FAST Forward

This poster is an introduction to FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology) and the new FAST Policy and Outreach Committee (FPOC). The poster summarizes some current implementations of FAST and FPOC’s activities. It also provides links to further information about FAST. FAST (is an enumerative, faceted subject heading schema derived from the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). FAST developed from a collaborative effort between OCLC Research and Library of Congress to develop a simpler syntax which would make LCSH’s rich vocabulary accessible to a broader community of subject indexers, and more practical for use by machine applications. The FAST Policy and Outreach Committee was formed in September 2018 to represent the users of FAST and to advise OCLC on the transition of FAST from a research project to a service. Our vision is that: “FAST will be a fully supported, widely adopted and community developed general subject vocabulary derived from LCSH with tools and services that serve the needs of diverse communities and contexts.”