|
Mr. Edward T. O’NEILL
(Consulting Research Scientist, Office of Research, OCLC Online Computer Library Center)
E-mail: <oneill@oclc.org>
<Print Version>
Edward T. O’Neill joined the staff at the Office of Research, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, as a Senior Research Scientist in 1983, serving as co-acting Director of Research from 1993 until 1994. Since 1990 he has been Consulting Research Scientist.
Dr. O’Neill did his graduate work at Purdue University in Operations Research. He was a faculty member in the School of Information and Library Studies at the University at Buffalo and was later Dean of the Matthew A. Baxter School of Library and Information Science at Case Western Reserve University.
His research interests include authority control, subject analysis, database quality, preservation, collection management, bibliometrics and FRBR. He may be contacted at the Office of Research, OCLC Online Computer Library Center, 6565 Frantz Road, Dublin, Ohio 43017. E-mail: oneill@oclc.org.
ABSTRACT
FAST : Development of a Simplified Subject Heading Schema.
FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology) is a new subject vocabulary derived from the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). FAST is being developed as a cooperative project between the OCLC Online Computer Library Center and the Library of Congress. The project is a response to the continuing need for subject analysis of documents in the changing information retrieval technology environment. Recent trends, driven to a large extent by the rapid growth of digital content and the popularity of new search environments such as Google, necessitate the reexamination and repurposing of our bibliographic control systems and subject headings are no exception. The purpose of adapting the LCSH in a faceted simplified syntax is to retain the rich vocabulary of LCSH while making it easier to use, understand, control, and apply.
FAST consists of eight distinct facets: Topical, Geographic (Place), Personal Name, Corporate Name, Form (Type, Genre), Chronological (Time, Period), Title, and Meeting Name. Authority records are being created for all valid FAST headings except for the chronological facet. This new schema should provide optimal access points, allow for semantic interoperability, be easy to maintain, and be amenable to authority control and computer manipulation. The latest version of the FAST authority file contains well over a million authority records.
|
