Authorized Access Points and Codes for Yugoslavia and the Former Yugoslav Republics


At the end of World War I, the country of Yugoslavia was created by a merger of former South Slavic territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the Kingdom of Serbia. Its component territories included, from northwest to southeast, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia (including Kosovo), and Macedonia (known today as North Macedonia) (see map).

Map of Yugoslavia and its successor states

(Source: http://www.citsee.ed.ac.uk/about)

Initially known as the “Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes” and later as the “Kingdom of Yugoslavia”, the country was partitioned into different states by the Axis powers during World War II. After the post-war ascendance of a Communist regime in 1946, Yugoslavia became a state of federated republics. Under Communist rule, Yugoslavia consisted of six Socialist Republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Macedonia. In 1991-1992, four of these republics -- Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia -- broke away from Yugoslavia and became independent countries, while two -- Serbia and Montenegro -- continued to form a rump republic of Yugoslavia. In 2003, this rump republic was renamed Serbia and Montenegro and, in 2006, it dissolved as Serbia and Montenegro assumed the status of separate, sovereign countries. In 2008, the republic of Kosovo, which had previously been an autonomous region within Serbia, declared independence from Serbia, a declaration that has not received unanimous recognition from the international community. In February 2019, the Republic of Macedonia changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Taken collectively, the independent countries that formerly formed part of Yugoslavia are known as the Former Yugoslav republics.

This chapter (1) lists the access points for Yugoslavia, its predecessors, and successors; (2) discusses the application of subject headings for these countries; and (3) concludes with a listing of Country and Country of Publication codes for them in the MARC format. The order in which the access points are listed and discussed begins with a chronological listing of access points referring to the Yugoslavian territory as a whole (1.A) and continues with an alphabetical listing of the access points for the states that preceded the formation of Yugoslavia and the independent republics that emerged from it (1.B). Note that in subsection 1.B, headings referring to a particular region at different periods are listed in chronological order: this chronological sub-arrangement departs, at certain points, from alphabetical order.


1. Access points

A. Yugoslavia and the territory of its successor states as a whole
(arranged in approximate chronological order)

Yugoslavia
• Descriptive usage: for the period 1918-1991, refers to the territory covered by the six constituent territories of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. For the period 1991-2003, refers to the territory covered by the republics of Serbia and Montenegro alone.
• Subject usage: can be used as a subject heading. The subdivision form is --Yugoslavia.

Serbia and Montenegro
• Descriptive usage: refers to the state union of Serbia and Montenegro that emerged from the rump republic of Yugoslavia and existed from 2003 to 2006.
• Subject usage: can be used as a subject heading, with the meaning given above. The subdivision form is --Serbia and Montenegro.

Former Yugoslav republics
• Descriptive usage: cannot be used as a descriptive access point.
• Subject usage: can be used as a subject heading for works discussing collectively the independent countries that emerged from the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991-1992, 2006, and 2008, including Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Slovenia, or the equivalent area. The subdivision form is --Former Yugoslav republics.


B. Individual successor/historical states
(arranged alphabetically, with some chronological sub-arrangements)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Descriptive usage: refers to Bosnia-Herzegovina as one of the six republics comprising Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1991 and the independent state that emerged from it in 1992 and continues to exist to this day.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current state of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its historical antecedents. The subdivision form is --Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatia (Kingdom)
• Descriptive usage: refers both to the kingdom of Croatia, founded in 925 and lasting until 1918, and to the united kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia, and Dalmatia, established in 1102 and lasting until 1918.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading; works about this place are entered under the heading Croatia.

Croatia (Republic : 1941-1945)
• Descriptive usage: refers to the independent Croatian state, including Bosnia- Herzegovina, ruled by a fascist government from 1941 to 1945.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading; works about this place are entered under the heading Croatia.

Croatia
• Descriptive usage: refers to Croatia as one of the six republics comprising Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1991 and the independent state that emerged from it in 1992 and continues to exist to this day.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current state of Croatia and its historical antecedents. The subdivision form is --Croatia.

Kosova (Turkey)
• Descriptive usage: refers to the Ottoman province of Kosova, covering the territory of present-day Kosovo, which existed from 1879 to 1913.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading; works about this place are entered under the heading Kosovo (Republic).

Kosovo i Metohija (Serbia)
• Descriptive usage: refers to Kosovo as an autonomous region within Serbia from 1946 to 1974. Metohija here denotes a large region in the southwestern part of Kosovo.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading; works about this place are entered under the heading Kosovo (Republic).

Kosovo (Serbia)
• Descriptive usage: refers to Kosovo as an autonomous region within Serbia from 1974 to 1990.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading; works about this place are entered under the heading Kosovo (Republic).

Kosovo (Republic)
• Descriptive usage: refers to the Kosovo as an independent state from 2008 to the present.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current Republic of Kosovo and its historical antecedents. The subdivision form is --Kosovo (Republic).

Macedonia (Republic)
• Descriptive usage: refers to the Republic of Macedonia, originally one of the six republics composing Yugoslavia, which became an independent state in 1991 with its capital at Skopje, for the period between 1946 and 2019.
• Subject usage: not valid for use as a subject heading; works about this place are entered under the heading North Macedonia.

North Macedonia
• Descriptive usage: refers to the current Republic of North Macedonia, which adopted its present name in February 2019.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current Republic of North Macedonia and its predecessor, the former Republic of Macedonia. The subdivision form is --North Macedonia.

Note that the term “Macedonia” can refer to geographic entities other than North Macedonia and its immediate antecedent, the Republic of Macedonia. For a list and discussion of these, see the chapter Authorized Access Points and Classification Numbers for Macedonia.

Montenegro
• Descriptive usage: refers to Montenegro as a principality and kingdom from 1888 to 1918, as one of the six republics comprising Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1991, and as the independent state that emerged from the union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2006 and continues to exist to this day.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current state of Montenegro and its historical antecedents. The subdivision form is --Montenegro.

Serbia
• Descriptive usage: refers to Serbia as one of the six republics comprising Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1991, and as the independent state that emerged from the union of Serbia and Montenegro from 2006 and continues to exist to this day.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current state of Serbia and its historical antecedents. The subdivision form is --Serbia.

Slovenia
• Descriptive usage: refers to the northwesternmost of the six republics of Yugoslavia for the period 1946-1991 and the independent state that emerged from it in 1992 and continues to exist to this day.
• Subject usage: refers to the territory covered by the current state of Slovenia and its historical antecedents. The subdivision form is --Slovenia.


2. The use of subject headings for Yugoslavia and its successor states

The Subject Headings Manual H1055 provides the following instructions for assigning subject headings pertaining to Yugoslavia and its successor states:

1. Assign the heading Yugoslavia, with appropriate topical and period subdivisions, to works on the country of Yugoslavia during the period 1918-1992 as well as to works on the country of Serbia and Montenegro during the period 1992-2003 when it was called Yugoslavia.

2. Assign the heading Serbia and Montenegro to works on this country from the time its name changed in 2003 until 2006, when it split into two separate, independent countries.

3. Treat Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo (Republic), North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia as fully independent countries. As geographic subdivisions, use these headings directly after topics, even for works covering the time period when they were republics of Yugoslavia. For example, a work on Yugoslav-era city planning in Skopje would have the subject string City planning--North Macedonia--Skopje--History--20th century; “Yugoslavia” does not appear.

4. Assign the heading Former Yugoslav republics, with appropriate topical subdivisions, to works discussing collectively the independent countries that emerged from the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991-1992 and 2006, or to works discussing the equivalent area. When using geographic subdivisions, do not divide localities through Former Yugoslav republics. Divide only through the name of the current country or, in the case of areas that span more than one country, assign the heading directly after topics.


3. Codes for Yugoslavia and its successor states

In applying the geographical area code in the MARC 043 field, catalogers should, as a rule, enter the code e-yu--- only for resources whose subject involves Yugoslavia or the set of former Yugoslav republics as a whole. Otherwise, they should assign the code for the individual country/region which the resource being cataloged treats; these are listed in the table below.

The country of publication code for Yugoslavia was yu, but after the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1992, when Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia (today: North Macedonia), and Slovenia became independent, each received its own code (bn, ci, xn, and xv, respectively). The code yu continued to be used first for the rump state of Yugoslavia consisting of Serbia and Montenegro from 1992 to 2003 and then for its successor, the state of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003-2006: after those states split apart in 2006, each received its own code (rb and mo, respectively) and the code for Yugoslavia ceased to be applicable. After Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, it received its own code, kv, as well. When coding for country of publication, catalogers should assign the area code for the present-day country, not Yugoslavia: this is indicated in the table below by enclosing it in parentheses as “(yu)”.