15. Topical Cutters
Unlike geographic cutters, topical cutters must be established in the LC schedules or tables. (Example: TR681.A-Z Special classes of persons. TR681.A26 Acrobats) Copy catalogers are not expected to verify topical cutters against the schedules. Original catalogers generally should not assign topical cutters if the cutter is not listed in the schedules unless a classification proposal for the cutter has been submitted. For information see the SACO page.
Examples of topical cutter lists in the schedules: ND1460, PN1995.9, PR756, TR681.
For analysis of a specific example, see LC Class Overview Example 3.
EXCEPTION: We will continue longstanding practice and assign cutters locally for special topics, special movements, etc. in the subject bibliography classes (Z5051-7999, e.g. Z5943). However, a topic/movement cutter in a subject bibliography class must be established in the schedules if the record is coded as pcc.
16. If an item is an Abridgement or condensed version of, or selections from an individual work, the standard practice is to add a 2 to the last cutter. The date reflects the publication date of the item. If the abridgment/condensation/selections is also a translation, the translation numbers follow the 2.
Caution: selections from an author's works (as opposed to selections from an individual work) do not follow this procedure and either follow a special table within the schedule or the biography table.