ANSS Subject and Bibliographic Access Committee
Question/Answer on Cataloging Issues – September 2020
Question: What is the difference between the subject headings for “Latin Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Spanish Americans” and how are they applied?
By Marielle Veve, Carpenter Library, University of North Florida
Answer:
Although “Latin Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Spanish Americans” are terms that have been interchangeably used over the years to reference to Spanish speaking people in the U.S., in reality they are distinctive terms with slightly different denotations. The difference in meaning has more to do with the people’s ancestry and citizen status than on their spoken language. To make this distinction clear, Library of Congress (LC) has established a series of subject headings to represent each of these unique, but somewhat similar groups. The headings come in different categories and can be assigned as follows:
I. Ethnic groups/nationalities headings:
Latin Americans – Here are entered works on citizens of Latin American countries. This includes Mexico and the countries in Central America, Caribbean, and South America where Romance languages are predominantly spoken. This subject heading can be subdivided geographically.
Latin Americans–United States – Here are entered works on citizens of Latin American countries in the United States. Cannot be subdivided geographically.
Hispanic Americans – Here are entered works on United States citizens of Latin American descent. Can be subdivided geographically.
Spanish Americans – Here are entered works on citizens or permanent residents of the United States who trace their heritage directly to Spain. Can be subdivided geographically.
Spanish Americans (Latin America) – For Spanish-speaking Latin Americans. Can be subdivided geographically.
Latinos/Latinx (cross-reference) – These terms are not established subject headings, but cross-references to the heading Hispanic Americans. They refer to theUnited States citizens of Latin American descent.
The free-floating subdivisions that can be applied to these ethnic/nationalities headings can be found in section H 1103 of the LC Subject Headings Manual. Examples of these can be:
Latin Americans –
Hispanic Americans –
Spanish Americans –
– Anecdotes
– Attitudes
– Civil rights (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Education (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Employment (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Ethnic identity
– Religion
– Rites and ceremonies
– Travel (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Economic conditions (Can be subdivided Chronologically) e.g. — 16th century
– History (Can be subdivided Chronologically)
– Politics and government (Can be subdivided Chronologically)
– Social conditions (Can be subdivided Chronologically)
– Social life and customs (Can be subdivided Chronologically)
II. Classes of persons headings qualified by ethnicity/nationality:
Latin American students (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Foreign workers, Latin American (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Hispanic American accountants (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Hispanic American baseball players (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Hispanic American journalists (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Poets, Spanish American (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Authors, Spanish American (Can be subdivided Geographically)
The free-floating subdivisions that can be applied to these classes of persons headings qualified by ethnicity/nationality can be found in section H 1100 of the LC Subject Headings Manual. Examples of these can be:
– Attitudes
– Employment (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Family relationships (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Folklore
– Government policy (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Health and hygiene (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Housing (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Labor unions (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Library resources
– Political activity (Can be subdivided Geographically)
III. Topical headings qualified by ethnicity/nationality:
Art, Latin American
Cooking, Latin American
Hispanic American banks (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Hispanic American leadership (Can be subdivided Geographically)
Riddles, Spanish American
Spanish-American War, 1898 (Can be subdivided Geographically)
The free-floating subdivisions that can be applied to these topical headings qualified by ethnicity/nationality can be found in section H 1095 of the LC Subject Headings Manual. Examples of these can be:
Art, Latin American — Collectibles
Cooking, Latin American — Book reviews
Hispanic American banks — Auditing
Hispanic American leadership — Awards
Riddles, Spanish American — Competitions
Spanish-American War, 1898 — Archival resources
IV. Literature headings qualified by ethnicity/nationality:
Latin American literature Here are entered works of literature in the languages of Latin America treated collectively (Spanish, Portuguese, French, etc.) Can be subdivided chronologically. *Genres of literature in this category include: Latin American drama, Latin American poetry, etc.
Hispanic American literature (Spanish) Here are entered works of literature in Spanish by Hispanic Americans. Can be subdivided geographically and chronologically. *Genres of literature in this category include: Hispanic American fiction (Spanish); Folk drama, Hispanic American (Spanish); etc.
American literature — Hispanic American authors: Here are entered works of literature in English by Hispanic Americans. Can be subdivided chronologically. *Genres of literature in this category include: American drama — Hispanic American authors; American fiction — Hispanic American authors; etc.
Spanish American literature Here are entered works of literature in Spanish from Latin America. Can be subdivided chronologically. *Genres of literature in this category include: Short stories, Spanish American; Science fiction, Spanish American, etc.
*Note: The genres of literature listed above are available in the Library of Congress Subject Headings Thesaurus, not in the Library of Congress Genre Form Thesaurus.
The free-floating subdivisions that can be applied to these literature headings qualified by ethnicity/nationality can be found in section H 1156 of the LC Subject Headings Manual. Examples of these can be:
– 18th century
– Appreciation (Can be subdivided Geographically)
– Arab influences
– Criticism, Textual
– Film adaptations
– Women authors
Sources:
“Free-Floating Subdivisions: H 1095”. Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual. November 2020. https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/H1095.pdf
“Free-Floating Subdivisions: Classes of Persons H 1100”. Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual. November 2020. https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/H1100.pdf
“Free-Floating Subdivisions: Ethnic Groups H 1103”. Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual. November 2020. https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/H1103.pdf
“Pattern Headings: Literatures H 1156”. Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual. November 2020. https://www.loc.gov/aba/publications/FreeSHM/H1156.pdf