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Slide1: 

Faceted Application of Subject Terminology A Joint Research and Development Project by OCLC and the Library of Congress A Faceted LCSH Based Subject Vocabulary Ed O’Neill, OCLC Lois Mai Chan, University of Kentucky ALA Annual Conference New Orleans, June 24, 2006

Need for New Approach: 

Need for New Approach Phenomenal growth of electronic resources Emergence of numerous metadata schemes Need for a new approach to subject access Lack of skilled subject catalogers

Subject Vocabulary for the Web: 

Subject Vocabulary for the Web Optimal access points Simple in structure and syntax Usable by non-catalogers and in non-library environments Semantic interoperability Compatible with MARC, Dublin Core, and other popular metadata schemas Easy maintainability Amenable to computer-assisted authority control

Options: 

Options The ALCTS/SAC/Subcommittee on Metadata and Subject Analysis(1997-2001) identified three basic approaches to selecting an indexing/subject heading schema for Internet resources: Develop a new schema Use an existing schema(s) Adapt or modify an existing schema

Subject Representation in Metadata: 

Subject Representation in Metadata Issues considered: Vocabulary (Semantics): Terminology and term relationships Application (Syntax): How words are put together to form subject terms

LCSH Vocabulary: 

LCSH Vocabulary Largest in English language Rich vocabulary covering all subject areas Synonym and homograph control Extensive hierarchical and associative references among terms De facto standard controlled vocabulary: extensively used by libraries, translated into many languages, and contained in millions of MARC records Long and well-documented history Strong institutional support of the Library of Congress

LCSH Application Rules: 

LCSH Application Rules The full-string approach to complex subjects is designed: To ensure precision in retrieval To facilitate browsing of multiple-concept or multi-faceted subjects in the online catalog

Application of LCSH on the Web: 

Application of LCSH on the Web LCSH is not compatible in syntax with most other controlled vocabularies; LCSH is not amenable to search engines outside of the OPAC environment Few LCSH headings are established Complex subject heading strings in bibliographic or metadata records are costly to maintain LCSH does not lend itself to automatic indexing or authority control The use of LCSH requires highly trained personnel

What is FAST?: 

What is FAST? A rich controlled vocabulary based on the terminology of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) A simplified application syntax

Principles of FAST: 

Principles of FAST A faceted approach by categorizing headings according to their functions Retains the richness of the LCSH vocabulary in a simpler application syntax Provides a tiered approach to allow different levels of subject representation

Characteristics of FAST: 

Characteristics of FAST Vocabulary: Enumerative vs. Faceting Terms in same facet – enumerated Terms in different facets – listed separately Retrieval: Precoordination and Postcoordination Terms in same facet – precoordinated Terms in different facets - postcoordinated

Vocabulary: Enumeration and Faceting: 

Vocabulary: Enumeration and Faceting Headings in the FAST database include single-concept as well as multiple-concept headings. Each FAST heading or heading-string belongs to a single facet

Subject Analysis - FAST: 

Subject Analysis - FAST Vocabulary construction – fully established headings maintained in FAST database Cataloging/indexing – selecting appropriate headings from FAST database Retrieval – supporting faceted searching

Sources of FAST Headings: 

Sources of FAST Headings Library of Congress Subject Headings Headings Assigned to Bibliographic Records in the WorldCat Created Headings

Faceting : 

Faceting Reduces the number of possible headings and heading strings Permits independent use of headings Headings are less volatile ~9,000,000 different LCSH topical headings in bibliographic records ~400,000 FAST topical headings Fewer infrequently assigned headings Supports faceted searches

Eight Facets: 

Eight Facets Topical Subject headings ―Evaluation Personal Names Kilgour, Frederick G. Form (Genre) Guidebooks Chronological 1939 - 1945 Corporate Names American Library Association Conference/Meetings Uniform Titles Geographic Louisiana―New Orleans

Main headings: 

Main headings A FAST main heading contains a word or phrase representing a concept or entity that falls into one—and only one—of the eight FAST facets. Banks and banking Bibliography California Catalogs 1914 - 1918 Chemistry, Organic Emigration and immigration Self-esteem Spain

Subdivisions: 

Subdivisions A heading string may contain one or more subdivisions belonging to the same facet as the main heading Abortion—Law and legislation—Criminal provisions Alcoholics—Services for—Planning Americans—Travel—Historiography Asians—Legal status, laws, etc. Bibliography—Union lists Brain—Cancer—Patients—Family relationships California—San Francisco—Chinatown Michigan—Lake Charlevoix Ohio—Columbus

Modular Approach: 

Modular Approach Each facet forms a distinct and discrete list of headings in a separate file. These lists may be used together or separately. In a particular application, not all facets are required. For example, in indexing a collection of naturally occurring objects, the chronological and personal name headings may not be applicable. One or more of the facets may be used with other standard lists, for instance, using topical headings from FAST and geographic headings from the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN)

All Headings Are Established: 

All Headings Are Established FAST uses the MARC 21 authority format The MARC 21 bibliographic and authority formats were revised to accommodate FAST by authorizing the x48 (Chronological) fields Assigning FAST headings doesn’t require an understanding of the rules for constructing headings Authorities can serve as indexes Automatic and/or machine assisted assignment possible

Topical Headings: 

Topical Headings Secret service Urbanization Hospitals—Administration—Data processing Cataloging—Analytical entry Photoconductivity—Measurement Woodwind trios (English horn, oboes (2)) Sailing—Safety measures

Topical Authority Record: 

Topical Authority Record 001    fst01022140 003    OCoLC 005    20041024193313.0 008    041024zneanz||babn n ana d 040    OCoLC $b eng $c OCoLC $f fast 150    Mine safety 450    Mine accidents $x Prevention 450    Mining engineering $x Safety measures 450    Mining safety 550    Industrial safety 550    Mineral industries $x Safety measures 688    LC subject usage: 203 (2005) 688    WC subject usage: 2,094 (2005) 750  0 Mine safety $0 (DLC)sh 85085532

Geographic Facet : 

Geographic Facet Geographic names will be established and applied in indirect order, [Louisiana—New Orleans not New Orleans—Louisiana] First level geographic names will be limited to names from the Geographic Area Codes table (e.g., Ohio, Victoria, Great Lakes, etc.) Other names will be entered as subdivisions under the smallest first level name in which it is fully contained [Europe—Curzon Line] Bodies of water (Bays, Gulfs, etc.) that are part of oceans are established under the larger body of water [Atlantic Ocean—Chesapeake Bay not Chesapeake Bay (Md. and Va.)] Geographic Area Codes are included in all authority records for geographic names

Geographic Headings: 

Geographic Headings Queensland [u-at-qn] Mars [zma] Maryland—Worcester County [n-us-md] Slovenia—Maribor [e-xv] Norway—Oslo Metropolitan Area [e-no] England—Chilton (Oxfordshire) [e-uk-en] India—Limbdi (Princely State) [a-ii] New South Wales—Sydney—Bondi [u-at-ne] Pacific Ocean—Rowan Bay [p]

Geographic Authority Record: 

Geographic Authority Record 001    fst01340110 003    OCoLC 005    20060412132229.0 008    060412nneanz||babn n ana d 040    OCoLC   $b eng   $c OCoLC   $f fast 043    p 151    Pacific Ocean $z Rowan Bay 670    GNIS, Feb. 10, 2004 $b (Rowan Bay; bay; 7 mi. N of Tebenkof Bay, on W coast of Kuiu I., Alex. Arch.; Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska; 564002 N, 1341434 W; another Rowan Bay, pop. place in Wrangell- Petersburg Census Area) 751  0 Rowan Bay (Alaska : Bay) $0 (DLC)sh2004005090

Form (Genre) Headings: 

Form (Genre) Headings Case studies Abstracts Census Rules Dictionaries Folklore Bibliography—Catalogs Periodicals Guidebooks

Personal and Corporate Names : 

Personal and Corporate Names Headings for persons: Woodward, Bob Dewey, Melvil, 1851-1931 Kennedy family Charles II, King of France, 823-877 Headings for corporate bodies: OCLC Ford Motor Company United States. National Security Agency Dixie Chicks (Musical group)

Chronological (Period): 

Chronological (Period) FAST chronological headings consist of only a single date or a date range Limited to a single chronological heading per bibliographic record Authority records will only be established when needed for references or linkages Headings consist of either a single date or a starting and ending date but will be formatted for display: 1945 1942 – 1945 Since 1987 221 B.C. - 220 A.D.

LCSH to FAST Conversion: 

LCSH to FAST Conversion

Databases: 

Databases The FAST database is available as an OCLC SiteSearch database at http://fast.oclc.org The database may be unavailable for extended periods This version of FAST is being applied and evaluated in a few applications The Subject Analysis Committee has established a Subcommittee on FAST to provide guidance and evaluation

Current FAST Database: 

Current FAST Database Personal name headings 510,095 Corporate name headings 283,581 Topical headings 412,709 Geographic name headings 148,960 Form headings 694 Total FAST authorities 1,356,039

Future Development Plans: 

Future Development Plans Update and resynchronize all FAST headings with LCSH Develop the conference/meetings facet Develop the uniform titles facet Expand the geographic names based on usage data and add information from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Revise and expand the form (genre) facet Complete the FAST manual

Advantages of FAST : 

Advantages of FAST Reduces elaborate heading construction rules for catalogers and indexers; heading construction is at vocabulary rather than application level Is able to accommodate both precoordinate and postcoordinate indexing and retrieval Is more amenable to computer-assisted indexing and authority control Is easier and more economical to maintain than a highly enumerative vocabulary Facilitates mapping of subject data and cross-domain searching Accommodates different retrieval models

Summary: 

Summary LCSH Vocabulary Faceted Hierarchical Fully established Compatible with LCSH

Questions?: 

Questions? oneill@oclc.org loischan@uky.edu http://fast.oclc.org