[SAC-FAST] Re: Subcommittee on FAST

[Jimmie Lundgren]

Here is my FAST Assignment. It's a good thing I'm not a reference
librarian :-) Thanks,
Jimmie

LIS 2406: Subject Analysis
Due: Wednesday, June 22
A.G. Taylor
Summer 2005


FAST Assignment

For the following you will use a test database constructed for the
purposes of this project.  The database includes all WorldCat records
within Library Science very broadly defined (all DDC
000 and LC A & Z).  The database and its search interface are found at:

http://fast.oclc.org/Pitt.html 

The userID and password are both PittGuest.


Part I.

1.  Search for the topic of Newspapers in your home state.  Search using
the "FAST Subject" tab and do another search using the "LC Subject" tab.


2.  Which state did you search?  How many results are found for each
search tab? 
Florida
FAST hits: 22
LCSH hits: 14
FAST-only hits: 8
LCSH-only hits: 0 

2.  Compare the results and if they are different, explain why they are
different.
Records which only included Florida in LCSH in the abbreviated form
(Fla.) constituted the group retrieved only with FAST. 

Part II.

1.  Select four topics of interest to you that would be found in this
database (e.g., the topic of a paper you are to write for a class).
Please work independently so that as many different topics as possible
will be represented in the collected results.  

2.  Search each topic using both the "FAST Subject" tab and the "LC
Subject" tab.  However, search two topics in FAST first and the other
two topics in LC first.

3.  Answer the following questions for each topic:

	a.  What is the topic you searched? Gazetteers
	b.  Which tab did you use first, FAST or LC? FAST
	c.  What search terms did you start with? "gazetteers"
	d.  What steps did you take in revising your search? Gazetteers
bibliographies
	e.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching FAST? 0 (113 from both LC and FAST start searches)
	f.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching LC? 0
g.  If the numbers of records are different in the results for FAST vs.
the results for LC, explain why they are different.

	a.  What is the topic you searched? Geographic information
systems
	b.  Which tab did you use first, FAST or LC? FAST
	c.  What search terms did you start with? "geographic
information systems"
	d.  What steps did you take in revising your search? none
	e.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching FAST? 84
	f.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching LC? 87
g.  If the numbers of records are different in the results for FAST vs.
the results for LC, explain why they are different. 
There were 3 records only retrieved with LCSH. One pulled words
different terms including subheadings not made FAST. One record included
the term as a subheading of an LCSH term and was not made FAST. One had
a subheading after and was not made FAST.

	a.  What is the topic you searched? Library users
	b.  Which tab did you use first, FAST or LC? LC
	c.  What search terms did you start with? "Library users"
	d.  What steps did you take in revising your search? none
	e.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching FAST? 2
	f.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching LC? 3
g.  If the numbers of records are different in the results for FAST vs.
the results for LC, explain why they are different. 
One record pulled words from different terms, one of which was a subject
corporate name and not made FAST.

	a.  What is the topic you searched? Subject cataloging
	b.  Which tab did you use first, FAST or LC? LC
	c.  What search terms did you start with? "subject cataloging"
	d.  What steps did you take in revising your search? none
	e.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching FAST? 7
	f.  How many records were retrieved in your final results set
when searching LC? 7
g.  If the numbers of records are different in the results for FAST vs.
the results for LC, explain why they are different.


Part III.

1.  For two of your topics from Part II, search each topic through the
FAST Authority File (indirect search).  Compare the results with what
you found in Part II. 
Gazetteers: 5 bibliographic hits from "view bibliographic" that all are
650's whereas there were many 655's for this in the keyword FAST search.
Geographic information systems: There were many authority records for
this heading with different subheadings. There were 84 bibliographic
records connected from it which is the same number as I found in the
FAST keyword search.

-----Original Message-----
From: sac-fast-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
[mailto:sac-fast-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of
qiangjin at uiuc.edu
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 9:53 AM
To: sac-fast at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [SAC-FAST] Re: Subcommittee on FAST

Hello everyone,

At our last meeting, the subcommittee decided that we will 
search the database that Ed O'Neill provided for Arlene 
Taylor's class, which includes all WorldCat records within 
Library Science very broadly defined (all DDC 000 and LC A & 
Z) from users' perspective and discuss the findings at 
Midwinter 2006 FAST meeting. I am sending you the instruction 
that Arlene prepared for her class as an attachment. Please 
let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Qiang

Qiang Jin
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
220 Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, Illinois 61801
217-265-6242
qiangjin at uiuc.edu