This volume contains the proceedings of a special conference held in Florence, August 2009. The theoretical and methodological aspects of rethinking semantic access to information and knowledge are explored. Innovative projects deployed to cope with the challenges of the future are presented and discussed. This book offers a unique opportunity for librarians and other information professionals to get acquainted with the state of the art in subject indexing.

While The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is perhaps the best known bibliographic control system in existence, it is cumbersome and not always user friendly. Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (or FAST) is designed to rework LCSH's authority rules, so that they are easier to use, understand, and apply. The result is a schema designed to handle a large volume of materials with less effort and cost. To this end, two members of the original design team have put together numerous examples of FAST-driven projects including traditional monographs, special collections (archives, business records), electronic resources, and websites. The result is a prototype designed to be used not just by experienced catalogers but people with minimal training and experience.