With the emergence of on-line collection databases such as Canada's
National Inventories it srikes me that the need for the
universalisation of museum terminology will become more crucial to
facilitate international searches.

To what extent will the use of software packages for compiling and
editing information retrieval thesauri, the work of organisations
like the MDA and Getty Museum's Art and Architecture Thesaurus etc.
help the museum community towards the universalisation of terms?

Will a universal, multilingual term list ever really be possible?
Perhaps only if the provision of on-line access to collection databases
is deemed an important mission for the museum community.

Any thoughts?

Last year I had to create a simple name list for a tiny collection
and ended up using Chenhall, the UK's Social History and
Inductrial Classification (SHIC) lists and guideines by the
Geological Curators' Group. I sympathise with Jane!

Rachel Reynolds
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