CIDOC Guidelines for Museum Object Information: Institution Information Group

This page is part of the International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information Categories: a description of the Information Categories that can be used when developing records about the objects in museum collections. For an outline of the Information Groups and Categories in the Guidelines, turn to the introductory list.

Institution Information Group

Purpose:

This information primarily supports Accountability, and Access. It is essential when exchanging object information with other institutions as it provides a location for the documentation of an object, and in many cases for the object itself.

Information categories:

Institution name
Institution sub body
Institution address
Institution country

Examples:

Institution name: Smithsonian Institution
Institution sub body: National Museum of American History
Institution sub-body: Department of Social and Cultural History
Institution sub-body: Division of Domestic Life
Institution address: 12th Street at Constitution Avenue, Washington DC 20560
Institution country: United States of America

Notes:

• This Information Group is not normally repeatable within a record since only one institution at a time can normally be the legal custodian of an object.
• The Institution information recorded for an object should be for the body which is formally responsible for the object.
• The information recorded in this group should be specific enough to identify uniquely the holding unit of the object and its documentation.
• Always record the Institution name on a card or record, even if the record is for internal use only. Paper records can be pre-printed with the Institution name and Department name.

Institution name

Alternate names:

Organization name
Body name
Custodian name

Definition:

The identifying name of the institution legally responsible for the object and its documentation.

Examples:

Smithsonian Institution

Notes:

• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.

Move to beginning of Institution

Institution sub body

Alternate names:

Organization sub body name
Department name
Sub body name
Custodian sub body name

Definition:

The identifying name of the sub body of an institution legally responsible for the object and its documentation.

Examples:

National Museum of American History

Notes:

• The names of departments and divisions in an institution should be those that are agreed on throughout the institution.
• Repeat the Institution sub-body as often as required to describe the part of the institution responsible for an object as precisely as necessary.
• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.

Move to beginning of Institution

Institution address

Alternate names:

Organization address

Definition:

The address of the institution legally responsible for an object and its documentation.

Examples:

South Kensington, London SW7 2RL, United Kingdom

Move to beginning of Institution

Institution country

Definition:

The country of the institution legally responsible responsible for an object and its documentation.

Examples:

Brazil Norway
Norway

Notes:

• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.

Move to beginning of Institution

Move to outline of the Information Groups and Categories or the next section of the Guidelines, Location

file: guideins.htm; author: CIDOC; updated June 1995