3

EDITORIAL RULES, CONTINUED

3.3

Names

Included in this chapter

• Term ID (required-default)^[1]
• Name (required)
• Preferred Flag (required-default)
• Qualifier
• Sequence Number (required-default)
• Historical Flag (required-default)
• Name Type (required-default)
• Vernacular Flag (required-default)
• Language for Names
• Preferred Flag for Language
• Contributor for Name (required-default)
• Preferred Flag for Contributor (required-default)
• Sources for Names (required)
• Page Number for Name Source (required)
• Preferred Flag for Source (required-default)
• Dates for Names
• Display Name Flag (required-default)
• AACR Flag (LC heading)
• Other Flags
• Assigned To note
  
  
  • Example

3.3.1

Term ID (required default)

3.3.1.1

Definition
Number identifying a name in TGN.

3.3.1.2

Values
Numbers are system-generated in the following range: 1000000000 - 1999999999.

3.3.1.3

RULES

• Term IDs may not be edited by the editors.
  
  
• The system assigns unique, consecutive numbers to names as names are created or loaded in TGN. Numbers of deleted names are not re-used.
  
  
• Each name in each subject record has a different Term ID. Homographs do not share the same Term ID.
  

3.3.2

Name (required)

3.3.2.1

Definition
Proper names, appellations, or other identifying phrases used to refer to a geographic or administrative location.

• Examples

3.3.2.2

Values
Names is a free-text field; values may be ASCII characters (including numbers). No special characters or diacritics are allowed; diacritics must be expressed according to the codes in Appendix A.

3.3.2.3

Sources
Sources are discussed in a separate section, Sources for Names below.

3.3.2.4

Discussion
The Name in TGN is analogous to the Name in ULAN and the Term in AAT.

• A preferred name is sometimes the only name in the record. The preferred name is the vernacular (local) name used most often in standard general reference sources. It is the place name that is displayed in the default hierarchy display, thus it is sometimes called the "default record-preferred name." The preferred English name (if any) must be flagged to allow the construction of the English hierarchy. Additional alternate and variant names for the place should be included as well.
  

3.3.2.5

RULES

3.3.2.5.1

Minimum requirements
Record at least one name, the preferred name.

• List as many variant or alternate names as have at least one legitimate source. Consult sources to gather alternate names as time and editorial priorities allow.
  

3.3.2.5.2

World, continents, and nations
Do not edit, merge, or move the records for the top levels of the TGN hierarchy, including the World, the continents, and the current nations, or the official administrative subdivisions of the current nations without the permission of your supervisor.

   » Continents, nations, subdivisions of a nation

The names for continents, nations, and the administrative divisions of a nation should have already been assigned and editors should not edit them, unless asked to do so by your supervisor during a special project. However, you should be aware of the rules regarding names for continents, nations, and subdivisions of nations so that you recognize problems and do not mistakenly alter the records incorrectly. If you feel a name should be edited, ask your supervisor.

• You may create and edit historical nations if you are doing a special project for historical nations.
  

3.3.2.5.3

Alphabet and diacritics

   » Roman alphabet

Record all names in the Roman alphabet.

• Transliterations
  For names in a language that is not written in the Roman alphabet, record the vernacular name that has been transliterated into the Roman alphabet.
• For the preferred name, you should ideally use the transliteration derived by applying ISO standards. However, you must often choose between variant transliterations without knowing which transliteration method was employed. In such cases, use the transliteration as found in the most authoritative of available possible sources. For consistency, within a single nation, try to use preferred names derived by the same transliteration method or same source if possible.
  
  
• If, at the direction of your supervisor, you are doing a special project that requires using a source in another alphabet, use the appropriate ISO standard for transliterating the names into the Roman alphabet.
  
  
• For variant names, include names derived by alternate transliteration schemes. However, remember that you must have a source for the name - do not try to translate one transliterated name into another form (unless you are an expert in that language and have consulted with your supervisor).

   » Diacritics

Do not include diacritics or special characters in the Name field. Indicate diacritical marks by using the diacritical codes in Appendix A.

• Example
  

• If you are cutting and pasting names from an online source, to avoid accidentally pasting special characters and html codes in the Name field, do the following: Paste the name into Notepad text editor, delete diacritics and replace them with the codes from Appendix A, then copy the name and paste it into VCS. (Notepad will automatically remove many special characters, but you will have to manually replace the diacritics.)

3.3.2.5.4

Capitalization
Capitalize proper names for places.

• Examples
• Siena
• Beijing
• Flanders
• Nile River
• Northern Sporades Islands
  
  
• For the preferred name, if the name includes an article or preposition (e.g. of, the, a, los, il, la, l', de, des, della), generally use lower case. If an article or preposition is the first element in the name, generally spell it with an initial capital letter. Consult standard reference sources for guidance (see Sources for Names below).
  
  
  • Examples
    [for an Olmec site]
  • Laguna de los Cerros
    
    [for a city]
    
  • Los Angeles

   » Mixed case

Names and other information should be expressed in mixed case (i.e., not in all-upper or all-lower case). If your source lists the name in all caps, translate it to mixed case.

• Exception: Exceptions occur when the "name" is a code or abbreviation that is properly written in all capitals (e.g., USA).
  
  
• Exception: Another exception is when the name is a Display Name that has been constructed by an editor (e.g., the word county in Los Angeles county). The descriptive word added to the name in such cases should be lower case.
  

3.3.2.5.5

Abbreviations

• For the preferred name, avoid abbreviations (e.g., Saint, not St.).
  
  
• For variant names, include commonly used abbreviations and initials (e.g., Mt. Etna, St. Louis, or USA). For nations and national subdivisions, include standard codes such as ISO codes, US Postal Codes, etc.
  
  
  • Examples
  • Saint Vincent (preferred)
    St. Vincent
    
    
  • United Kingdom (preferred)
    UK
    GBR (ISO 3-letter code)
    
    
  • California (preferred)
    CA (US Postal code)
    

3.3.2.5.6

Only one name per field
Caveat: A single name field should not contain multiple names, as is sometimes found in names contributed from other databases and in LC Subject Headings.

• Second name: Do not include a second name in parentheses. For example, rather than expressing a preferred name with a second name imbedded with parentheses as New York City (Big Apple), record these two name forms as two different names. You would choose New York City as the preferred name, and the nickname Big Apple as a variant name (flagged as Other Flag = Pseudonym).
  
  
• Broader context: Do not include a broader context in the name field, unless it is truly part of the name. For example, Washington, DC is not the name of the city; rather, Washington is the name of the city, and District of Columbia is the name of the state-level broader context for Washington (the US Postal Code DC is a variant name for the district). On the other hand, Ungava-Quebec Crater is the proper name for the crater, even though Ungava and Quebec are also the names of broader contexts for the crater.
  

3.3.2.5.7

Preferred Name (vernacular)
For the preferred name, choose the commonly used vernacular name. See Vernacular Name below.

• Flag the preferred name. See Preferred Flag below.
  
  
• To determine which name is most commonly used, consult standard atlases, gazetteers, geographic dictionaries and encyclopedia, and web sites. See Sources for Names for a list of standard sources.
  
  
• Constructing names: For names that are not found in standard sources, consult maps and other published sources. In the rare cases where it is necessary to create a name (as described in specific rules below), construct a preferred name based the rules in this manual (e.g., rules for constructing a Display Name). If no specific TGN rule is applicable for the name at hand, use the Anglo American Cataloguing Rules: 23 Geographic Names or the Chicago Manual of Style: 7.34 Place Names, and report the omission to your supervisor.

   » Consistency

Be consistent regarding transliteration method, syntax, punctuation, capitalization, and style for the preferred names of the administrative subdivisions and other preferred names in the hierarchy of a given nation. If possible, use the same source that was used for constructing the hierarchy for the determining the preferred names for the subdivisions. See also 3.1 Hierarchical Relationships.

3.3.2.5.8

Preferred English Name
It is required to record a preferred English name for the place, if the place has an English name (most places do not have an English name).

• Use the language field and the preferred language flag to mark the preferred English name. See the section on Languages below.
  
  
  • Examples
  • Ell$00as (Preferred, Vernacular)
    Greece (Variant, Other language, English-Preferred)
    
    
  • Ciudad de M$00exico (Preferred, Vernacular)
    Mexico City (Variant, Other language, English-Preferred)

• The preferred English name should be the name used most often in standard authoritative sources in American English (e.g., the English name Florence should be the preferred English name, while the Italian Firenze is the preferred vernacular name).
  
  
• The preferred English name should be the short version of the name. as commonly used in published sources in American English (e.g., while both Egypt and Arab Republic of Egypt are English names for that nation, only Egypt should be flagged as the preferred English name).
  
  
• Caveat: If the British English spelling differs from the American English spelling, flag the British English name as appropriate (British English, Code 70053). However, note that the preferred English name must be flagged with English Code 70051 because this specific flag is used to build the English hierarchy. See further discussion at Language for Names below.

3.3.2.5.9

Variant Names
Be certain that variant names are flagged as Non-preferred names. See discussion at Preferred Flag below.

• At minimum, endeavor to include important alternate and variant names that appear in major published sources and represent significant differences from the preferred name in form or spelling. As time and editorial priorities allow, check additional standard atlases, gazetteers, geographic dictionaries, online government databases, and LC Subject Headings (for LC Subject Headings, see AACR2 Flag below); include additional alternate and variant names, even if the differences in spelling and punctuation are minor.
  
  
  • Examples
  • Lisbon (preferred)
    Lisboa
    Lisbonne
    Felicitas Julia (historical)
    
    
  • Tokyo (preferred)
    T$01oky$01o
    Tokio
    Edo
    Yeddo
    
    
  • Philadelphia (preferred)
    City of Brotherly Love

3.3.2.5.10

Names in various languages
Include names in various languages, if known (e.g., Firenze, Florence, Florenz). Flag the language, if known. See Language for Name below.

• Examples
• Strasbourg (preferred, French-preferred)
  Strassburg (German-preferred)
  Estrasburgo (Spanish-preferred)
  
  
• Mi$15sr (preferred, Arabic-preferred)
  Egypt (English-preferred)
  Jumhuriyah Misr al-`Arabiyah (Arabic)
  Arab Republic of Egypt (English)
  $00Egypte (French-preferred)
  $04Agypten (German-preferred)
  
  
• The language designation may refer to a transliterated language (e.g., given that all names are in the Roman alphabet, labeling a name "Chinese" means that the Chinese name has been transliterated). If you know the transliteration method, label it with the appropriate language, as in Chinese (transliterated Wade-Giles).

3.3.2.5.11

Variant transliterations
Include variant transliterations (e.g. Beijing and Peking). See Roman alphabet: Transliterations above.

3.3.2.5.12

Alternate spelling, punctuation
Include variants that differ in spelling, diacritics, capitalization or punctuation.

• Example
• Alger (preferred, French-Preferred)
  Al-Jaz$01a'ir (Arabic-Preferred)
  Al Jaza'ir
  Al-Jaza'ir
  Al-Djaza'ir
  Al-jezair
  El Djazaïr
  Algiers (English-Preferred)
  Algeri
  Algier
  Argel
  Icosium

3.3.2.5.13

Fullness of the name
Include significant differences in the fullness of the name (e.g., Kenya, and Jamhuri ya Kenya). This is particularly important when the fuller names help to distinguish between two places that could be confused (as in the examples for the two nations called Congo below). Note that the preferred name is not necessarily the fullest form of the name (it is the most commonly used form of the name).

• Examples
  [for the former Zaire]
• Congo (preferred)
  Democratic Republic of the Congo
  Zaire (historical)
  
  [for the former Congo Brazzaville]
  
• Congo Republic (preferred)
  Republic of the Congo
  Congo
  Congo Brazzaville (historical)

3.3.2.5.14

Natural order and inverted names
Generally, record preferred names for administrative places, such as cities and nations, in natural order (e.g., Los Angeles, not Angeles, Los).

• However, the preferred names for physical features and some other places should be in inverted order (e.g., McLaughlin, Mount, for indexing and alphabetical lists); include the natural order form of the name as an alternate name (e.g., Mount McLaughlin, for displays). Use the indexes of standard sources to determine when names should be inverted.

   » Syntax

For the natural order form of the name, record the name in natural word order (e.g., United States of America).

• For any inverted order form of the name, record the trunk or core of the name first, comma, and the word or words describing its place type (which will be in the language of the name).
  
  
  • Examples
    [for a lake]
  • La-Croix, Lake (preferred, inverted)
    Lake La-Croix (display name)
    
    [for a creek, "arroyo" means "small river" or "creek"]
    
  • Abuelos, Arroyo de los (preferred, inverted)
    Arroyo de los Abuelos (display name)
    
    
• Administrative places: For the preferred name for administrative places, such as cities and nations, generally use natural order. There are rare exceptions (e.g., Hague, The).
  
  
• Physical features: Preferred names for physical features and some other places should be inverted. Attempt to find the inverted form in a standard source; if you cannot find the name in a source, invert the name by recording the trunk or core of the name first, followed by a comma and the word or words describing its place type (e.g., McLaughlin, Mount). Use commas consistently.
  
  
• If you are not familiar with the language of the name and thus cannot determine which word is the trunk of the name, do not invert the name.
  
  
• If the preferred name is inverted, include the natural order form of the preferred name (e.g., Mount McLaughlin) in position #2, and flag it as the Display Name (see Display Name below). It is not required to include natural order forms for non-preferred variants.
  
  
  • Examples
    [example from VCS]

[for a lake]

• La-Croix, Lake (preferred)
  Lake La-Croix (display name)
  
  [for a creek]
  
• Abuelos, Arroyo de los (preferred)
  Arroyo de los Abuelos (display name)
  
  
• Caveat: Note that the preferred name of inhabited places, administrative units, and nations should be in natural order, even if at first sight it looks like the name of a physical feature (e.g., for the city in Florida Lake Wales, for the province in Canada, Prince Edward Island).

3.3.2.5.15

Historical Names

   » Preferred names for historical places

For cities, towns, and other settlements, if the place is still inhabited, follow the rules detailed above for establishing its current preferred name in the vernacular and the preferred English name, if any. In such cases, historical names should be variant names, arranged in reverse chronological order.

• For deserted settlements, lost settlements, former nations or states, and other administrative entities that do not exist in the current world, the preferred name should be the name currently most often used to refer to the place in scholarly literature in the English language (do not prefer the vernacular language in such cases because it is an impractical editorial challenge to determine the historical vernacular names). For instruction regarding flagging these names Current or Historical, see Historical Flag for Name below.
  
  
  • When two names seem to be used equally often, for example anglicized versions of a Greek name and a Latin name for the same place, for the preferred name choose the name most often found in the most authoritative current literature. Keep in mind that the same preferred name may appear in historical hierarchies of both ancient Greece and ancient Rome, so choosing one form over another based on the parent at hand is not the only criterion. If you are building a historical hierarchy (see chapter 3.1 Hierarchical Relationships), try to use the same source for all the names so that the hierarchy appears consistent. If possible, use a general source, not one that deals with only one period or one historical nation.

   » Historical Names : Extant inhabited places and physical features

For places that are still inhabited today and for physical features that are still extant today, include historical names as appropriate. The spelling of names may change due to changes in the language (e.g., Florentia and Fiorenza for Florence, Italy). Places may officially change their names over time (e.g., when North Tarrytown, New York changed its name to Sleepy Hollow). The name of a nation may change with a change in government (e.g., Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and Islamic State of Afghanistan).

• Label such names Historical; see Historical Flag for Name below. Order historical names in reverse chronological order below the Current names. Add Dates for historical names, if known (see Dates for Names below).
  
  
  • Example
    [from an end-user display; the flags "C" and "H" after the name indicate Current and Historical]
    

• Caveat: If the boundaries of a nation or region have changed, note that this is a historical place, and should have its own record, separate from its modern counterpart. See below.

   » Historical Names: Deserted settlements and lost settlements

For, deserted settlements, include the name by which the site is known today, as well as historical names. Label such names Current or Historical, as appropriate; it may be difficult to distinguish between historical names and current names for deserted settlements. See Historical Flag for Name below.

• Example
  [for the deserted settlement, Arpi, Apulia, Italy]
• Arpi (preferred, C,V,N)
  Argos Hippion (H,V,N)
  Argyrippa (H,V,N)
  Argyripta (H,V,N)
  


• Does the historical name refer to a modern site?
  If scholarship holds that it is uncertain if a place name known from literary sources corresponds to a modern site, you may do one of two things. If scholars believe that it is very likely that a historic site was the same as the modern place, add the historical name to the record for the modern site, with an explanation in the Display Date (and Descriptive Note, if necessary).

• Example
  [for Araq El-Emir, Jordan]
• Araq El-Emir (preferred, C,V,N)
  Tyrus (H,V,N) ............ based on inscriptions at a tomb here, it is believed that Tyrus possibly was on this site
  Tyros (H,V,N)
  

• If scholars are strongly divided or the association between the known site and the historical site is very tentative, do not include the historical names in the name for the modern site. Instead, make separate records for the known site and the lost settlement and link them as related places. See 3.6 Associative Relationships.

   » Historical Names: Neighborhoods and suburbs

If a city has grown over time and encompassed formerly independent towns, you may do one of two things. If the former town is now considered a neighborhood of the modern city, include the name of the former town in a record for a neighborhood or suburb under the city. This is the preferred method for cities that have subsumed several smaller towns as they grew.

• Example
  [names for the neighborhood of Washington, DC]
• Georgetown (preferred, C,V,N)
  George-Town (H,V,N)
  Saw Pit Landing (H,V,N)
  Town of George (H,V,N)
  West Washington (H,V,N)
  
  
  [hierarchy for Washington DC and its neighborhood, Georgetown]
  .... North and Central America (continent)
  ...... United States (nation)
  ........ District of Columbia (national district)
  .......... Washington (inhabited place)
  ................ Anacostia (neighborhood)
  ................ Anacostia Park (park)
  ................ Benning (neighborhood)
  ................ Brightwood (neighborhood)
  ................ Brookland (neighborhood)
  ................ Capitol Hill (neighborhood)
  ................ Cleveland Park (neighborhood)
  ................ East Potomac Park (park)
  ................ Fort Dupont Park (park)
  ................ Fort Totten Park (park)
  ................ Garfield Heights (neighborhood)
  ................ Georgetown (neighborhood)
  ................ [etc.]
  
  
• If the city has grown up from a central core, and the name has changed but surrounding communities have not been subsumed, include the former names as variant names. The former names must be included somewhere in association with the modern place, either as a neighborhood or suburb, or as a former name for the place. A large modern city may include both 1) historical names in the record for the city and 2) suburbs or neighborhoods that preserve the names of formerly independent surrounding communities.
  
  
  • Example
    [for Vienna, Austria, which also has suburbs that were formerly independent communities]
  • Wien (preferred) ............ used by 1st cen. BCE
    Vienna (English-preferred)
    Vienne
    Beç............ Hungarian name
    Viden............ Czech name
    Wienis............ name recorded in 1030
    Wenia............ name recorded in 881
    Vindobna
    Vindobona............ Celtic for "white field"
    Vindomana

3.3.2.5.16

Nicknames and pseudonyms
Include pseudonyms and nicknames (e.g., Big Apple). Nicknames are restricted to names found in published sources and should be labeled with Other Flag = Pseudonym (see Other Flags below).

3.3.2.5.17

ISO, FIPS, and Postal codes
Special codes are used for the nations of the world and their subdivisions. These codes will be added or edited only in special projects at the direction of your supervisor. See Other Codes below for further discussion.

3.3.2.5.18

Misspellings
Variant names may occasionally include an apparent misspelling, if the name is found in a major published source (e.g., if a major atlas published the name Brood Mountain instead of the correct spelling Broad Mountain). If you are absolutely certain that the name is a misspelling (and not a historical name or other valid variant), note this in the Display Date for that name (because Display Date is a free-text field; in order to use this field, you must also have dates in mind for Start and End Dates; see Dates for Names below).

• Example

• Historical names may appear to be "misspellings," because they date from a time before the spelling of a place was firmly established or for other reasons. Do not refer to them as "misspellings" in the Display Date. Be sure to flag them as Historical.

3.3.2.5.19

Constructed names
A constructed name is a name created by the editor, rather than being transcribed from a source.

• For the preferred name, do not construct a name if you can avoid it. Transcribe the name as found in the source, even if the name seems incomplete to you. For instance, if the name of a physical feature or administrative unit is listed in your source without a descriptive phrase indicating the place type, do not add it without literary warrant. For example, if your source lists the name of the river as Mississippi, do not make a constructed name Mississippi River as the preferred name. (You may construct such a name as a variant name - labeled as a Display Name - as described below.)
  
  
  • Exception: If you need to find a particular form of the name in order to be consistent with other preferred names in the same hierarchy, try consulting another source to find the correct form. Only if you absolutely cannot find warrant should you construct a preferred name.
    
    
• For variant names, editors must occasionally devise a place name that is not found in published sources. Do so only in the situations described below. If you feel that another situation warrants the construction of a name, consult with your supervisor before doing so.

   » Display names

A Display Name is used in horizontal displays (e.g., in results lists on the Web and in the Place fields of ULAN). Construct a Display Name if the following is true: 1) the preferred name or the preferred English name would be confusing or ambiguous in a parent string, either because it has the same name as its child, it is a historical nation with the same name as a modern nation, or its name is otherwise misleading, and 2) there is no other name in the record that could serve as a Display Name. Construct a Display Name by adding the place type to the trunk name; the part that you have added should be in lower case (to distinguish it from proper names found in sources).

• For example, the immediate parent of the city of Siena, Italy has the same name as the city, so Siena province is a variant name for that parent in horizontal displays: e.g., Siena (Siena province, Toscana, Italia). In another example, a river in Lancashire, England is named Island, which is confusing; thus the Display Name should be Island river.
  
  
• Flag the Display Name by setting the flag to Yes. See a discussion of the flag at Display Name Flag below.
  
  
  • Example
    

• The source for the Display Name is the following:

  Brief Citation: Getty Vocabulary Program
  Full Citation: Getty Vocabulary Program. Term warranted by consensus of editorial staff.
  

3.3.2.5.20

Vernacular names
Flag names as Vernacular, Other, or Undetermined as recommended at Vernacular Flag below. Note that Undetermined is typically used only for data being batch loaded; editors should avoid using it.

• If you are unfamiliar with a particular vernacular language, in order to determine which name is the vernacular name, consult a reference source that also prefers the vernacular, or a source in the vernacular language.
  
  
• Official language: For the preferred name, choose the vernacular name that is in the official vernacular language. See the descriptive note for the nation in question to determine which are the vernacular languages for that nation.
  
  
• Most commonly used: For the preferred name, choose the local or vernacular name most commonly used in the language spoken and written in the place itself. For example, Firenze would be the preferred vernacular name for the Italian city, while the Italian Florence would be a variant name.
  
  
• When "vernacular" does not apply: For the preferred name, the vernacular is not preferred only in specifically defined cases where the vernacular does not apply or is difficult to determine. In such cases, record the English name should be the preferred name (English being the language of the rest of the TGN record), as in the following examples:
  
  
  • The preferred names of continents, oceans, and other such features should be in English (e.g., Europe) because these entities encompass so much territory and so many languages.
    
    
  • The preferred name of historical entities (e.g., Ottoman Empire)sould be in English because the historical vernacular would be confusing and the current vernacular does not apply.
    
    
  • Of course, the preferred name for places in English-speaking nations will generally be in English.
    
    
• If you cannot find the vernacular name: For the preferred name, if the preferred name should be the vernacular but you cannot find the vernacular name, use the English name and note the problem in editor's note.
  
  
• Include variants: For variant names, include alternate forms and variations on the vernacular name.
  
  
• Caveat: Note that the vernacular name may be derived from a foreign language. For example, in the US where the official language is English, Los Angeles is the vernacular name for that city, but it is truly a Spanish phrase; likewise, Mississippi is the vernacular name for that river, but the name is derived from a native American language; the city in Kentucky is called Louisville, which is truly a French word, etc.

   » Multiple vernacular languages

Take care in choosing which language is considered "vernacular" for a particular place. There are often multiple vernacular languages in a single nation.

• For a nation, like Belgium, where there are multiple vernacular languages, generally spoken in different regions of the country, use the vernacular language appropriate for the specific region, if possible. For example, the city in a French-speaking region has the French preferred name Tournai, and the Flemish Doornik is a variant name. The city in a Flemish-speaking region has the Flemish preferred name Sint-Niklaas, and the French Saint-Nicolas is a variant name.
  
  
  • Example
    [Flemish name is preferred, but the French name is the variant in position #2, also marked Vernacular]
    

• When the specific place itself has multiple vernacular languages, or when you are choosing the name for a broader region where multiple languages apply, use the vernacular name as found in standard reference works that also prefer the vernacular.
  
  
• Be sure to list all variants in other vernacular languages and flag them as vernacular too (as in the example above).
  

3.3.2.5.21

Official name
For the preferred name, do not use a long name simply because it is the official name for the place. Prefer the short, commonly used version of the vernacular name, where possible. For instance, the preferred name for the nation is Italia, not Repubblica italiana. Include the longer name as a variant name and flag it as Other Flag = Official Name, if appropriate. See Other Flags below.

• Example

3.3.2.5.22

Language
Flag the language of the name, if known, by choosing a language from the controlled list of languages. See Language for Names below.

3.3.2.5.23

Order of the names
The names must be organized according to a set of rules. Number the names as instructed in Sequence Number below.

3.3.2.5.24

Editing contributed names
Editors should not edit contributed names, except for minor punctuation typos. If you add a date or a source to the name, add the initials VP as a contributor for the name.

• If directed to do so by your supervisor, you may occasionally delete contributed names that are inappropriate to TGN.

3.3.3

Preferred Flag (required-default)

3.3.3.1

Definition
Flag indicating whether or not the name is the preferred name for its subject record.

3.3.3.2

Values
The flags are controlled by a pick list in VCS: P - Preferred, V - Variant

3.3.3.3

Sources
For a discussion of how to determine which name should be the preferred name, see Name above.

3.3.3.4

Discussion
Every record must have a preferred name to use as a default in displays. For further discussion of preferred names, see Name above.

3.3.3.5

RULES

• The name in sequence number 1 is automatically flagged "preferred" by the system. If this is not correct, change the Preferred Flag and sequence numbers accordingly.
  

3.3.4

Qualifier

3.3.4.1

Definition
Word or phrase used primarily to distinguish between homographs; rarely used in TGN.

3.3.4.2

Values
Not applicable.

3.3.4.3

RULES

• Do not add qualifiers unless directed to do so by your supervisor. Currently qualifiers are not used in the TGN, except in very rare cases.
  

3.3.5

Sequence Number (required-default)

3.3.5.1

Definition
The Display Order number (or Sort Order number), indicating the sequence of the name in relation to the other names of a subject record.

3.3.5.2

Values
System generated, but the numbers may be changed by the editor. Values begin with 1 and are numbered sequentially; there is no upper limit imposed by the system.

3.3.5.3

Discussion
Most records have only 1 to 5 names. It would be highly unusual to require more than 25 names for a place. If you need to add more than that, consult your supervisor.

3.3.5.4

RULES

• Number the names in sequence. Do not skip numbers.
  
  
• The name in sequence number 1 must be the subject default Preferred name.
  
  
• Arrange the names in reverse chronological order, with Current names placed before Historical ones.
  
  
• Within the subset of current names or historical names that date to the same period, arrange the names with vernacular names first, then other language variants in order of importance, keeping variants in the same language together when possible.
  
  
• Position adjectival name forms at the bottom of the list, below Historical names.
  
  
• Position codes, such as ISO or US Postal codes, at the bottom of the Current names.
  
  
  • Examples

[as displayed in VCS]

[another display in VCS]

3.3.6

Historical Flag (required-default)

3.3.6.1

Definition
Flag indicating the historical status of the name.

3.3.6.2

Values
Values are derived from a controlled list: B - Both, C - Current, H - Historical, NA ? Not Applicable, U - Unknown.

3.3.6.3

Sources
Editors should use standard, authoritative sources in determining whether or not a name is historical.

3.3.6.4

RULES

• Current: The default flag is Current. If the name is currently in use, the flag should be set to Current. Names found in atlases and national geographic databases are almost always Current, unless otherwise indicated.
  
  
  • Sources often do not indicate if the name is current and historical, so you must make a decision based on the nature of the source and the context of the name in that source. In major sources of current geographical terms, such as atlases, geographic dictionaries, travel guides, gazetteers, NIMA, or USGS, consider the name to be Current unless otherwise indicated.
    
    
  • If using a source specifically dedicated to historical names, such as Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, you must analyze each entry to determine which names are Current and which are Historical.
    
    
• Historical: If the name was used in the past but is not used currently, set the flag to Historical.
  
  
• Both: It is highly unusual for a name to be Both historical and current. Saint Petersburg, Russia is a rare example: the name was used in the past, it was changed under the Soviets, and was changed back to its former name after the Soviets.
  
  
• Not Applicable: This is used only for facets or temp.parents and other non-published records. Do not use it in any other situation.
  
  
• Unknown: This is used primarily for data loaded