No worries. I would ultimately prefer to use LCSH, but the API for FAST seems to have better functionality. In particular, I like that it will take a search term (i.e. "bugs") and suggest authority-based words that match it (i.e. Hemiptera, Scaled insects, etc).

The LC Suggest API seems to require a direct match on the authority words, which IMO is less friendly towards patrons who in 90% of cases have no idea what the authority words are.

Josh Welker


-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ross Singer
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2013 6:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LOC Subject Headings API

Yeah, sorry, I was just asking if it actually worked with your search as expected, given the differences in syntax.

I wasn't trying imply that it's hopeless. I can imagine it probably would only matter for phrase searching.

-Ross.

On Thursday, June 6, 2013, Roy Tennant wrote:

> It is my understanding that the vast majority of searches will work, 
> but it's complicated. If you want the complicated explanation you 
> might want to take a look at this PowerPoint and/or some of the 
> resources listed on the page that you identified:
>
> <http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/activities/fast/ala06-taylor
> .ppt
> >
>
> Roy
>
> On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 3:26 PM, Joshua Welker 
> <[log in to unmask]<javascript:;>>
> wrote:
> > To my understanding, FAST is a simplified subset of LCSH that is
> compatible with the LCSH dictionary.
> http://www.oclc.org/research/activities/fast.html
> >
> > Am I wrong? If so, please let me know. It will take me about 10 
> > minutes
> to change my app from FAST back to the official LOC API.
> >
> > Josh Welker
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask] 
> > <javascript:;>]
> On Behalf Of Ross Singer
> > Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2013 5:14 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask] <javascript:;>
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LOC Subject Headings API
> >
> > Do FAST headings match anything?
> >
> > I guess what I mean is, do you have data that uses FAST headings?  
> > If
> not, what is it matching?
> >
> > -Ross.
> >
> > On Thursday, June 6, 2013, Joshua Welker wrote:
> >
> >> I finished the project. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!
> >>
> >> I ended up using the OCLC Fast API
> >> (fast.oclc.org/searchfast/fastsuggest)
> >> rather than saving everything locally. Tracking down the entire 
> >> LCSH authority listing and parsing it into a simple data format was 
> >> just unwieldy.
> >>
> >> The search box I built suggests the LCSH terms from OCLC as well as 
> >> LibGuides and LibraryH3lp FAQ links. jQuery UI Autocomplete is used 
> >> for the suggestion functionality. The search box send actual 
> >> searches to EBSCO Discovery Service. You can see it below on our homepage:
> >>
> >> https://library.sbuniv.edu
> >>
> >>
> >> Josh Welker
> >>
>