I think these problems with object names will never be solved, there are
just too many words, synonyms and specific objects. More important is
that all museum workers describing objects use the same term for the
same object, after all it is accessibility of the system which should be
aimed at, for researchers, visitors and other people using the system.
It is this consistency that we aim at in our museum. We discuss new
terms in meetings (we 'make up' our own object names for now, later they
will be 'thesaurised'), and our system manager (we use TMS)can discuss
them in her meetings with other similar (i.e. ethnographical) museums,
this way taking care of standardising terms.

Daan van Dartel


-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Namens
Lucy Sperlin
Verzonden: woensdag 7 april 2004 6:21
Aan: [log in to unmask]
Onderwerp: Re: Cataloging suggestions needed


"Robert P. Scott" wrote:
>
> 1. We can find no specific objectname or Sub-Category for
> herbal medicines which were used 100 years ago.   We have
> searched the Lexicon in PP3.5 and our new copy of Chenal without
> success.  Should we just make up new objectnames and place them into
> our intuitive use of Category and Sub-Category lists or are there
> specfically acceptable entries already in existence somewhere?
>

I sympathize. Anyone who has used the Nomenclature lexicon extensively
probably will agree that it is frequently necessary to add terms. Even
though makers of the second edition thought that they had gathered all
the terms anyone would ever need, it just isn't so because the world
keeps changing. For instance I recently had occasion to catalog several
loofahs (luffas), classified as a Toilet Article. Then had to decide
whether to use "loofah" or "luffa"; "sponge"; or "scrubber, body" or
even simply "scrubber" for the object term. (Any Nomenclature geeks want
to suggest which it should be?)

I highly recommend finding a copy of the First Edition of Nomenclature
and looking at Chapter 2 "A Logical System for Naming Things" which
describes the structure of the lexicon and conventions for choosing new
classifications and new terms. I have used it for 25 years, and still
refer to it regularly.

I agree with others -record your new terms in the book immediately so it
continues to be useful as an authority list, and so someone (even you)
doesn't use a related but different term for the same thing another
time.

Lucy Sperlin
Collections Chairman
Chico Museum's Patrick Ranch

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