Introduction
The guidelines that follow are not intended to provide
a specification of data elements, i.e., a data dictionary.
Implementation will require rigorous analysis of the characteristics
and interrelationships of the categories defined here vis-à-vis
the data structures and functions available in a given system.
The guidelines follow the organization of the categories
of information, which are divided into the following areas,
corresponding to the entities discussed earlier:
- Groups/Items
- Subjects/Built Works
- People/Corporate Bodies
- Geographic Locations
- Bibliographic Sources
In repositories of architectural documents, the main focus
of cataloguing is usually the documents themselves, although
much of the cataloguing concerns closely related information
about people (e.g., draftsmen, architects, clients), subjects
and/or built works, and geography (e.g., locations of structures).
Accordingly, the first part, Groups/Items, focuses on the
information that is most particular to documents, e.g.,
their date of execution and purpose. Related information,
such as the biographical histories of makers, appears in
the authorities: Subjects/Built Works, People/Corporate
Bodies, and Geographic Locations. (For instance, a biographical
history would be found in People/Corporate Bodies.) This
approach avoids repetition of categories that otherwise
might appear in more than one area.
Cross-references are made between individual categories
in order to point out that a relationship exists. These
appear under Implementation as authority-controlled,
followed by the name of the related area, e.g., People/Corporate
Bodies. An example is Name. This category stands not only
for a name or names but also for biographical information
about the person who made the group/item (this information
about the person may be found under People/Corporate Bodies).
It is important to be able to retrieve entries through these
related categories. For instance, it should be possible
to retrieve all documents by makers with a specified locus
of activity. Typical queries will almost always involve
combinations of categories drawn from two or more areas.
Finally, each area is, where appropriate, divided into
a number of sections. These sections collocate categories
of information that are interdependent, or closely related,
e.g., Technique, Medium, Support, and Watermark are all
Physical Characteristics.
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