b'Some Difficult Areas of ApplicationIn many areas the application of subject headings and their appropriate subdivisions is a simple andstraightforward matter. There are, however, areas in which either the complexity of the material orthe vagaries of the English language create persistent problems. Even in these areas, by maintainingsound principles, following instructions carefully, and using common sense, it is possible to cataloglibrary materials in such a way that users can find what they need. Some of these problem areas aredealt with here.BIOGRAPHYDiscussions of biography as a form of writing are given the topical subject heading Biography as aliterary form. Works that are themselves biographies are given either the form heading Biographyor the form subdivision Biography. Such works are considered here in two groups, collectivebiographies and individual biographies.Collective BiographiesCollective biographies are works containing biographies of more than three persons. Worksconsisting of biographies of three persons or fewer are treated as individual biographies and givenheadings for the names of the persons individually. Collective biographies not limited to any area orto any class of persons, such as Lives of Famous Men and Women, are simply assigned the headingBiography. Often collective biographies are devoted to persons of a single country or geographicarea, such as Leaders of the Arab World, or Dictionary of American Biography; or to ethnic groups,such as Whos Who among Hispanic Americans. For such works the appropriate subject heading isthe name of the geographic area or ethnic group with the subdivision Biography, in this case ArabcountriesBiography; United States - Biography; and LatinosBiography. If there are manyentries under any such heading, the biographical dictionaries, which list a large number of names inalphabetical order, may be separated from the works with longer articles intended for continuousreading by adding the form subdivision Dictionaries. The heading for such a work as Dictionary ofAmerican Biography or Whos Who in America would then be United StatesBiography Dictionaries.Some collective biographies are devoted to lives of a particular class of persons, such as women, orpersons of a particular occupation or profession, such as librarians. These are entered under theheading for the class of persons or occupational group with the subdivision Biography, such asWomenBiography or LibrariansBiography. Still other collective biographies are devotedto any or all persons connected with a particular industry, institution, or field of endeavor. For theseworks the appropriate heading is the heading for that industry, institution, or field with thesubdivision Biography, such as Computer industryBiography; Catholic Church Biography; or BaseballBiography. A subject is usually broader in scope than a single categoryof persons associated with that subject, and likewise BaseballBiography is broader thanA-33'