in relation to racism
• NX 512.3.A35: History of African American arts
• NX 652.A37: African Americans as characters in art

Language and literature

• P 94.5.A37 - P 94.5.A372: Communication in mass media in relation to African Americans
• P 120.R32: Racism in language
• PN 56.R16: Race in literature
• PN 841: Black literature history
• PN 1992.8.A34: African Americans on television
• PN 1992.8.M54: Minorities on television
• PN 1995.9.M56: Minorities in motion pictures
• PN 1995.9.N4: African Americans in motion pictures
• PN 2270.A35: African American theater
• PN 2286: African American actors
• PN 4882: Minority press
• PN 4882.5: African American press
• PN 4888.R3: Racism in journalism
• PN 6231.N5: African American wit and humor
• PS 153.M56: Minority authors in American literature
• PS 153.N5: Black authors in American literature
• PS 173.N4: Treatment of African Americans in American literature
• PS 217.S55: Slavery and Abolitionism in 19th century American literature
• PS 228.R32: Race in 20th century American literature
• PS 338.N4: African American authors of American drama
• PS 366.A35: African American authors of American nonfiction
• PS 374.N4: African American authors of American fiction
• PS 374.R32: Fiction dealing with race
• PS 374.S58: Slavery in American fiction
• PS 508.M54: Literary collections by minority authors
• PS 508.N3: Literary collections by African American authors
• PS 509.N4: Literary collections about African Americans
• PS 591.N4: Poetry collections by African American authors
• PS 595.R32: Poetry collections about race relations and Civil Rights
• PS 627.M5: Plays by minority authors (anthologies)
• PS 627.N4: Plays by African American authors (anthologies)
• PS 647.A35: Fiction by African American authors
• PS 663.M55: Famous speeches by minority speakers
• PS 663.N4: Famous speeches by African Americans
• PS 866.W5: Phillis Wheatley
• PS 1292.C6: Charles Waddell Chesnutt
• PS 1557: Paul Lawrence Dunbar
• PS 3503.R7244: Gwendolyn Brooks
• PS 3515.A515: Lorraine Hansberry
• PS 3515.I713: Chester Himes
• PS 3515.U274: Langston Hughes
• PS 3515.U789: Zora Neale Hurston
• PS 3539.O478: Jean Toomer
• PS 3545.R815: Richard Wright
• PS 3551.N464: Maya Angelou
• PS 3552.A45: James Baldwin
• PS 3552.U827: Octavia E. Butler
• PS 3554.O884: Rita Dove
• PS 3563.O8749: Toni Morrison
• PS 3568.E365: Ishmael Reed
• PS 3573.I26: John Edgar Wideman

Technology, library studies, and military science

• TR 140.P35: Gordon Parks, Sr.
• UB 416: Minorities and women in the armed forces
• UB 418.A47: African Americans in the armed forces
• UG 834.A37: African Americans in the air forces
• VB 324.A47: African Americans in the navy
• Z 682.4.M56: Minorities in libraries & library studies
• Z 711.8: Library services for minorities
• Z 1039.B56: Booklists for African American readers

Cooley Science Library "COOLEY MAIN":

• BF 76.45: Racism in psychology
• BF 175.4.R34: Psychoanalysis and racism.
• BF 723.R3: Race awareness in children
• BF 724.3.R3: Race awareness in adolescence
• GN 269: Physical Anthropology of race
• GN 270 - GN 279: Race Psychology
• GN 495.6: Ethnicity and ethnic identity
• QB 36.B22: Benjamin Banneker
• R 693 and R 695: African Americans in medicine
• RA 408.M54: Health of older minority people
• RA 448.5.N4: African American health
• RA 645.S53: Sickle cell anemia
• RA 564.86: Minority women's health
• RC 451.5.N4: African Americans and psychiatry