In article <[log in to unmask]>, "F.J. Sarre"
<[log in to unmask]> writes
>I'm looking for some advice from people who are using or thinking of
>using simple name lists or some other form of terminology control for
>documentation, particularly for mixed collections in UK english.

This is a real can of worms!

The concept of a "simple name" seems rather out of fashion these days
although I still find it very useful. The problem is that a simple name
which is appropriate to one collection may be far too general for
another more specialised collection or too specific for a third
collection which only holds one such item.

As an example, I am currently computerising a collection of medals for a
military museum. The simple name "medal" applies to the entire
collection and would be of little help in retrieval. Consequently I am
using more specific terms like "gallantry award", "campaign medal",
"long service and good conduct medal", etc. as simple names. However,
for other clients with just a few stray medals, the simple name "medal"
is far more appropriate. Incidentally, in the above example, the term
"medal" has been recorded as a classified name so that all medals can be
retrieved once other military artefacts have been added to the database.

The solution, as Leonard Will has pointed out in his reply to your
query, is to base simple names (if you feel you need them) on a standard
thesaurus (assuming that you can find one that is suitable), selecting
terms which are as broad or as narrow as is required to satisfy the
needs of anyone searching your particular database.

>I've looked at the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, but it doesn't cover
>archaeology, or ethnography

Some valuable groundwork has been done recently by the MDA Archaeology
Objects Thesaurus Working Party but I don't think their thesaurus will
be published until the autumn. As Leonard says, see the MDA WordHOARD
web pages for the latest details of this and other systems.

Martin Norgate has an archaeology termlist in his Object Format Rules
at: <http://www.hants.gov.uk/museums/ofr/archy_t.html>.

A few years ago the MDA employed me to compile a list of simple name
terms used in UK museums with a view to creating a standard termlist. In
order to make the terms accessible I arranged them in a rough hierarchy
but that was as far as it went. There is some interesting raw material
there but the project foundered because it needed reviewing by a working
group and demanded more time and money than was available. It might be
worth discussing this with Matthew Stiff, the MDA's Terminology Projects
Manager. I know that the MDA would like to make some use of this
material although whether it could be of any use to you I am not sure.

If you cannot find anything suitable on which to base your simple names
and have to create a new termlist or (preferably) extend an existing
one, have a look at the Guidelines for Constructing a Museum Object Name
Thesaurus which is on the MDA web pages at:
<http://www.open.gov.uk/mdocassn/holm.htm>.

I hope this helps.

Stuart Holm
--
Stuart Holm, Heritage Documentation Projects     Tel: +44 1603 870772
2 New Road, Reepham, Norwich NR10 4LP, UK     E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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