Controlled Vocabulary
Controlled vocabulary are lists of terms that control the information entered for a metadata
element, such as subject heading or item type. Using controlled vocabulary can help to:

Control spelling or data entry errors in the metadata

Improve consistency in describing items, so that all related items are described by the
same terms and are found more easily in the library catalog*
The Greenstone Library allows users to browse collections by specific metadata elements, such
as item type or subject heading. Developing a list of accurate and descriptive terms to describe
your resources will enable quicker and more efficient access to your collection.
Below are lists of suggested terms that can be used in some of the Greenstone metadata
elements, including:

Subject Heading: Terms that define what the content of the resource is about

Item Type: Terms that define the genre or type of resource

Audience Type: Terms that define who the resource is intended for
These lists have been written specifically to describe church or religious ministry collections, and
were derived from other controlled vocabulary lists including the Library of Congress Subject
Headings, the Wheaton College Buswell Library browsing headings, and controlled vocabularies
already used in MAF and other ministries’ digital libraries.
Each term is listed with a brief definition of the type of resource it can describe. Because
Greenstone allows elements to be used multiple times, you may enter more than one term under
each category to more fully identify your items. Please note that the “Subject Heading” list
includes both primary subject headings and subheadings. While any of these terms may be used
as a subject individually, it is suggested that if you use a subheading, you also include the
primary heading as a separate subject element.
The controlled vocabulary in these lists are only suggested terms. If your project or organization
has resources that fall under different categories, or does not need to use all of the terms included
in these lists, you should modify the lists below or create your own lists of terms. The important
thing is that you are consistent in the information you use to describe your resources, so that your
library users are able to find the resources they need.
NOTE: If you are using the MAF Greenstone Library in another language and translate the lists
below, we would appreciate feedback on these terms, such as the ease of translation and
accuracy of the terms in a cross-cultural context. Also, if possible, you may submit your
translated lists to be included in this documentation. For more information, please contact us at
maflt@maf.org.
* For more information on the definition of controlled vocabulary, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_vocabulary.
Subject Heading
Biblical Studies
Christian Ministry
Old Testament
Evangelism
New Testament
Discipleship
Theology
Church Planting
Christian Doctrine
Worship
Church History & Development
Vocational Ministry
Pastoral Ministry
Medical Ministry
Preaching
Disaster & Relief
Counseling
Cross-Cultural Topics
Church Administration
Cross-Cultural Studies
Management & Leadership
Cross-Cultural Comm.
Stewardship
Christian Living
Education
Spiritual Growth
Language Learning
Prayer & Worship
Literacy
Persecution
Orality
Devotions
Marriage
Family & Parenting
Literature and Fiction
Poetry
Drama
Biography
Music
Art
Technology
Computer Software
History
Geography
Men's Interests
Women's Interests
Librarian's Top Choice
Definitions:
Biblical Studies
Resources for studying and understanding the Bible. Topics include Scripture interpretation,
Bible history, Bible archaeology, and Bible study reference tools such as commentaries,
dictionaries, etc.
Subheadings: Old Testament; New Testament
Old Testament
Resources about an Old Testament portion of the Bible, including expositional works or
teachings from a passage.
New Testament
Resources about a New Testament portion of the Bible, including expositional works or
teachings from a passage.
Theology
Resources about understanding, studying and explaining Christian beliefs and doctrines.
Subheading: Christian Doctrine
Christian Doctrine
Theology resources specifically related to doctrines of the Christian faith.
Church History & Development
The history and current development of the Christian church and individual Christian
denominations.
Pastoral Ministry
Resources relating to the roles and duties of the pastor or church leader in caring for and leading
the church congregation and organization.
Subheading: Preaching
Preaching
Resources for preparing, developing, and communicating sermons effectively.
Counseling
Resources to use in guiding, advising and encouraging people according to Biblical principles,
especially for the pastor or church leader to use in their ministry.
Church Administration
Resources for leading the church organization, managing church resources, and guiding and
evaluating church ministry.
Management & Leadership
Resources related to management and leadership, such as definitions of leadership, development
of leadership skills, project management, and management of people, organizations and
resources.
Stewardship
Resources about Biblical financial principles, tithing, and financial accountability, both for the
church organization and for individual Christians.
Education
Resources related to educational principles, practices and ideas for the school, church and home.
Language Learning
Resources for teaching and learning to speak, read, and write languages other than one’s native
language or languages.
Literacy
Resources for understanding the definitions and issues of literacy and for teaching reading and
writing literacy skills.
Orality
Resources for understanding the characteristics of orality and oral cultures and for teaching
based on methods suitable for the oral learner.
Christian Ministry
Resources about the work of the church and individual Christians in sharing the gospel through
evangelism, discipleship, teaching, outreach and service, both at home and around the world.
Subheadings: Evangelism, Discipleship, Church Planting, Worship, Vocational Ministry,
Medical Ministry, Disaster & Relief
Evangelism
Resources for sharing the love of Christ and the message of the Christian faith.
Discipleship
Resources for teaching and encouraging others in the Christian faith
Church Planting
Resources on methods of and support for establishing and growing a new church or body of
believers.
Worship
Resources for leading and guiding a church worship ministry.
Vocational Ministry
Resources for ministries directed at reaching people with the message of Christ through a
vocational service.
Medical Ministry
Resources for ministries directed at reaching people with the message of Christ through a
medical service.
Disaster & Relief
Resources for responding to local or international disasters and emergencies, and bringing
aid and relief with the message of Christ’s love.
Cross-Cultural Topics
Resources about the issues involved in living, working, and interacting in cross-cultural settings
and circumstances.
Subheadings: Cross-Cultural Studies, Cross-Cultural Communication
Cross-Cultural Studies
Resources about the cultures and religions of people groups and nations throughout the
world.
Cross-Cultural Communication
Resources about communication between people of different cultures and backgrounds.
Christian Living
Resources about daily living and growing in the Christian faith.
Subheadings: Spiritual Growth, Prayer & Worship, Persecution, Devotions, Marriage, Family &
Parenting
Spiritual Growth
Resources for growing and advancing in faith and knowledge of Christ.
Prayer & Worship
Resources for understanding and being faithful in prayer and worship.
Persecution
Resources on the persecuted church and about persecution in the life of believers.
Devotions
Devotional resources for edifying and encouraging people in the Christian faith.
Marriage
Resources providing information, guidance and Biblical teachings on issues related to
developing and sustaining a strong marriage.
Family & Parenting
Resources providing information, guidance and Biblical teachings on issues related to
family and parenting.
Literature & Fiction
Literature and fiction materials, especially classic and contemporary Christian literature.
Poetry
A resource about or containing poetry.
Drama
A resource, possibly a script, related to drama.
Biography
A resource about the life of an individual.
Music
Resources relating to music, including sheet music, lyrics, video or audio recordings, and
materials on the subject of music.
Art
Resources relating to art, including graphic or visual materials and materials on the subject of art.
Technology
Resources relating to technology, including information about using programs, applications or
devices and the issues involved in the use and implementation of technology.
Computer Software
Programs and applications for use on computers or other digital devices.
History
Resources relating to the history of a people group, region, or country.
Geography
Resources relating to the geography of a people group, region, or country.
Men’s Interest
Resources that may be of interest to men.
Women’s Interest
Resources that may be of interest to women.
Librarian’s Top Choice
Resources that the librarian wants to highlight as important or of special interest.
Item Type
Book
Short Text
Reference
Recipe
Craft
Report
Government Document
Statistics
Sermon
Tract
Article
Newsletter
Syllabus
Seminar
Lesson
Handout
Dissertation
Photograph
Illustration
Artwork
Flyer
Graph
Diagram
Map
Audio-Music
Audio-Spoken word
Score
Lyrics
Video
Website
Slideshow
Software
Definitions:
Book
Use for all longer materials not specifically defined in another item type.
Short text
Use for all brief materials not specifically defined in another item type.
Reference
Resource that provides useful facts or information, usually used for reference purposes, such as a
dictionary, encyclopedia, etc.
Recipe
Instructions for creating or preparing something, usually some type of food.
Craft
Instructions for creating a craft or art project, possibly in relation to a Sunday School lesson or
other type of resource, or in relation to a handicraft or skill such as sewing, knitting,
woodworking, etc.
Report
The report of an individual or group about the findings of some type of process, such as a study,
survey, or research; can also be a report about the proceedings of a seminar, conference or other
type of meeting.
Government document
Text published by a local, regional, or national government office. If the document primarily
contains statistics, use the “Statistics” item type.
Statistics
Document providing numerical data for a subject, such as population statistics or church growth
statistics.
Sermon
Text of a written sermon or transcript of a spoken sermon.
Tract
Short text of Scriptures and a gospel message, specifically intended to communicate information
about Christianity and the Bible.
Article
Document originally published in a journal, newspaper, or magazine.
Newsletter
Document created by a person or organization to regularly convey latest information or updates.
Syllabus
Summary of a course of study.
Seminar
Summary of the proceedings of a seminar, including related publications.
Lesson
Text of a course of instruction given in an school or other educational setting
Handout
Supplementary resource for a course of instruction, intended to be given to students or other
participants.
Dissertation
An extended treatment of a subject, usually submitted in completion of a doctorate or other
advanced level of study.
Photograph
A photographic image of a person, object, place or other subject. If the item is a photograph of a
work of art, use the “Artwork” item type.
Illustration
A visual representation such as a drawing or painting that is not considered a photograph. The
item may be related to another resource as a visual representation of a subject, such as a picture
accompanying the text of a Bible story.
Artwork
A representation, either a photograph or copy, of a two or three-dimensional work of art.
Examples are paintings, drawings, sculptures, etc.
Flyer
A document meant to advertise or inform, usually containing images and brief information.
Graph
A diagram representing a set of information, such as a bar graph, line graph, pie chart, etc.
Diagram
A drawing or other type of graphic, possibly used with another resource, that illustrates a subject
and shows the arrangement of or relationship between objects.
Map
Any map that represents an area of land, building, or other type of space.
Audio-Music
An audio recording that contains primarily music, including both vocal and instrumental parts.
Audio-Spoken word
An audio recording of someone’s spoken voice, for example the recording of a sermon or story.
Music score
The written version of a musical composition, such as found in a hymnal. May include both
lyrics and musical notation, such as notes or chords.
Music lyrics
Text containing the words to a piece of music.
Video
A file containing a video recording.
Website
Links to or the static images of an internet website.
Slideshow
An electronic document, created in a program such as Powerpoint, containing slides of
information that are usually used for a presentation.
Software
Any computer program or application that users may download and install on their computer.
Audience Type
General
Adult
Youth
Children
Student
Instructor
Pastor
Parent
Definitions:
General
A material that may be of interest to any person.
Adult
A material primarily intended for an adult audience.
Youth
A material primarily intended for an audience between the ages of about 12-18.
Children
A material primarily intended for an audience under the age of 12.
Student
A material that is primarily intended for a student’s use in an educational setting or in a
particular course of study.
Instructor
A material intended for use by an instructor in an educational setting or in a particular course of
study.
Pastor
A material primarily intended for use by a pastor or other religious leader.
Parent
A material primarily of interest for a parent or caregiver.
Resources
For more information on the controlled vocabularies we used to create these lists, please see:
Library of Congress subject heading authorities
http://authorities.loc.gov/
Wheaton College Buswell Library catalog
http://library.wheaton.edu/
MAF-LT Greenstone digital library
http://library.maf.org/cgi-bin/library.cgi
The metadata elements in the Greenstone Digital Library are based on the Dublin Core Metadata
Standard. For more information about this standard and the definitions of the individual elements
used in Greenstone, see:
Dublin Core metadata terms and definitions
http://dublincore.org/documents/dcmi-terms/
Using the Dublin Core elements
http://dublincore.org/documents/usageguide/elements.shtml
Also, the Harvest Information System has developed a list of controlled vocabulary registries for
ministry resources that may be useful to consult if you choose to develop your own controlled
vocabulary lists. See more information at: https://extranet.imb.org/sites/HIS/default.aspx.