Guidelines On Subject Access To Individual Works Of Fiction, Drama, Etc. (GSAFD)
In 1990, the American Library Association published the first edition of Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of Fiction, Drama, Etc. Prepared by the American Library Association 's Subject Analysis Committee, the GSAFD represents a recommendation for national standard practice in the provision of genre and subject access to individual works of fiction, drama, poetry, humour, and folklore in all formats. (ALA 2000, 1)
When the Guidelines were first published, volunteer libraries were solicited to apply these Guidelines, and specifically the list of form and genre headings, to individual works of fiction. Eight libraries, both public and academic, formed the original OCLC/LC Fiction Project, along with OCLC, Inc., and the Library of Congress. These libraries enrich bibliographic records for fiction with subject and genre headings, providing additional access to these works. OCLC then provides the resources to enter these additional headings into the LC MARC database for wider distribution to all libraries. Subject headings, particularly for fictional characters, have also been added to the LCSH. The number of LC bibliographic records, enhanced by the Project members is in excess of 15,000, and the number of subject headings approved and added to LCSH is over 1,100. (ALA, 1)
The Guidelines differ in some respects from LC practice. For improved national and international access to fiction, the Subcommittee encourages acceptance of the Guidelines by other libraries, even if the Library of Congress is not able to adopt them. (ALA, 2) A library's use of the GSAFD is evidenced in the MARC field 655 (Index term - Genre/Form). (Library of Congress, 2003)
The SAC Subcommittee recommends the provision of four kinds of subject access for fiction: form/genre, characters, setting, and topical access.
Form/Genre Access
The Guidelines define a genre as a type or category of imaginative work that is readily identified by some of the following characteristics: style, plot device, mood or tone, character type, and theme. (ALA, 4) Form/genre headings indicate what the work is, rather than what the work is about. Genre terms are determined by publishers, booksellers, and librarians. the Guidelines recommend assigning as many form/genre headings as appropriate. Anything regarding an individual work of fiction that can be expressed by a topical heading, subdivided by -- Fiction, should be. Recommending such headings for individual works of fiction is a departure from LC practice. Some of the headings conflict with LCSH and there are inconsistent constructions within the Guidelines, especially related to the use of the term "stories" versus "fiction." (ALA, 5)
Character Access
The Guidelines are not designed to apply to works about characters, but rather to provide subject access for characters in works of fiction, drama, etc. the Guidelines state that headings for fictitious and legendary characters should be assigned if the characters appear prominently in three or more works. The character is considered prominent if it is integral to the storyline, if the name is included in the title or a series-like statement, or if there is a chance that patrons may seek the work based on the character. (ALA, 37) An example would be:
Holmes, Sherlock (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
Setting Access
The Guidelines indicate that subject headings for location and or time period of a work of fiction should be assigned when it is deemed to be important for retrieval. The setting may also be indicated through geographic subdivision of topical headings.
For settings that are based on real places, the name is assigned as found in the Name or Subject Authority File. For example,
National Zoological Park - Fiction
For fictitious places which appear in at least three different works, the name is assigned as it appears in LCSH, with one of the form subdivisions, and if it does not appear in LCSH, the name is to be established based on the Guidelines in AACR2R, Chapter 23. (ALA, 43) An example of a subject heading for C.S. Lewis's Narnia books is:
Narnia (Imaginary place) - Fiction
If appropriate to the work, historical headings can be used to identify the time period setting. For example:
Greece - History - To 146 B.C. -- Fiction
Topical Access
The Guidelines recommend creating a topical heading to individual works of fiction, drama, etc. by adding a form subdivision such as - Fiction to standard LCSH headings. For example:
Children of single parents - Fiction
Headings may be constructed using free-floating subdivisions, as indicated in the LC Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings, H1095-H1200. For example:
Cancer - Patients - Fiction
Geographical subdivisions can be added if the work is about a particular topic in particular place. The appropriate geographic subdivision is indicated in the LC Subject Cataloging Manual: Subject Headings, H830-H870. For example:
Single women - New York (State) - New York - Fiction.
The Guidelines recommend assigning as many topical headings as the subject of a work warrants. (ALA, 47)