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If the record for a foreign-language work has been supplied by LC with an informative, keyword-rich 520 in English, do not add FAST or 653s.
Add FAST terms or keywords (in English words), translated generally from the title, to foreign language items without 520s written in foreign languages and to English-language books with titles that do not reflect their subjects. For example, the English title The high road and the low road, which is about bookmobiles, does not reflect the subject of the work, so you would assign a FAST or 653 field.
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If you use a subject phrase, keep it brief. Capitalize the first word of each 653 field. Both indicators should be blank. There is no official limit to the number of “|a” you can string together in a single 653, but in practice, more than three “|a” becomes unwieldy. Do not end the field with punctuation unless punctuation is part of the data.
When selecting FAST or subject wordskeywords, follow these guidelines:
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2. If the title field does not contain words about the subject of the work, quickly examine the cover, tables of contents, and preface to select appropriate wordsFAST or subject keywords.
3. If it is not possible to determine useful words terms quickly, omit FAST or the 653. Do not analyze the book in depth, consult the authority file, attempt to assign the terms in a consistent or patterned manner, and do not agonize over the selection of terms. These uncontrolled terms should be assigned in an unstructured, unregulated manner.
4. Do not duplicate a term that appears in another keyword-searchable field of the record. To learn what is indexed in the Voyager keyword index, see "Voyager Keyword Search Configurations" in the Voyager Manual.
5. Use When assigning subject keywords, use natural word order, and concentrate on words that are rich in meaning (e.g., use "Breach of promise" not "Study of the impact of breach of promise").
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7. If the work is about a person, place or corporate body, you may give the name in direct order in the 653 field if there is not a FAST heading for the name. For corporate names, make a quick judgment whether an English translation would provide useful keyword access (if not, omit it). If it is quicker to perform a search of the Voyager authorities index and use the NAF authorized form of the name, it is acceptable to do so.
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