Why doesn't the current conflict in Iraq have its own number?

A war that either ends an administration or begins another administration is a major event in the history of the country and should be mentioned in the history schedule for that country. Major wars will usually have works written about specific aspects of the war, e.g., diplomatic history, specific military operations. These topics can be shown by adding the specific notation in the add table under 940-990.

When the Iraq War began in 2003, we mapped the LCSH for the war to 956.70443. Since then, the war has ended the administration of Saddam Hussein. Therefore, we have now added the Iraq War and the current period of occupation and reconstruction to the class-here note at 956.70443. Because we expect that there will be works about specific aspects of this war and its consequences, we have also added the following instruction at 956.70443: "Add as instructed under 940-990." We are monitoring this area closely, and will make further changes as events warrant.

Submitted by: Thank you to Dr. Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie County Library System, for inspiring this tip.
Last revised: 27 May 2004