Terminology Control
Introduction
This fact sheet provides a very brief first-stop introduction to terminology and syntax control.
Terminology is a broad subject but it is essential to get to grips with it for cataloguing museum objects.
What is Terminology Control?
Terminology control is about standardising the terms we use when cataloguing objects. For
example, a three dimensional representation of a person or animal which is considerably smaller
than life size may be referred to as a statuette. It might also be called a figurine. Both words have
the same meaning. However, if both words are used indiscriminately as index headings, it will be
difficult to find all the objects of this type. Some examples will be filed under 'F' for figurine and
others under 'S' for statuette. Some might also be filed under model figure, Staffordshire figure, etc.
If the records were computerised then a search on just one of these terms would yield and an
incomplete search result. It would obviously be most helpful all round if the cataloguer could use
the same term for everything that fits the same general definition.
What is Syntax Control?
Syntax control is about standardising the format or order in which those terms are recorded. When
recording personal and corporate names, place names, dates etc., the actual words to be used are
well defined but the sequence in which they can be expressed can be inconsistent. For example,
the alternatives 'Mr F. Bloggs' and 'Fred Bloggs' are both acceptable in normal usage but would be
filed in different places in an alphabetical index. To ensure accurate indexing and retrieval,
consistent syntactical rules must be adopted.
Why do it?
Standardised terminology and syntax lead to consistent records which give reliable answers when
information is sought. There is no point in recording information about an object if that information
cannot be retrieved and used.
What should I control?
There are detailed recording guidelines in the Units of Information section of SPECTRUM that give
advice on how to record information in each unit. There is also guidance in Cataloguing Made
Easy by Stuart Holm.
Terminology control can be applied to data in any field that you want to index. You can use any
words you like in free-text fields that you will not be creating indexes for. If you are still using a
manual cataloguing and indexing system you can take a more pragmatic approach as there is a
limit to the number of individual indexes which can be manually maintained. However, it is
important to remember that today's index cards are tomorrow's computer records.
If you use a collections management database, syntax must be very precise for comparable data to
be retrieved. You will need to follow some basic rules about syntax control which particularly apply to:
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Personal names
Corporate names
Place names
Dates
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Terminology sources
What is a term list?
A term list is a list of approved words or terms for use in the recording of specific units of data. For
example, object names, roles, materials, activities etc. Many museums create their own term lists
to meet their own particular needs, while others like the Hertfordshire Simple Name List have been
published. A term list will include all the possible names under which a concept is known and
express which terms are 'preferred' as opposed to 'non-preferred' terms.
eg
paperback USE
book
book
USE FOR paperback
What is a thesaurus?
A thesaurus is a more highly structured form of word list which is able to represent more complex
relationships between terms. It has a hierarchical structure, each branch of the tree developing into
increasingly specific terms.
eg
costume
footwear
boot
riding boot
walking boot
wellington boot
patten
shoe
carpet slipper
overshoe
plimsoll
sandal
walking shoe
For any given term there can be a Broader Term (BT) or a Narrower Term (NT). When using a
thesaurus you should select the narrowest possible term which describes the concept you are
trying to express. To help you to do this, many thesauri have a Scope Note (SN) for each term.
These help to describe the concept expressed in the term.
eg
SN Outer foot covering not reaching above the ankle. Includes additional footwear worn over
normal outer foot covering such as overshoe. For devices to raise the foot clear of mud, etc.
see 'patten'.
BT footwear
NT carpet slipper; gym shoe; overshoe; plimsoll; sandal; walking shoe
Sometimes terms will be related to each other, although they will not necessarily express the same
concept. These are shown as Related Terms (RT).
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eg shoe
BT footwear
RT shoemaking
What is a classification system?
A classification system provides terms to assign objects to larger groupings. This is useful if you
need to search for all items which share a particular attribute but may have very different object
names. For example, you may want to find all the items relating to pubs in your collection. It would
be tedious to have to make a list of all the possible objects and then search for them individually,
eg glasses, beer mats, photographs, furniture etc. If you have used a classification system you can
look under 'pubs' and find them all in one go.
An object can legitimately be classified in several different ways, perhaps even using two different
classification systems. It is always best to use a published classification system. Even if you cannot
find exactly what you want, you may be able to extend an existing system to cover your particular
collection.
A commonly used museum classification system is the Social History and Industrial Classification
(SHIC). SHIC does not provide lists of object names, but rather is intended to allow the grouping
together of objects, images and anything else which belong to the same area of human activity. It
does not group material by generic type.
It is a decimal classification system which takes as its starting point four primary headings (Sections):
1. Community Life
2. Domestic and Family Life
3. Personal Life Working Life
The classification becomes increasingly specific the more decimal places are used. For instance, in
the example given in SHIC's introduction, a cabinet-maker's hammer could be classified as follows:
4.
Working Life
4.5
Manufacturing industries not elsewhere specified
4.56
Timber and wooden furniture industries
4.565
Wooden and upholstered furniture and shop and office fittings
4.5654 Wooden cabinet work and components for furniture
How do I choose a terminology source?
1. Terminologies for museum collections
A number of thesauri have been published with the needs of museums and galleries in mind. Many
of the more expensive and sophisticated museum cataloguing software systems include thesauri
from which to select cataloguing terms. The most commonly used thesaurus is the Getty
Information Institute's
However, if you want to use a thesaurus or classification system it is better to use existing sources
rather than develop your own. As well as saving you time and effort, re-using a terminology resource
that is used in similar collections will assist you in sharing information with other organisations and
creating your own online resources in future. Begin by finding out how museums with similar
collections to yours control terminology. Find out what they use and how well it fits their purpose.
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Only consider developing your own terminology if there is really nothing comparable. If you do
decide that this is the only option there are standards for constructing a thesaurus and MDA can
give advice. You could also consider that there may be other organisations who would be willing to
contribute to the work on a consortium basis. However, the complexity, time and tedium involved in
constructing a thesaurus from scratch should not be underestimated!
Terminology resources for software
Some terminology resources have been adapted for use with specific pieces of software (eg
MODES). Talk to the other users of your cataloguing software about what they use. Again, you can
contact MDA if you have any doubts and we may be able to put you in contact with someone who
has the resource you need.
Sources of help and advice
Holm, Stuart, Cataloguing Made Easy, 2nd Edition, Cambridge, MDA, 2002
Holm, Stuart, Facts and Artefacts, 2nd Edition Cambridge, MDA, 1998
Holm, Stuart, Guidelines for Constructing a Museum Object Name Thesaurus, Cambridge, MDA, 2001.
Websites
SPECTRUM Terminology is a resource available on the Collections Trust website. It provides a guide
to terminology resources relevant to museums, including links to a selection of on-line thesauri,
classification systems and other authority files, many of which can be accessed free. to access it go to:
http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum-terminology/
SPECTRUM
SPECTRUM is a standard created by and for the museum profession to promote good practice in
museum documentation. It covers all those areas of museum activity that produce information, and
is the result of contributions from documentation practitioners in museums throughout the UK. It is
available free, for non-commercial use, at: http://www.collectionstrust.org.uk/spectrum
SPECTRUM defines 21 Procedures, which describe the process of documenting and managing
objects in a museum.
Section 4 of the Accreditation Standard uses SPECTRUM as the basis for its documentation
requirement. The 'minimum records' referred to can be achieved by following the 8 SPECTRUM
Primary Procedures:
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Object entry
Loans in
Acquisition
Location and movement control
Cataloguing
Object exit
Loans out
Retrospective documentation
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License. To view a copy of
this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/
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