1. Connie Harbison
Chairperson
BISAC Subject Committee
Introduction to BISAC Subjects
February 24, 2015

2. BISAC
What does BISAC stand for?
Book
Industry
Standards
And
Communications

3. BISG's Subject Codes Committee
maintains the BISAC Subject
Headings, Merchandising Themes,
and Regional Themes, and provides
guidance on the implementation and
use of the lists by publishers,
retailers, and other interested
parties.

4. • An industry-approved list of terms used to
describe the content of a book.
• 52 main subject areas:
– e.g. Computers, Family & Relationships, Fiction,
Juvenile Fiction and Juvenile Nonfiction, Nature
• Almost 4,000 distinct terms.
What are BISAC Subject Headings?

5. • Developed to standardize electronic transfer
of subject information.
• First version issued in the 1990s:
Why and When were they created?
1.0 (~1995)
2.0 (Nov 1997)
2.1 (May 1999)
2.2 (Jan 2000)
2.3 (May 2000)
2.4 (Jan 2001)
2.5 (July 2001)
2.6 (May 2002)
2.7 (June 2003)
2.8 (March 2004)
2.9 (May 2005)
2006 (Sept 2006)
2007 (Sept 2007)
2008 (Nov 2008)
2009 (Sept 2009)
2010 (Sept 2010)
2011 (Sept 2011)
2012 (Sept 2012)
2013 (Oct 2013)
2014 (Sept 2014)

6. • To transmit subject information between trading
partners using a consistent syntax.
• To provide a common language for sales
reporting.
• As search terms in bibliographic databases.
• As access points in online search (i.e., Online
Discoverability).
• As bricks-and-mortar shelving guides.
How are they used?

7. • Major businesses within the book industry,
including:
– Major retailers, especially those who sell online
• B&N, Amazon
– Data aggregators
• Baker & Taylor, Bowker, Ingram
– Publishers
– Wholesalers
– Nielsen BookScan
– Increasing number of libraries and library service providers
Who uses them?

8. What Do Headings Look Like?
• 9-character alphanumeric code in the form
AAA###### and a literal of the form SECTION
NAME / Subheading (with further
subheadings possible).
– MAT002040 MATHEMATICS / Algebra / Intermediate
– PET004010 PETS / Dogs / Breeds
– TRV028000 TRAVEL / Cruises

9. What Do Headings Look Like?
• The first three characters of a code represent
the section.
– PET004010 PETS / Dogs / Breeds
• The six numeric characters in the code are
dumb numbers though they may appear
hierarchical in some cases.
• Codes are intended for EDI use; literals are
intended for print/display purposes.

10. Subjects vs. Keywords
Subjects
• fewer results
• higher match to relevant titles
• could assign incorrect subjects
• better for conveying genre
fiction information
• some headings are not intuitive
• meets needs of resellers &
discovery engines (shelf
classification & website
organization)
Keywords
• more results
• includes false hits
• even if false hit, the keyword
is in the metadata so it’s
never “wrong”
• easy to identify characters
and places within the work
• no need to cross reference or
know particular terminology
• meets needs of end user
searching in small text
snippets

11. Who Sets the Standard?

12. Participating Companies

13. How Are New Headings Created?
• All requests received from within the industry are discussed and
considered.
– Note: Sometimes requests coming in are too vague to be discussed
intelligently.
– If you want to request a new heading – be clear!
• When creating a new heading, the following factors are considered:
– Are there over 100 unique titles published on this topic by different
publishers;
– Does an existing heading already exist that is similar and adequately
covers the topic;
– Does the requested subject describe a topic and not an author,
language, audience, etc.;
– Is the requested subject so broad that it does not fit in a single high
level heading (e.g., “Women’s Issues”) (these would normally be
rejected);
– Is the requested subject so narrow that no other publisher would use it.

14. 2014 Edition Overview
• Committee closed 2014 edition in August 2014.
• Edition was compiled over course of 11 meetings:
– 15-20 attendees per meeting (over half in-person)
• 2014 edition includes:
– 75 additions;
– 31 literal changes;
– 1 reactivation;
– 17 inactivations
• Approved by BISG Board in September 2014.
• Website updates were completed November 4th.
• Official release of edition was on November 10th.

15. 2014 Edition Highlights
• 11 headings were added in FICTION
– This includes a FICTION / Erotica tree.
• 14 headings were added in LITERARY CRITICISM
– This includes a tree for time periods and a subjects &
themes tree.
• Most extensive literal changes were made in
TRAVEL
– A number of headings were tree’d for better
organization.

16. Literal Changes
Literal changes are made to:
Update a literal to a more current or acceptable term:
EDU026030
EDUCATION / Special Education / Mental Disabilities  EDUCATION / Special Education / Developmental &
Intellectual Disabilities
BIO031000
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Gay & Lesbian  BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / LGBT
Update a literal to expand the scope of a heading:
LIT009000
LITERARY CRITICISM / Children's Literature  L ITERARY CRITICISM / Children's & Young Adult Literature
Update a literal to clarify a heading:
PER003050
PERFORMING ARTS / Dance / Notation  PERFORMING ARTS / Dance / Choreography & Dance Notation
Organize like headings into hierarchical trees.

17. • In BISAC  TREE = HIERARCHY
• Drill down into the tree as far as you can – the most useful subject will be the most
specific.
• It is not necessary to use a / General branch with a more specific branch.
• For example: If you use FICTION / Romance / Fantasy, there is no need to also use
FICTION / Romance / General.
“Trees”
Example:
FIC027000 FICTION / Romance / General
FIC027260 FICTION / Romance / Action & Adventure
FIC049060 FICTION / Romance / African American
FIC027270 FICTION / Romance / Clean & Wholesome
FIC027080 FICTION / Romance / Collections & Anthologies
FIC027020 FICTION / Romance / Contemporary
FIC027010 FICTION / Romance / Erotica
FIC027030 FICTION / Romance / Fantasy
FIC027190 FICTION / Romance / Gay
FIC027050 FICTION / Romance / Historical / General
FIC027210 FICTION / Romance / Lesbian
FIC027220 FICTION / Romance / Military
FIC027230 FICTION / Romance / Multicultural & Interracial
FIC027240 FICTION / Romance / New Adult
FIC027120 FICTION / Romance / Paranormal
FIC027250 FICTION / Romance / Romantic Comedy
FIC027130 FICTION / Romance / Science Fiction
FIC027110 FICTION / Romance / Suspense
FIC027090 FICTION / Romance / Time Travel
FIC027100 FICTION / Romance / Western
FIC027140 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Ancient World
FIC027150 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Medieval
FIC027070 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Regency
FIC027160 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Scottish
FIC027200 FICTION / Romance / Historical / 20th Century
FIC027170 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Victorian
FIC027180 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Viking

18. 2014 Edition Tree Example
TRV005000 TRAVEL / Bed & Breakfast
TRV033000 TRAVEL / Budget
TRV006000 TRAVEL / Canada / General
TRV006060 TRAVEL / Canada / Quebec (QC)
TRV007000 TRAVEL / Caribbean & West Indies
TRV008000 TRAVEL / Central America
TRV028000 TRAVEL / Cruises
TRV010000 TRAVEL / Essays & Travelogues
TRV009000 TRAVEL / Europe / General
TRV009010 TRAVEL / Europe / Austria
TRV009150 TRAVEL / Europe / Western
TRV012000 TRAVEL / Former Soviet Republics
TRV034000 TRAVEL / Hikes & Walks
TRV013000 TRAVEL / Hotels, Inns & Hostels
TRV014000 TRAVEL / Mexico
TRV015000 TRAVEL / Middle East / General
TRV015030 TRAVEL / Middle East / Turkey
TRV018000 TRAVEL / Parks & Campgrounds
TRV020000 TRAVEL / Polar Regions
TRV035000 TRAVEL / Rail Travel
TRV021000 TRAVEL / Reference
TRV030000 TRAVEL / Resorts & Spas
TRV022000 TRAVEL / Restaurants
TRV031000 TRAVEL / Road Travel
TRV023000 TRAVEL / Russia
TRV032000 TRAVEL / Shopping
TRV036000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / General * - NEW
TRV005000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Bed & Breakfast
TRV028000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Cruises
TRV013000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Hotels, Inns & Hostels
TRV035000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Rail Travel
TRV030000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Resorts & Spas
TRV022000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Restaurants
TRV031000 TRAVEL / Food, Lodging & Transportation / Road Travel
2013 Edition
(abbreviated)
2014 Edition
Like literals are grouped
into a hierarchy

19. Scope Reduction
When a literal is changed, the scope of its meaning may be
reduced.
Examples:
(from 2007 Edition to 2008 Edition)
JUV037000
JUVENILE FICTION / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
Committee instructed users to retain JUV037000 for juvenile works about fantasy or magic; use
JUV053000 (added in 2008 Edition) for juvenile science fiction.
(from 2011 Edition to 2012 Edition)
TRV025130
TRAVEL / United States / West / Pacific (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)  TRAVEL / United States / West
/ Pacific (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA)
TRV025130 no longer includes the state of NV. Committee instructed users to move works
about travel in NV to TRV025120, which was changed to TRAVEL / United States / West /
Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY).

20. Scope Reduction
Scope often changes when trees are created.
In 2014 Edition:
FICTION / Erotica (FIC005000) made into a tree:
FIC005000 FICTION / Erotica / General
FIC005010 FICTION / Erotica / BDSM
FIC005020 FICTION / Erotica / Collections & Anthologies
FIC005030 FICTION / Erotica / Gay
FIC005040 FICTION / Erotica / Lesbian
FIC005050 FICTION / Erotica / Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror
FIC005060 FICTION / Erotica / Traditional Victorian
Scope of FIC005000 changed.
Committee recommended: Retain FIC005000 for erotic fiction not covered within the
erotica tree; use headings within the tree for more specific related topics.

21. Reclassify
• Was FIC005000
(FICTION / Erotica)
• Becomes FIC005010
(FICTION / Erotica / BDSM)

22. Inactivations
• Inactive codes can be found on the BISG
website:

23. Inactivated
Codes Recommended
Replacements

24. Assigning BISAC Subjects
• Consider what a literal means.
For example:
EDU058000
EDUCATION / Standards (incl. Common Core)

25. How Are Headings Assigned?
Determine main subject area.
GARDENING
Pick the term(s) within the main subject area
that most closely fits the book’s content.
indoor growers
grow guide
gardener
Best subject:
GARDENING / House Plants & Indoor
An indispensible primer and
troubleshooting guide for beginning
indoor growers. Written by a newbie for
the newbies, this is a unique grow guide,
tailored specifically to indoor cultivators
using fluorescent lights. . . Marijuana
Daily Gardening will endow you with all
the knowledge you need to be a
successful, consistent gardener and all
with the hands-on advice of a fellow
rookie.

26. CKB114000
COOKING / Health & Healing / High Protein
CKB119000
COOKING / Cooking for Kids
CKB111000
COOKING / Health & Healing / Gluten-Free
Cover All Aspects of a Title

27. Similar Headings Don’t Mean the Same Thing
• Added in 2014:
POL066000
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Privacy & Surveillance
SOC054000
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Privacy & Surveillance

28. If you cannot find the heading you want,
consider the most appropriate one you can find. . .
Where is
HISTORY / Slavery?

29. Consider existing headings within that
broad heading that may fit. . .
HIS056000
HISTORY / African American
HIS036050
HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877)
Or expand your search to include
another broad heading. . .

30. SOC054000
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Slavery
Can apply to these:
As well as these:

31. Helpful Hints…
• If the title has numerous facets, it is
recommended that all relevant major sections
be considered.
• If possible, do a keyword search against the
entire subject list in order to identify all terms
that may be appropriate.
• If you cannot find a term for the narrowest
subject, try to broaden the subject.

32. More Helpful Hints…
• Refer to usage notes found at the beginning of
each major heading (see the BISG website).
• Cross-references may point you to a similar or
related subject.
• When assigning multiple subjects, keep in mind
logical guidelines and best practices.

33. Guidelines and Best Practices. . .

34. Guidelines and Best Practices
• The JUVENILE FICTION and JUVENILE NONFICTION sections
contain subjects for classifying titles aimed at children.
• Juvenile works should not be assigned subjects from any other
sections.
• A title should not have both a juvenile and an adult heading.
• All works assigned a JUVENILE FICTION or JUVENILE
NONFICTION subject must be assigned an age or grade range.
Juvenile Headings

35. Guidelines and Best Practices
• A title should not have both a fiction and a non-fiction
heading.
• Because the FICTION section is arranged by genre, if a
geographic breakdown is desired for a collection of
fiction, subjects may be assigned in both the FICTION and
LITERARY COLLECTIONS sections.
• A “Media Tie-In” subject should never be selected as the
primary subject (or the only subject!).

36. • Use subjects in the FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY section for
works about the languages specified. Do not use subjects in
this section to indicate the language of a work.
• Those HUMOR subjects containing the subheading “Form”
and subjects containing the subheading “Topic” may both be
assigned to the same work as needed.
• NON000000 (NON-CLASSIFIABLE) is for items that have no
subject content (such as blank books) or non-book products,
not for books that you have not yet classified. Do not use this
code just to populate the subject field—NON000000 means
that subjects are not applicable to an item.
Guidelines and Best Practices

37. Guidelines and Best Practices
• Use subjects in the HEALTH & FITNESS section
for works aimed at nonprofessionals. For
scholarly works and/or works aimed at
medical or health care professionals, use
subjects in the MEDICAL section.
• Certain other subject combinations also apply
to titles intended for a lay person vs. those
intended for a professional. These
combinations include Nature vs. Science, Self-
Help vs. Psychology.

38. A General Note. . .
• All major sections have GENERAL as a second
level term.
• This can be applied:
– For books covering the topic at the broadest level.
– For books of a very narrow scope that cannot be
better described by one of the other terms within
the relevant section.

39. It’s All About Content
• The category you choose should reflect the
primary content of the book.
• If you do not think there is an appropriate
subject, DO NOT USE NON000000 (Non-
classifiable). This is reserved for items that
have no subject content (such as blank books).

40. Remember. . .
• Selecting your book category is more of an art than a science.
- It is not always precise.
- There can be more than one “right” answer.
- You may need to expand your thought process.
• The category you choose should reflect the primary content of the book:
- It should not describe the format
- It should not describe the audience
- It should not describe the language
- It should not describe the author
• Other fields already exist in ONIX for most of this information!

41. Also Remember:
• Determine if there are multiple topics that
buyers may look for.
• Different buyers may approach books from
different angles, thus search different terms.
• Multiple topics may help a buyer zero in on
what they really want.

42. A Word (or Two) on FICTION
• FICTION / General
 This heading has very little meaning.
 B&T has over 200,000 records with FICTION / General on customer
facing product.
• FICTION / Literary
 FICTION / Literary ≠ FICTION / General
(but, it is might as well be. . .)
 Use this heading with care.
 Subjective heading usually reserved for award winning
authors or works of literary merit.
 Use with additional, more specific fiction heading.
 Misuse has rendered this heading practically useless.

43. Reminders
• The BISAC subject should be assigned based
on book’s content—not on the merchandising
plans of the publisher.
• Assign the most precise subject(s) applicable,
and do so in order of importance.
The most specific BISAC is always the best!

44. Reminders
• Consider the most important aspect of the
book when choosing the primary BISAC.
– Some data recipients take only the first one. . .
– . . .But others take more.
• There is no defined limit on the number of
BISACs assigned.
– The Committee suggests three as an artificial limit.
• Assign multiple subjects if necessary in order to
best describe your title.

45. Reminders
• If you already used a specific heading,
there is no need to include a General
from the same section or tree.
• The most General heading is the least
important heading (use it sparingly).

46. • There should be consistency across formats. In
other words, hardcover, paperback, mass
market, large print, audio books, and e-books
should all have the same BISAC subjects.
Reminders

47. Keep in mind. . .
Every rule
for using the
BISAC Subject Headings. . .
. . .has exceptions.
Reminders

48. BISAC
Merchandising
Themes

49. BISAC Merchandising Themes
• A list of terms representing frequently requested
merchandising themes and topics.
• Can be used in addition to subject codes to denote:
– An audience to which a work may be of particular appeal.
– A time of year or event for which a work may be especially appropriate.
– A frequently requested topic.
• Allow booksellers to group (or merchandise) titles with
dissimilar BISACs all together.
• Formatted as AA###:
– EV100 (EVENT / Wedding)
– HL070 (HOLIDAY / Halloween)
– TP020 (TOPICAL / Black History)
• Although related, subject codes and theme codes should
not be placed in the same field.

50. BISAC
Regional
Themes

51. BISAC Regional Themes
• Can be used for fiction or non-fiction to denote the regional
setting or the regional focus of the title.
• Formatted as a seven part hierarchical numeric code:
Level 1- Continents (4.0.0.0.0.0.0 – North America)
Level 2- Subcontinents (4.1.0.0.0.0.0 – Caribbean Islands )
Level 3- Countries (4.0.1.0.0.0.0 – USA)
Level 4- Subcountry regions (4.0.1.6.0.0.0 – Western & Pacific States)
Level 5- States, Provinces, Counties (4.0.1.6.3.0.0 – California)
Level 6- City, Town, Area (4.0.1.6.3.1.0 – Los Angeles)
Level 7- Borough, Neighborhood, District (4.0.1.6.3.1.1 – Beverly Hills)
• Like the Merchandising Themes, can group titles with
dissimilar BISACs.

52. Looking forward. . .to 2015 edition
• Work started on 2015 edition in October.
• Sections committee will be targeting include:
ARCHITECTURE, ART, DESIGN, MUSIC,
PERFORMING ARTS, PHOTOGRAPHY
• In addition, committee will be looking at the
JUVENILE FICTION and JUVENILE NONFICTION
sections.

53. Juvenile Sections
• The Subject Committee has a long history of considering changes to
these sections based on comments from users.
• September 2003: “There is definitely a need for a new section for
Young Adults. The section could most likely include both Fiction
and Non Fiction terms, depending on the quantity of terms that will
be needed for non-fiction.”
• Then in October 2003 (after research): “This month’s attendees
reversed the consensus reached in the prior month, concluding that
a separate Teen or Youth section was not in the best interests of the
overall Code List.”
• Topic taken up again in 2011.
– Dedicated meeting open to all BISG membership held June 2011
– Outcome: “The overall feeling seemed to be that a significant and
visible ROI would be needed to make such a large change.”

54. Juvenile Sections (cont’d)
• The Committee will again look at these
sections to determine if the juvenile sections
are inadequate to the needs of the industry.
• Proposals will be presented at a town hall
meeting on March 13th (with a repeat
webinar on March 20th).

55. Questions?
To BISAC or not to BISAC

56. Thank You.
For more information, please contact me at:
connie.harbison@baker-taylor.com