Glossary of Collection Subjects

Term
Definition / Scope
Art, photography and architecture Materials about fields in which skills and creative imagination are combined to produce aesthetic objects. Includes fine arts, arts and crafts, graphic arts, etc. Includes materials about creating aesthetic objects and materials that contain or display the aesthetic objects. Arts and crafts as hobbies are included in this category.
Country or region-specific Materials about, or pertaining to, a particular country or region. A region may be within a country or may represent multiple countries.
Economy Materials relating to, or based on, the production, distribution and consumption of good and services. Includes business, industry, employment, trade, and economic sectors such as finance, service, construction, housing, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, commercial fishing, etc. Defense industries and military production are found within the Collection Subject, Military and defense.
Education Materials dealing primarily with teaching, learning, schooling or training, through formal instruction and supervised practice. This category includes materials about education. Materials that are educational in nature, e.g. intended to instruct others in a subject or discipline, are found within relevant subject being taught together with the Collection Form, Educational or instructional.
Geography and travel Materials about the physical features of the earth's surface and about journeying from one place to another for exploration and tourism. Includes nonfiction works featuring or promoting geographic or cultural location(s), often in a romanticized manner. Includes moving images that accompany "tour" lectures, travel documentaries, and sponsored works by transportation companies, travel agencies, chambers of commerce, national parks, and other entities that promote modes of transportation, package tours, resorts, vacation areas, and other locations. Materials about the geologic composition of the earth's surface, crust and interior are contained within the Collection Subject, Science.
Government, politics and law Materials concerning law, government, and the art or science of guiding or influencing governmental policy. Includes international relations.
Health and medicine Materials concerning the general condition of the body, as well as the art and science of maintaining good health and preventing, alleviating or curing disease. Includes dentistry, nursing, allied health fields, psychology and psychiatry, complementary and alternative therapies, and consumer health. Biomedical and behavioral science with a focus on theory and research rather than practical application are contained within the Collection Subject, Science.
Military and defense Materials about the armed forces and the military-industrical aggregate associated with the production of arms for attack or for resisting attack. International relations, including conflicts between countries, are found within the Collection Subject, Government, politics and law.
Natural history and environment Materials about the air, water or land in/on which people, animals and plants live. Includes material about animals and plants within their environments. Includes scenics, materials about nature, natural history, ecology, conservation and renewal of natural resources. Materials that focus on tourism in undeveloped areas or the physical rather than the ecological features of the earth's surface are found within the Collection Subject, Geography and travel.
Performing arts Materials involving public performance, including music, dance, theater, etc.
Recreation and sports Materials concerning activities designed to divert, amuse, refresh or stimulate, including hobbies, games and athletics. Materials on arts and crafts hobbies are found within the Collection Subject, Art, photography and architecture.
Religion and philosophy Materials about belief systems concerning existence, knowledge and ethics. Includes belief systems surrounding the worship of a god or gods. Includes mythology. Materials that are predominantly focused on anthropology or archeology rather than mythology or religion are contained within the Collection subject, Society.
Science Systems of knowledge covering general truths or operation of general laws as obtained and tested through scientific method. Includes physical sciences, earth sciences, space sciences, biological sciences, biomedical sciences, behavioral sciences, mathematics, computer science, etc. Materials about natural history are contained within the Collection Subject, Natural history and environment. Materials about the physical features of the earth's surface are contained within the Collection Subject, Geography and travel. Materials about the practical application of knowledge, such as communications, media, transportation, energy, computing, etc. are contained within the Collection Subject Technology. Materials about the practical application of biomedical and behavioral science for disease prevention and cure are contained within the Collection Subject, Health and medicine.
Society Materials about the communities, nations, or broad groupings of people having common traditions, institutions or collective activites and interests. Includes materials about family, home life, trends, fashion, socio-economic-political problems and movements, anthropology and archaeology, ethnography, social groups, ethnic and minority groups, etc. Includes materials on genocide (e.g., the Holocaust).. Materials about religious practice and mythology are included within the Collection Subject, Religion and philosophy
Technology Materials about the practical application of knowledge. Includes communications, media, transportation, energy, computing, etc. Theoretical knowledge and scientific research are included within the Collection Subject, Science. Materials about the application of technology to the prevention or cure of disease or disability are included within the Collection Subject, Health and medicine.