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Research : Activities : FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology)
FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology)The Library of Congress Subject Headings schema (LCSH) is by far the most commonly used and widely accepted subject vocabulary for general application. It is the de facto universal controlled vocabulary and has been a model for developing subject heading systems by many countries. However, LCSH's complex syntax and rules for constructing headings restrict its application by requiring highly skilled personnel and limit the effectiveness of automated authority control. Recent trends, driven to a large extent by the rapid growth of the Web, are forcing changes in bibliographic control systems to make them easier to use, understand, and apply, and subject headings are no exception. The purpose of adapting the LCSH with a simplified syntax to create FAST is to retain the very rich vocabulary of LCSH while making the schema easier to understand, control, apply, and use. The schema maintains upward compatibility with LCSH, and any valid set of LC subject headings can be converted to FAST headings.
BackgroundWith a rapid growth of accessible information, there was a need for a simplified indexing schema which could be assigned and used by non-professional cataloger or indexers.
ImpactFAST provides an efficient indexing schema extending which permits the use of a controlled vocabulary in environments where staffing and costs considerations previously were limited to key word indexing or other uncontrolled approaches.
DetailsIn developing FAST, The primary objectives were (1) compatibility with existing metadata, (2) ease of assignment, (3) retrieval effectiveness, (4) cost of maintenance, and (5) semantic interoperability. The development team determined that these objectives could best be satisfied by a fully enumerative faceted subject heading schema derived from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. The individual terms in the FAST vocabulary are divided into eight distinct categories or facets: Personal names, Corporate names, Geographic names, Events, Titles, Time periods, Topics, and Form/Genre. As a fully enumerative system, all subject headings are established with authority records eliminating the need to synthesize headings along with the complex set of syntax rules. Currently the FAST authority file contains over 1,600,000 authority records. The FAST database is available at http://fast.oclc.org. The authority file is extensively indexing to support a variety of search options and documentation on searching the FAST authority file is available on the FAST web site. FAST is also available through the OCLC Terminologies Service prototype at http://tspilot.oclc.org/resources. The full FAST authority file can be licensed for non-commercial use. Outputs
Forms Paper FAST Paper Presented at IFLA Pre-Conference (14-16 August 2001) Lois Mai Chan (Kentucky) and Edward T. O’Neill PresentationsShannon Hoffman (Brigham Young University) Arlene G. Taylor (Pittsburgh) Ed O’Neill and Lois Mai Chan (Kentucky) Ed O'Neill and Lois Mai Chan (Kentucky) Ed O'Neill and Lois Mai Chan (Kentucky) Edward T. O'Neill Ed O'Neill More InformationList of Valid Forms Subdivisions Team Members
Most recent updates: page content 11 August 2009, prototype 26 November 03.
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