No, I do not use the free-floating term "Region" accompanying a name for any place smaller than a city. I think H790 is pretty clear on that "the city and its surrounding territory". A neighborhood by definition is a smaller portion of a city or town, even if the boundaries of the neighborhood are geographically large. As for neighborhoods and lack of subject headings for them, there isn't a lot one can do about that except combine a topical term for a neighborhood (I am not yet at work and so do not have access to NAF to look up if "neighborhood" is a LCSH subject heading, sorry). Alternately, look at the MARC 653 field because it is flexible enough to allow a cataloger to use the name of a neighborhood.

Shalom,

In our map collection we have been using the word ‘region’ as a broader term, not only for a city, but also for individual neighborhoods.

LC defines, in: Areas Associated with Cities

[city] Region: the city itself and its surrounding territory, the exact size and boundaries of which are indefinite and may vary according to each individual work being cataloged.

(LCSH manual chapter H790)

My reason was, that sometimes the area around a neighborhood was (and is) hard to define, not built up and does not have a specific name to use for a subject heading.

My superiors are of the opinion that a neighborhood cannot have the word ‘region’ attached to it in subject headings, and want to take the word region out.

Does anybody use the word ‘region’ for an area smaller than a city?

Thank you for any input.

Sincerely,

Krina

Krina Doekes Brandt | Map Librarian, Librarian for Geography and Urban Studies

Bloomfield Library for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
T 97225880170+ | F +972.25322435
krinad@savion.huji.ac.il

Our website: Map library

Follow the map library on facebook