FAST: Simplified Subject Headings for Metadata

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FAST Simplified Subject Headings for Metadata

• Ed ONeill Rebecca Dean
• OCLC Office of Research
• New Orleans, June 25, 1999
• New Orleans January 20, 2002

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Outline

• Introduction
• Background
• Airlie Conference
• ALCTS/SAC/Subcommittee on Metadata and Subject
  Analysis
  
• Subject headings for CORC/Internet resources
• Conclusions

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Problem
LCSH is complex, Skilled catalogers are required
.
The Web is big, Skilled catalogers are few.
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Airlie Conference
The Future of Subdivisions in the Library of
Congress Subject Headings, Airlie, Va. 1991

• Recommended a standard order of subdivisions
  (topical, geographic, chronological, and form)
  for topical headings,
  
• Expanded the use of free-floating subdivisions,
• Chronological subdivisions should reflect the
  actual time period covered in the work.

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ALCTS/SAC/Subcommittee Draft Requirements

• Be simple and easy to apply and to comprehend.
• Be intuitive so that sophisticated training in
  subject indexing and classification, while highly
  desirable, is not required in order to
  implement.
• Be scalable for implementation from the simplest
  to the most sophisticated.
  
• Be logical so that it requires the least effort
  to understand and implement.
  
• Be appropriate to the specific discipline and
  subject domain of implementation.

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Shift in Focus

• The Airlie Conference focused on
  improving/enhancing LCSH.
  
• ALCTS/SAC/Subcommittee focused on developing a
  subject heading scheme for metadata not a
  replacement of LCSH.
  

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ALCTS/SAC/Subcommittee Draft Vocabulary
The Subcommittee considers the use of a mixture
of keywords and controlled vocabulary to be the
most viable approach. Sources of controlled
vocabulary

• Using existing scheme(s)
• Developing new schemes
• Adapting or modifying existing schemes -- leading
  to FAST, a modification of LCSH
  
• FAST stands for Faceted Application of Subject
  Terminology

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FAST Subjects Deconstruction
Topical Headings (650) Geographic Headings (651)
LCSH
Deconst ruction (or faceting)
Topical Headings Geographic Headings Form Headi
ngs
Period Headings
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Relationship to LCSH

• FAST subject headings and Library of Congress
  Subject headings can co-exist,
  
• When Library of Congress Subject headings are
  entered, deconstructed FAST subject headings will
  be automatically generated and both sets of
  subject headings will be retained in the record.

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Characteristics of FAST

• LCSH strings are broken into separate headings by
  the type of component
  
• Topical (Subject)
• Geographic (Coverage.spatial)
• Chronological (Period)
• Form (Type)

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FAST Subjects Topical

• Main headings and all general (x) subdivisions
  from LC topical headings,
  
• General subdivisions from LC geographic
  headings,
  
• Topical aspects of Period subdivisions,
• All topical headings will be established in an
  authority file.

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FAST Subjects Topical

• Topical components that are precoordinated in a
  single subfield would be left precoordinated
  
• Concertos (String orchestra)
• Rain and rainfall
• Topical components that are not precoordinated
  will be congruent with FAST headings
  
• Astronauts

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FAST Subjects Geographic

• Geographic name will be established and applied
  in indirect order, OhioColumbus not Columbus
  (Ohio)
  
• First level geographic names will be limited to
  names from the Geographic Area Codes table,
  
• Other names will be entered as subdivisions under
  the smallest first level name in which it is
  fully contained
  
• North America--Maya Forest

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Geographic Area Code Table
Norway e-no Norwegian Sea Assigned code
ln North Atlantic Ocean Nova Scotia n-cn-ns
Nyasaland USE Malawi Ocean Island (Kiriba
ti) USE Banaba
Oceania po UF Oceanica Oceania, French U
SE French Polynesia Oceanica USE Oceania
Ohio n-us-oh Ohio River n-uso
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FAST Subjects Form

• Form subdivisions will be removed from subject
  headings to create form headings.
  
• All form headings will be established in an
  authority file.
  

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FAST Subjects Period

• Chronological headings will reflect the actual
  time period of coverage for the resource,
  
• Chronological headings will be expressed as a
  numeric date or date range,
  
• Named events (revolutions, wars, etc.) will be
  removed from periods subdivisions and treated as
  topical.

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FAST Periods

• Topical headings containing ONLY date information
  would be expressed as separate headings
  
• Music y 500-1400
• Music
• 500-1400
• Topical headings containing more than date
  information would be expressed as part of the
  topical facet, and also as a separate
  chronological heading
• United States x History y Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States x History x Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States
• 1861-1865

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FAST Period Forms

• Chronological headings will be expressed as a
  numeric date or date range,
  
• History, Modern y 20th Century
• History, Modern
• 1900-1999
• Forms are based on LCSH

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Examples
France x History y Wars of the Huguenots,
1562-1598 v Sources. Topical HistoryWars of
the Huguenots. Geographic France Period 156
2-1598 Form Sources
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Examples
Church architecture z Germany z Rhineland v
Exhibitions. Architecture, Modern y 20th centur
y z Germany z Rhineland v Exhibitions.
Topical Church architecture Architecture
, Modern Geographic GermanyRhineland Period
1900-1999 Form Exhibitions
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Examples
650 0 French language y Early modern,
1500-1700 v Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
650 7 French language x Early modern
1500-1700. 2 fast 642 7 1500-1700. 2 fast 6
55 7 Glossaries, vocabularies, etc. 2 fast
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Examples

• 650 0 Furniture z United States x History y
  19th century v Periodicals.
  
• 7 Furniture x History. 2 fast
• 651 7 United States. 2 fast
• 648 7 1800-1899. 2 fast
• 655 7 Periodicals. 2 fast

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Creation of Authority Files
Validation Files (topical geographic)
WorldCat Bibs
Authority Files for Deconstructed Vocabulary
LC Authority Files
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Interoperability between LCSH and FAST

• Separating syntax from semantics is possible.
  Syntax can be simplified while the richness of
  vocabulary in LCSH is retained,
  
• FAST and LCSH can co-exist.