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TSD / Cataloging and Metadata Management: Fundamentals of the NLM® Classification

Form Numbers

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Special Cases—Popular Works

  • Some, but not all of the schedules have a form number for Popular Works
  • When using Popular Works, check if there is a specific number available in the schedule
    • Examples:
      • WG 113 (Heart Diseases)
      • WQ 150 (Pregnancy)
      • QZ 201 (Neoplasms)
  • The index entry for Popular Work provides a listing of the form numbers available in the various schedules.
  • If no form number is available for popular works, classify by subject.

Special Cases—Fictional Work

  • There is no special form number for fictional works
  • A fictional work written by a health care professional is classed in WZ 350, regardless of topic
  • WZ 330 should never be assigned to fictional works since it is to be applied to non-fiction works discussing medicine in literature
  • WZ 330 should never be assigned to fictional works since it is to be applied to non-fiction works discussing medicine in literature
  • Fictional works not written by a health care professional that are primarily about a medical subject, should be classified by the medical subject of the book.
    • If the work is about the general life of medical personnel or a fictional biography, e.g. Dr. Kildare, the work should be classified in W 21 (Medicine as a profession)
    • If the work is a fictional account of a real person(s), the work should be classed in WZ 100 or the appropriate collective biography number
  • Fictional works not written by a health care professional, that are not primarily about a medical subject, should be classified in the LC literature class (the P class). e.g., The Time Machine

Special Cases—Collected Works, etc.

  • In general, the form number 5 is used for collected works by several authors, form number 7 is used for collected works by individual authors, and form number 9 is used for addresses, essays, or lectures.

    With the 2017 summer edition, collected works and works comprised of addresses, essays, and lectures that cover a particular subject are also classed in their respective form numbers within the schedule
    • For example, Psychiatry—Collected Work is classed in WM 5 or WM 7
    • However, Psychotherapy—Collected Work is classed in WM 5 or WM 7


Last Reviewed: April 16, 2021