The effectiveness of current subject cataloging practices for assigning geographical headings to local historical records in meeting the requirements of an escalating number of genealogist-patrons was examined. The findings indicated that catalogers use two general approaches in determining subject headings for local historical collections in the United States (subject or topic vs. geographical place), and that although the use of the geographical place as the primary subject entry scatters the material throughout the catalog under the names of cities, towns, churches, and the like, this type of entry is easier for the genealogist-patron to use. The system which stresses the subject or topic as the main entry or heading has predominated in library practices; however, emphasis has recently shifted to the use of the geographical place as the primary subject entry, and in 1972 the Library of Congress changed from the subject type entry to the geographical type entry. Thus current cataloging practices do meet current genealogical user requirements to the extent that new local history materials are given a geographical representation in the library catalog. However, unless institutional policy allows recataloging retrospectively, then to that extent current cataloging practices do not meet user requirements. (Author/KKC)