CIDOC Guidelines for Museum Object Information: Object Name
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.
Purpose:
This information primarily supports
Accountability, Access, and an Historic archive. At a collection level
the Object name is of primary importance in establishing the range of
object or specimen type available.
Information
categories:
Object name
Object name type
Object name authority
Examples:
Object name: altarpiece
Object
name authority: Lyons, E
Object name: Rattus rattus
Object name type: taxonomic
Object
name authority: Jones, RJ
Object name: skull
Object name type: common name
Notes:
- It may be desirable to record more than one Object name term in
order to access a collection from different viewpoints, e.g., "mug" and
"souvenir" can each be used to describe the same object, as can "rattus
rattus" and "skull." The Object name information recorded depends on
the nature of the collection, on the depth of cataloging that is
required, and on the use that is made of the collection.
- It may be necessary to record an Object name at varying levels of
specificity according to the nature of the collection. For example, in a
furniture museum it may be necessary to record specific types of chair,
such as "Windsor chair," while in a more general collection the Object
name "chair" would be sufficient for useful identification.
- Natural science classification systems in particular may need to
repeat this Information Group several times in order to identify a
specimen, for example, to record the genus and species to which it
belongs; they may also require other Information Categories for
additional classificatory details.
Alternate
names:
Specimen name
Common name
Local name
Classification
Object category
Object group
Object type
Simple name
Definition:
A term used
to identify the form or function or type of object or specimen.
Examples:
Object name: grandfather clock
Object
name: Larus ridibundus
Notes:
- It is important to use the same Object name for all similar objects
in a collection.
- When assigning an Object name to natural science specimens the term
may be repeated to record both the varying levels of classification
required (genus, species, etc.) as well as a common or simple name
describing the specimen (skull, bone, etc.).
- 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.
- At least one Object name should normally be recorded.
- This Information Category is repeatable. It is possible to record
multiple Object names for an object, for example "mug" and "souvenir,"
to indicate different characteristics of the same object.
- Assign Object names according to the level of specificity
appropriate to the collection, e.g., for a collection containing three
clocks among other types of objects, the term "clock" is a useful Object
name. However, for a specialist collection of clocks, more specific
Object names are required to distinguish between different types of
clocks.
- Very general Object names can be assigned in order to group types
of objects together, although if a structured thesaurus is being used
then this will be done automatically, e.g., the term "furniture" would
automatically include the term "chair" as a narrower term. If a
thesaurus was not being used, both terms could be recorded separately.
Move to beginning of Object name
Definition:
The nature of the Object name recorded.
Examples:
taxonomic
common name
classification
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 Object name
Alternate
names:
Object name information source
Definition:
The name of the person responsible for identifying the Object name.
Examples:
Smith, W.J.
Notes:
- It is recommended that a controlled list of authorized names is 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 Object name
Move to outline of the Information Groups
and Categories or the next section of the Guidelines, Object
number
file: guidenam.htm; author: CIDOC; updated June 1995