[Update: As of December 20, 2024, the 2025 base files for all MARC, NLMXML and MARCXML products have been posted at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/download/catalog.html. A reminder that any records updated between November 28 and December 16 are only available in the base file. Weekly Catfile distribution will resume on December 26 and will contain any updates since December 16. The next monthly CatfilePlus and Serfile distributions will be January 1.]

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) adopted the 2025 Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabulary for cataloging on December 9, 2024. For additions and changes to MeSH Terminology for 2025 see What's New in MeSH.

Implications for LocatorPlus Catalog and the NLM Catalog

Accordingly, LocatorPlus Catalog was updated to reflect the 2025 MeSH vocabulary and appear in that form as of December 9, 2024.

It is anticipated that the NLM Catalog database and translation tables will be updated to reflect 2025 MeSH by mid-December 2024. Until then, there will be a brief hiatus in the addition of new and edited bibliographic records to the NLM Catalog.

Implications for Downloading Catalog Record Data

The last weekly Catfile distribution with 2025 MeSH terms was on November 28. Weekly Catfile distribution will resume on December 26 and will contain 2025 MeSH. Any records updated between November 28 and December 16 will only be available in the baseline file. A follow-up announcement will be posted when the baseline files for MARC and XML data are available.

The last monthly CatfilePlus and Serfile distribution with 2024 MeSH was on December 2. See also Download Catalog Record Data (Catfile, CatfilePlus, Serfile) (nih.gov).

Implications for the NLM Classification

The Winter 2025 edition of the NLM Classification is scheduled to be published in late January 2025 and will encompass changes resulting from new and changed MeSH terms as well as additional minor updates to the index. The main index terms will continue to link to 2024 MeSH until the Winter 2025 edition is published in January.

The NLM Classification number appears in many terms in the MeSH Browser and is supplied by the Metadata Management Program (MMP) when the MeSH term points to a single classification number. These class numbers are current as of the Winter 2024 edition of the NLM Classification. They will be updated with the publication of the 2025 Winter edition in January 2025.

MeSH 2025 Changes in NLM Bibliographic Records and Cataloging Policy

Generally, vocabulary changes in NLM bibliographic records for books, serials, and other materials were implemented as they were applied for citations in MEDLINE.

DEIA in Metadata Working Group Projects

The NLM DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) Metadata Working Group was established "to improve the inclusiveness of NLM's bibliographic data by evaluating issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in cataloging and metadata management and recommending appropriate changes to cataloging and metadata practices and policies for NLM."

The Group worked on the following two projects:

Gendered Subject Headings

DEIA MeSH Requests

The Working Group analyzed gendered MeSH descriptors, entry terms, and scope notes to examine parity between male- and female-oriented terms. As a result, several MeSH requests were submitted and accepted for 2025 MeSH:

New MeSH

Men's Health Services

Paternal Death

Pregnancy-Related Death

Changed MeSH

Old Heading	New Heading
Condoms, Female	Single-Use Internal Condom
Health Care Facilities, Manpower, and Services	Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services
Obesity, Maternal	Pregnancy in Obesity
Pregnant Women	Pregnant People
Sex Reassignment Procedures	Gender-Affirming Procedures
Sex Reassignment Surgery	Gender-Affirming Surgery
Surrogate Mothers	Gestational Carriers

Entry Terms

Entry Term	Heading Mapped to
Asexuals	Sexual and Gender Minorities
Chestfeeding	Breast Feeding
Health Womanpower	Health Workforce
Pregnancy-Related Mortality	Maternal Mortality

Scope Note Changes

Gendered terms in the scope notes of the following descriptors were updated to be more inclusive.

Climacteric

Fathers

Maternal-Fetal Relations

Mothers

Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena

Tree Additions or Changes

Maternal Death was removed from the Pregnancy Complications [C12.050.703] Tree since this could mean the death at any point in a person's life and is not restricted to pregnancy. The new MeSH Pregnancy-Related Death should be used for deaths during or related to pregnancy.

Change in Cataloging Policy for Male/Female

As of the application of MeSH 2025 for cataloging, NLM catalogers are now allowed to use the MeSH Check Tags Male and Female. The annotation in the MeSH Browser "CATALOGER: Do not use" was removed from Male and Female. Catalogers will use gender terms only if gender is the primary focus of the work and not if only mentioned in the work. Catalogers will continue to use Men or Women as defined by the scope note.

Addition of Specific Demographic Groups as Subjects

As of January 2025, catalogers will be able to take advantage of the over 1700 Federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native tribal names and ethnic and ethnolinguistic minority terms that were added as Supplementary Concept Records (SCR) type 5 designated as "Population Groups." This does not apply to the other SCR types. The population groups will be recorded in MARC records in the 650 field with 2nd indicator 7 and $2 meschr. The "Heading Mapped to" descriptor will also be recorded in the 650 X2 field as usual.

Publication Types (PTs)

New PTs

Human Challenge Trials

Scoping Review

Network Meta-Analysis (MH Network Meta-Analysis changed to Network Meta-Analysis as Topic)

Modified PTs

Retraction of Publication changed to Retraction Notice (not used for cataloging)

Geographic Headings

One new geographic descriptor was added: Kiribati - formerly ET on Micronesia.

Any Table G notation additions or changes in the NLM Classification will be addressed with the 2025 Winter edition of the NLM Classification.