Classification and Subject Indexing Issues at a Mexican Library Specializing in Law Research

Abstract

Subject indexing and classification of law resources is a complex issue due to several factors: specialized meanings of legal terms, meanings across different branches of law, terms in legal systems from diverse countries, and terms in different languages. These issues led to the development of a classification and subject indexing system which will help answer the major challenges of indexing and classifying law resources in the Research Institute Library at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Adopting its own classification required interdisciplinary work between law and information organization specialists, constant updating by legal specialists and others beyond the Legal Research Institute; and the sharing of this classification system with other institutions. Now, this classification system is used by important institutions that specialize in law, such as the network of Libraries of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation of Mexico. The purpose of this article is to show why and how this law classification and subject system was developed and is continuously being updated by libarians and law scholars in order for it to meet their specific needs.