1. Intellectual Freedom
through Subject
Headings:
Can FAST* Help?
Emily Dust Nimsakont
Cataloging Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
NLA TSRT/IFRT Spring Meeting
March 28, 2014
*Faceted Application of
Subject Terminology
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annarbor/4350629792/

2. Intellectual Freedom and Subject Headings
What’s the connection?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43109416@N00/570302347/

3. Inaccurate or biased subject
headings
=
unintentional barriers to
information
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73514861@N00/463810013/

4. Online catalogs
emphasize
catalog access
over interactions
with library staff.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63614902@N00/3276694461/

5. What is FAST?
http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/fast.html

6. FAST headings in WorldCat
Started in September 2013

7. FAST headings are derived from
LCSH.
LCSH FAST

8. What are facets?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86013963@N00/2233274479/

13. Why FAST?
• Makes it easier to assign subject
headings
• FAST headings are used differently in
online catalogs

14. What’s so difficult
about subject
headings, anyway?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sybrenstuvel/2468506922/

15. Order of Subdivisions
650 _0 $a Indians of North America $z
New England $x Religion.
650 _0 $a Indians of North America $x
Missions $z New England.
650 _0 $a Indians of North America $z
New England $x Ethnic identity.

16. Not all subdivisions can be used
with all headings.

17. How are FAST
headings used in
catalog searches?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zsrlibrary/4575294736/

18. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68103485@N05/6197933357/

19. Traditional
subject
headings
work really
well with
left-
anchored
browsing.

20. The same “facet” can be used in
different ways in LCSH.
651 _0 $a Nebraska $x Economic
conditions.
650 _0 $a Recreation areas $z
Nebraska.

21. How does FAST work?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/19779889@N00/8098328023/

22. Personal
names
Corporate
names
Geographic
names
Events
Titles
Time
periods
Topics
Form/Genre
8
Facets
of
FAST

23. Differences between LCSH and
FAST

27. Enumerative vs. Synthetic
vs.

28. Enumerative vs. Synthetic
vs.

29. Library of Congress Subject
Headings
Enumerated = 8%
Created by catalogers = 92%
Source: Chan, Lois Mai and Edward T. O’Neill. FAST: Faceted
Application of Subject Technology: Principles and Application.
Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2010.

30. MARC Fields for FAST Headings
• Topics = 650
• Geographic Names = 651
• Personal Names = 600
• Corporate Names = 610
• Time Periods =648
• Events = 611
• Titles = 630
• Form (Genre) = 655

31. MARC Fields for FAST Headings
650 _7 $a Political science $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst01069781
651 _7 $a Europe $2 fast $0 (OCoLC)fst01245064

32. Tools for working with
FAST
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95248808@N00/178177044/

33. searchFAST
http://fast.oclc.org/searchfast/

34. assignFAST
http://experimental.worldcat.org/fast/assignfast/

35. FAST Converter
http://experimental.worldcat.org/fast/fastconverter/

36. FAST Authority Records
http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/fast/download.html

37. FAST as Linked Data
http://id.worldcat.org/fast/

38. Is anyone using FAST?
University of North Dakota
http://digital.library.und.edu/
National Library of New Zealand
http://innz.natlib.govt.nz/

39. How does FAST help with
intellectual freedom issues?
Lower barrier to entry =
more accurate subject
heading assignment
More understandable to
catalog users = easier
access to information
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/86399392@N00/2039096034/

40. Resources
Chan, Lois Mai and Edward T. O’Neill. FAST:
Faceted Application of Subject Terminology:
Principles and Applications. Santa Barbara,
CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2010.
OCLC’s FAST web page
http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/fast.ht
ml (Outputs section has many presentations
and articles)
ALCTS E-Forum: FAST for Cataloging and
Discovery
http://lists.ala.org/sympa/arc/alcts-
eforum/2013-12/thrd1.html

41. Questions?

42. Thank you!
Emily Dust Nimsakont
Cataloging Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
800-307-2665
emily.dust.nimsakont@nebraska.gov
http://delicious.com/enimsakont/fast