ABSTRACT
William Studwell, a Professor in the University Libraries at Northern Illinois University, began with an analogy, “Gorbachev and Me,” comparing the breakup of European communism with the reform of subject access in libraries. The author recounted efforts made by himself and others throughout the 1980s to promote the idea of a subject heading code and revisions to LC subject headings. He also described the present, rather static, state of affairs in this area. The Library of Congress has announced no comprehensive plan for LC subject headings, and it is unclear whether the concept of standardization will be embraced.
