This article aims to present observations on procedures for documental reading of museological objects from zoological collections in order to contribute to the development of a methodology for understanding the content and subject analysis. For this purpose, a survey of the available literature and an introspective collection of data were carried out through the application of the Individual Verbal Protocol with five professionals who perform the cataloging of zoological collections. The results made it possible to identify the strategies used by professionals to carry out documentary reading and determine the subject of their museological objects and the subsidies for the creation of a model of documentary reading of museological objects for zoology collections. It is concluded, therefore, that subject analysis in the museological context, as the first step towards indexing, needs to be well delineated to assist professionals in the subject analysis process in the museological context.