Authorized Access Points, Subject Headings, and MARC Codes for Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia

In 1918, the Czech lands of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia, formerly part of the Austrian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Slovakia, formerly part of the Hungarian half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, united to form a single sovereign state, Czechoslovakia, to which Subcarpathian Rus’ (or Ruthenia) was attached a year later (See Map 1).

Map 1: Czechoslovakia between 1928 and 1938

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia)

From 1939 to 1945, Czechoslovakia fell under Nazi German control and was split into two states, the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, and Slovakia. At the end of World War II, the Czech lands and Slovakia were reunited, but the territory of Subcarpathian Rus’ was ceded to Ukraine. From 1945 until 1993, Czechoslovakia remained a single sovereign state, despite various political vicissitudes. In 1993, it split into two successor states: the Czech Republic, covering the regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia, and Slovakia, which continue to exist to this day (See Map 2).

Map 2: Czech Republic and Slovakia in 2015

Source: http://www.freeworldmaps.net/europe/central/index.html

This chapter (1) lists the access points for Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, giving them in roughly chronological order; (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.

1. Access Points

Czechoslovakia

• Descriptive usage: refers to the state encompassing Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, and Slovakia between 1918 and 1992.
• Subject usage: can be used as a subject heading.

Czech Socialist Republic (Czechoslovakia)

• Descriptive usage: valid for imprints emanating from the territory encompassing Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia between 1960 and 1989.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading. Works about this place are entered under the subject heading Czech Republic.

Czech Republic

• Descriptive usage: refers to the territory encompassing Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia that formed part of post-communist Czechoslovakia for the period 1990-1992 and for the sovereign state encompassing those same regions from 1993 to the present.
• Subject usage: can be used as a subject heading.

For access points to be used for the territory of the present-day Czech Republic prior to 1918 and between 1939 and 1945, see the chapters linked to the chapter on Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia.

Slovakia

• Descriptive usage: refers to (1) the territory of present-day Slovakia forming part of the Austro-Hungarian empire before 1918; (2) the nominal independent republic established in Slovak territory under the aegis of Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945; and (3) the sovereign state of Slovakia existing from 1993 to the present.
• Subject usage: can be used as a subject heading.

Slovakia (Czechoslovakia)

• Descriptive usage: refers to Slovakia as a component part of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1938.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading. Works about this place are entered under the subject heading Slovakia.

Slovak Socialist Republic (Czechoslovakia)

• Descriptive usage: valid for imprints emanating from the Slovak Socialist Republic between 1968 and 1989.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading. Works about this place are entered under the subject heading Slovakia.

Slovak Republic (Czechoslovakia)

• Descriptive usage: refers to Slovakia as a component part of post-communist Czechoslovakia between 1990 and 1992.
• Subject usage: cannot be used as a subject heading. Works about this place are entered under the subject heading Slovakia.

2. Subject headings

Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are a classic case of a jurisdictional split, wherein one sovereign state--Czechoslovakia--split into two sovereign and independent states--the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This has implications for the assignment of subject headings to books about these countries.

a. General rules for application of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia as main headings

In dealing with territories that have undergone jurisdictional splitting, SHM H 710, 3 distinguishes between pre-split and post-split coverage.

With regard to pre-split coverage, the SHM stipulates that “for the area corresponding to the pre-split jurisdiction, assign the heading for the pre-split jurisdiction even if that jurisdiction no longer exists [at the time of cataloging]. For an area corresponding to one of the post-split jurisdictions, assign the heading for the post-split jurisdiction” (SCM H 710, 3.a.1)

For Czechoslovakia, this means that “the heading Czechoslovakia is used for works on the entire nation for the pre-split period [for books on Czechoslovakia as a whole between 1918 and 1992]. The heading Czech Republic is used for works on the area corresponding to that jurisdiction [for books on the territory that would later become the Czech Republic]. The heading Slovakia is used for works on the area corresponding to that jurisdiction [for books on the territory that would later become independent Slovakia]” (SHM H 710, 3.a.1, Example).

Examples:

A short history of Czechoslovakia, written by Václav Novák and published in 1982, is entered under:

Czechoslovakia--History

because it deals with the entire territory of Czechoslovakia prior to the split in 1993.

Slovakia in Socialist Czechoslovakia, written by Viliam Plevza and published in 1981, is entered under:

Slovakia--History--1918-1993

because it deals only with Slovakia, despite the fact that it was published prior to the split in 1993.

With regard to post-split coverage, the SHM stipulates that “for the area corresponding to the pre-split jurisdiction, assign the heading for the pre-split jurisdiction if the name is still in use for the region. If the former jurisdictional name is no longer in common use as a name for the region, assign an equivalent subject heading, or assign the headings for the post-split jurisdictions. For an area corresponding to one of the post-split jurisdictions, assign the heading for the post split jurisdiction” (SHM H 710, 3.a.2).

From 1993 on, after Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the name “Czechoslovakia” was “no longer commonly used to refer to the Czech Republic and Slovakia collectively … .” Thus, “the two headings Czech Republic and Slovakia are used for works on the two nations collectively for the post-split period. The heading for the individual nation, Czech Republic or Slovakia, is used for works on one of the nations treated individually” (SHM H 710, 3.a.2, Example 3).

Examples:

Governing the Czech Republic and Slovakia: between state socialism and the European Union, written by John A. Scherpereel and published in 2009, is entered under:

Czech Republic--Politics and government--1993-

Slovakia--Politics and government--1993-

because it deals collectively with conditions in Czech Republic and Slovakia after the their split from Czechoslovakia.

The New Czech Republic: a year of turmoil, written by George R. Bauer and published in 1997, is entered under:

Czech Republic--Politics and government--1993-

because it deals only with the Czech Republic after the split.

The history of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, written by William M. Mahoney and published in 2011, which recounts the history of the territory covered by the Czech Republic and Slovakia from its early history until today, is entered under:

Czech Republic--History

Slovakia--History

Czechoslovakia--History

because it deals both with the Czech Republic and Slovakia as separate countries after 1993 and with Czechoslovakia as a single sovereign state between 1918 and 1992.

b. Historical subdivisions for Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic and Slovakia

The --History subdivisions of geographical names offer important clues about the chronological periods that these names cover and, therefore, it is worthwhile to consider these subdivisions for Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

The history subdivisions established in the Library of Congress subject heading authority file for Czechoslovakia are the following:

Czechoslovakia--History
Czechoslovakia--History--1918-1938
Czechoslovakia--History--1938-1945
Czechoslovakia--History--1945-1992
Czechoslovakia--History--1968-1989
Czechoslovakia--History--Coup d'état, 1948
Czechoslovakia--History--Intervention, 1968
Czechoslovakia--History--Velvet Revolution, 1989

The temporal period covered by this range stretches from 1918 to 1992. In other words, the entire history of Czechoslovakia as a single political entity took place within the 20th century. An important consequence of this is that one should never apply the free-floating subdivision --History--20th century to the subject heading Czechoslovakia (or to a subject heading subdivided by the geographical subdivision --Czechoslovakia), since this would be unnecessarily redundant. If one wishes to assign a subject heading to a work about the history of the state of Czechoslovakia from its inception to its demise, it suffices to use the division --History.

Example

The book by Josef Korbel entitled Twentieth century Czechoslovakia: the meanings of its history, which was published in 1977, should receive the subject heading

Czechoslovakia--History

not

Czechoslovakia--History--20th century [Incorrect]

The specific authorized history subdivisions for Czech Republic are currently very meager, consisting solely of:

Czech Republic--History--1993-

This reinforces the point that, strictly speaking, the subject heading Czech Republic applies only to the state that succeeded Czechoslovakia in the Czech lands in 1993. Of course, the subject heading can be applied to any work about the history of the territory encompassed by the Czech Republic prior to 1993, provided that this history goes up to the present.

Example

Hugh LeCaine Agnew’s The Czechs and the lands of the Bohemian crown, which discusses the history of the Czech people and the territory covered by the present-day Czech Republic, should receive the subject heading

Czech Republic--History

despite the fact that it deals not only with the history of the (current) Czech Republic but also with the history of the territory when it formed part of the state formations preceding it, including Czechoslovakia and the various incarnations of the Kingdom of Bohemia.

But suppose that one is dealing with a history of the territory covered by the Czech lands prior to 1918 that does not extend to the present day. In such a case, for reasons that are spelled out in detail in the chapter on Authorized Access Points and Subject Headings for Bohemia, the cataloger should use the subject heading Bohemia (Czech Republic), which, in one of the two meanings which it can have, refers to approximately the same territorial unit as Czech Republic.

Example

Josef Žemlička’s work České země za posledních Přemyslovců, 1253-1310 = The Czech lands during the reign of the last Přemyslids, 1253-1310, should receive the subject heading

Bohemia (Czech Republic)--History--To 1526

not

Czech Republic--History--To 1500 [Incorrect]

since it deals with the history of the Czech lands at a specific period before their absorption into Czechoslovakia and, eventually, the Czech Republic.

The specific authorized history subdivisions for Slovakia are currently the following:

Slovakia--History--1526-1800
Slovakia--History--1800-1918
Slovakia--History--1918-1945
Slovakia--History--1918-1992
Slovakia--History--1945-1992
Slovakia--History--1993-
Slovakia--History--Intervention, 1968
Slovakia--History--To 1526
Slovakia--History--Uprising, 1848-1849
Slovakia--History--Uprising, 1944

The subdivisions cover the chronological period from the beginning of Slovakia’s history through the present. This entails that the subject heading Slovakia can be applied to any book on the history of the territory covered by the present-day Slovakia, regardless of the historical period with which it deals.

c. Rules for the use of Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic and Slovakia as geographical subdivisions

According to the norms for subject headings, the name of the most recent state jurisdiction controlling a given territory should be used in geographical subdivisions (cf. SHM H 830, Section 2). This means that, as a rule, a personal or topical subject heading pertaining to the territory formerly encompassed by Czechoslovakia should be subdivided either by --Czech Republic or --Slovakia, not --Czechoslovakia.

Example:

The well-known composer Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) was born in, and spent his life in, what is today the Czech Republic. Thus, the biographical work about him by Guy Erismann entitled Janáček, ou, La passion de verité will be assigned the following subject heading:

Composers--Czech Republic--Biography

not:

Composers--Czechoslovakia--Biography

even though Janáček died as a citizen of Czechoslovakia, not the Czech Republic.

An important exception to this rule comes into play if a book is specifically about Czechoslovakia as a political unit or about a person who played a political role in the Czechoslovak state. In such cases, --Czechoslovakia should be used as a subdivision:

Example:

Alexander Dubček: život a dílo, a biography of Alexander Dubček (1921-1992), the Slovak politician who was briefly leader of Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring in 1968-1969, can be assigned the subject heading:

Heads of state--Czechoslovakia--Biography

Note that resources about politicians who were active in both Czechoslovakia and one or the other of its successor states may require subject headings for both Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic or Slovakia.

Example:

Michael Žantovský’s Václav Havel, a biography of the famous dissident and writer-turned-statesman who was the last president of Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) and the first president of the Czech Republic (1993-2003), can be assigned the subject headings:

Presidents--Czechoslovakia--Biography

Presidents--Czech Republic--Biography

All indirect geographical subdivisions go through --Czech Republic and --Slovakia, regardless of historical period.

Examples:

Geologická exkurse na západní Moravu, a work on the geology of western Moravia published in 1964 by the Státní Pedagogické Nakladatelství can be assigned the following subject string:

Geology--Czech Republic--Moravia

despite the fact that, at the time of publication, the region of Moravia (on which, see Authorized Access Points and Subject Headings for Moravia) was part of Czechoslovakia.

Listář k dějinám školství Kutnohorského, 1520-1623, a collection of source documents about education in the city of Kutná Hora in the 16th and early 17th centuries published in 1894, can be assigned the following subject heading:

Education--Czech Republic--Kutná Hora--History

Kutná Hora (Czech Republic)--History--Sources

despite the fact that the Czech Republic did not exist as a political unit in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Finally, when the subject of a resource is about the territory composing the present-day Czech Republic or the territory composing present-day Slovakia in the context of Czechoslovakia as a political unit, the cataloger may assign multiple subject headings, some of which include Czechoslovakia and others, Czech Republic or Slovakia, to bring out both the national and the regional aspects of the subject.

Example:

David Frýdl’s book about reform movements in the Roman Catholic Church in Bohemia and Moravia in the early years of Czechoslovakia, entitled Reformní náboženské hnutí v počátkách Československé Republiky: snaha o reformu v Čechach a na Moravě, can be assigned at least two subject headings:

Catholic Church--Czech Republic--History--20th century

Czechoslovakia--Church History

Here, the first subject heading includes the geographical subdivision Czech Republic because the book deals with Catholic reform movements in Bohemia and Moravia--that is to say, the territory of the present-day Czech Republic--and, as a rule, geographical subdivisions use the latest name of the territory in question. The second subject heading includes Czechoslovakia because the book deals with Catholic reform movements that took place within the political jurisdiction of Czechoslovakia, at a time when the “Czech Republic” as such did not yet exist.

MARC Codes

The Country of Publication code for Czechoslovakia (cs) was discontinued in 1993 and replaced with codes for the Czech Republic (xr) and Slovakia (xo). Note that the Geographic Name code (e-cs---) remains valid when Czechoslovakia used as part of the subject analysis: the corresponding country of publication will be xr or xo, depending upon place of publication.

Geographic Name 043 Country of Publication

Czechoslovakia e-cs--- xr or xo

Czech Republic e-xr--- xr

Slovakia e-xo--- xo