52(2) LRTS 29 Subject Access Tools in English for Canadian Topics Canadian Extensions to U.S. Subject Access Tools By Robert p. Holley Canada has a long history of adapting United States subject access tools, includ- ing the Library of Congress Classification (LCC), Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), the Dewey Decimal Classification, and the Sears List of Subject Headings, to meet the specific needs of Canadians. This paper addresses the extensions to these American tools for English-speaking Canadians. While the United States and Canada have many similarities, differences exist that require changing terminology and providing greater depth and precision in subject head- ings and classification for specifically Canadian topics. The major effort has been for Library and Archives Canada (LAC) systematically to provide extensions for LCC and LCSH for use within its cataloging records. This paper examines the history and philosophy of these Canadian efforts to provide enhanced subject access. Paradoxically, French-speaking Canadians may have found it easier to start from scratch with the Répertoire de vedettes-matière because of the diffi- cult decisions for English-language tools on how much change to implement in an environment where most Canadian libraries use the American subject access tools. Canadian studies scholars around the world can use Canadian records, especially those maintained by LAC, to obtain superior subject access for Canadian topics even if they obtain the documents from other sources. Robert p. Holley (
[email protected]) is professor, Library and Information Science Program, Wayne State University. Introduction Submitted March 14, 2007; tentatively accepted pending revision April 26, 2007; revised and resubmitted Sept.