The Library of Congress uses standardized subject headings to describe the content of resources such as books that are listed in their catalog. Many libraries across the world use Library of Congress subject headings to describe their own library resources to ensure consistent access to materials when people search for different topics. Since subject headings are standardized and used so widely, they are very difficult to change, and often reflect the historical biases of those who developed those terms at the time they were initially created.
Currently, subject headings that are used to describe resources about Indigenous peoples located in North America reflect historical biases, although there has been ongoing work to try to update these headings. In particular, the subject heading "Indians of North America" is still in wide use, so it is listed in the subject headings box below. However, a newer subject heading is now being used that better reflects the populations being described: "Indigenous peoples -- North America." Since there are numerous resources that use either or both subject headings, in order to bring back as many relevant search results as possible, both headings are listed below.
