ALA Core SAC Subcommittee on Faceted Vocabularies (SSFV) Report
Sai Deng, SSFV chair, February 2026
Reporting Period: September 2025 – January 2026
Roster:
Committee Page
Sai Deng (Chair, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027), sai.deng@ucf.edu
Suzhen Chen (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), suzhen@hawaii.edu
Aiping Chen-Gaffey (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), cgaffey2022@gmail.com
Miloche R. Kottman (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), mkottman@ku.edu
Yoko Kudo (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), yoko.kudo@ucr.edu
Dorie Kurtz (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), dkurtz@loc.gov
Kelley McGrath (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), kelleym@uoregon.edu
Laura Murff (Member, July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026), murffl@lislelibrary.org
Keiko Suzuki (Member, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027), suzukik@newschool
Jacqueline J. Zook (Member, July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027), j-zook2@neiu.edu
Sarah Hovde (Past Chair, Member), shovde@umd.edu
Thomas Ferren (Staff Liaison, August 20, 2024, to August 20, 2099)
Julie Reese (Staff Liaison, August 20, 2024, to August 20, 2099)
Committee Overview
The Subcommittee on Faceted Vocabularies (SSFV) supports the implementation and use of Library of Congress faceted vocabularies by developing best practices, tools, and strategies for applying genre/form, demographic, geographic, and chronological terms-particularly in retrospective and legacy metadata. The committee works collaboratively with the Library of Congress Policy, Training and Cooperative Programs Division, PCC partners, and related communities to enhance discovery, interoperability, and consistency in subject access.
During the reporting period, SSFV focused on advancing task group work; maintaining and expanding mapping modules; updating best practice documentation; preparing for vocabulary proposals and professional presentations; and strengthening engagement with the broader ALA Core community.
Membership and Organization
SSFV is chaired by Sai Deng (term July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027) and includes members representing a range of institutions and areas of expertise. The committee operates through four active task groups:
● Literature Task Group (Kelley, Dorie, Laura, Yoko, Jackie)
● Module Maintenance and Testing Task Group (Sarah, Miloche, Sai, Keiko)
● Chronological Data Task Group (Aiping, Sarah)
● LC Proposal Task Group (Sai, Aiping, Suzhen, Jackie; Consultant: Dorie)
Personnel Changes Since July 2025
● Two new members, Keiko Suzuki (The New School) and Jacqueline J. Zook (Northeastern Illinois University), joined the subcommittee in July 2025.
● Sarah Hovde completed her term as chair in June 2025, and vice-chair Sai Deng assumed the role of chair for the 2025-2027 term in July 2025.
● A call for a Vice-Chair remains open.
Major Accomplishments and Updates
1. Publications and Documentation
● Retrospective Implementation of Library of Congress Faceted Vocabularies: Best Practices for Librarians and Programmers, Version 1.2, was released and published in the ALA Institutional Repository in January 2026 (https://alair.ala.org/items/00807711-a2b1-4e65-8ae7-ea9cce7cda42). This new edition introduces the new chronological data module and adds descriptions of forthcoming modules, the status of committee work, and other editorial updates intended to make the document more accessible to new users. As an evolving resource, the document will be updated on an ongoing basis. Committee members have promoted the updated document through various listservs.
2. Outreach, Programs, and Professional Engagement
● ALA Core Faceted Subject Access Interest Group (FSAIG): SSFV was invited to present during Core IG Week (March 3, 2026). A 15-minute program titled "Faceted Evolution: Practical Strategies for Modernizing Library Metadata", featuring brief updates from task groups, is in preparation.
● ALA Annual Conference 2026: The Committee's program proposal, "Faceted Vocabularies and Linked Data: Transforming Library Metadata with the ALA Core SAC SSFV Subcommittee", was accepted. Working Group Chairs and members will collaborate on sharing updates and developing program content.
● SSFV continues to use its ALA Connect space to share updates, documents, and resources with the broader community (https://connect.ala.org/core/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=47d7f3ba-eff2-4e34-a114-04c911f7cf6e).
Task Group Reports
Literature Task Group
Charge and Scope
The Literature Task Group is developing processes to identify and map literature-related LCSH headings to LCGFT genre/form terms, while also identifying related demographic, language, and place components that may inform LCDGT or geographic vocabularies.
Progress
● Harvested 17,476 potential literature and literature-adjacent LCSH headings from id.loc.gov using keyword and syndetic structure analysis.
● Reviewed headings to separate genre/form components from modifying terms and to identify false drops.
● Extracted 1,682 modifying terms (e.g., Aboriginal Australian, African (English), air pilots, Latin, children, medieval). Due to grammatical variations among these entries, the number of unique concepts identified is lower than the total count.
● Identified 751 LCSH headings that appear to represent genres or forms and provisionally mapped them to LCGFT terms.
Next Steps
● Reharvest LCSH data from id.loc.gov to identify additions, changes, and deletions.
● Complete the review of approximately 200 headings missed in the initial pass.
● Review mappings for internal consistency.
● Identify cases where broader mappings may warrant proposals for new LCGFT terms.
Module Maintenance and Testing Task Group
Charge and Scope
This group maintains and updates SSFV's mapping modules and documentation to ensure continued alignment with evolving LC vocabularies and cataloging practices.
Goals for 2025–2026
● Emphasize ongoing maintenance of existing modules.
● Review demographic qualifiers identified by the Literature Task Group for potential LCDGT and geographic mappings.
● Monitor new and revised LCGFT and LCDGT lists.
● Explore opportunities for renewed testing partnerships.
Progress
● Established routine practices for monitoring newly released LC term lists.
● Continued systematic review of Literature Task Group's list of qualifiers for demographic term mapping.
o Added 11 new mappings (with 45 additional mappings under review).
o Updated 14 existing mappings (with 9 additional updates pending).
● Created internal documentation for demographic and geographic mappings.
Chronological Data Task Group
Charge and Scope
The Chronological Data Task Group focuses on best practices and technical guidance for representing chronological information using faceted approaches, particularly MARC fields 045 (Time Period of Content), 046 (Special Coded Dates), and 388 (Time Period of Creation).
Current Work
● Updating "Best Practices for Recording Faceted Chronological Data" to:
o Add sections on Date of Expression and Date of Manifestation.
o Update guidance on MARC 046 first indicator values.
o Revise the MARC 388 section.
o Refresh all examples and appendices.
● Developing and documenting a retrospective implementation model for MARC 388, including investigating automated matching of 046 data with LCSH chronological subdivisions, for example,
● 046 1\ $k 1929 $2 edtf
● 388 1# $a Depressions--1929 $2 lcsh
● 388 1# $a Twentieth century $2 lcsh
Technical Development
● Created a new MARC 045-to-046 conversion tool with a locally hosted, web-based user interface.
● The tool supports multiple input formats (.csv, .xlsx, .mrc), preserves original files, and displays conversion logs for transparency and review.
LC Proposal Task Group
Charge and Scope
The LC Proposal Task Group identifies gaps in LC faceted vocabularies and prepares formal proposals-particularly for LCDGT-based on evidence gathered through SSFV mapping and analysis.
Progress
● Held planning meetings in Fall 2025 to review potential term candidates.
● Participated in a training session led by Dorie Kurtz, "Proposing Headings for LC Faceted Vocabularies."
● Determined to focus initial efforts on LCDGT proposals, given LC's ongoing work on LCGFT.
● Compiled candidate terms in a shared tracking spreadsheet.
● Drafted several LCDGT proposals in a working document.
Next Steps
● Conduct consultant review of drafted proposals.
● Submit finalized proposals through the ClassWeb Plus system.
Committee Ongoing and Upcoming Work
● Continue task group work in accordance with 2025–2026 goals.
● Promote the release of Version 1.2 of the retrospective implementation document.
● Monitor and respond, as appropriate, to policy and practice changes.
● Promote committee work on faceted vocabularies during ALA Core IG week and the ALA Annual Conference 2026.
Conclusion
Between September 2025 and January 2026, SSFV made substantial progress across all task groups. The Committee strengthened its technical infrastructure, expanded analytical work on literature and chronology, advanced LC proposal development, and increased visibility through publications and conference programming. SSFV remains committed to improving faceted subject access and supporting the library community in implementing LC faceted vocabularies effectively.
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