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European Standards Survey

Information Management Standards - Italy

3. Information Management Standards
Contents
3.1 Content and Resource Description Standards -
Terminology and Vocabulary Standards:
Term Lists, Classification Systems, Thesauri

Content and Structure Description Standards
Data Content
Metadata
Biblographic Description
Archive Description
3.2 Technological Standards & Protocols
Data Presentation and Encoding
Image Format
Searching Distributed Databases
Protection of Intellectual Property

3.1 Content and Resource Description Standards
3.1.1 Terminology and Vocabulary Standards
This section is concerned with standards providing lists of terms, either in alphabetical listings (e.g. term lists), or structures (e.g. classification systems or thesauri) which can be used to describe and provide access to cultural heritage
3.1.1.1 Term Lists click here to edit data
'Controlled indexing vocabularies, usually organised alphabetically with no relationships expressed between terms.'

'Guide to Cataloguing Using the Collections Information System', Victoria & Albert Museum, 1998

i. Overall Comments:
The precise number of catalogued objects of italian museums is not available at the moment, as our data-bases are sorted according to the type of objects themselves. We are checking the number of the objects kept in National or local museums and catalogued at the present time. These datas regard the total number of the objects catalogued in Italy by the regional offices of the Ministero Beni e Attivit Culturali. These objects divided into archeological, artistic, and architectonic, are preserved in museums, historical buildings or churches, and are all protected by Italian State and laws.

Term List Details
Name:
Dictionarium Museologicum
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Term List Details
Name:
Reyniès' Le Mobilier Domestique
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Term List Details
Name:
ISO 5127-3: Iconic Documents
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Term List Details
Name:
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Not in use.

Term List Details
Name:
Vocabolario di controllo del campo oggetto
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
3,000
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
2,000,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Galleria Sabauda di Torino, Pinacoteca di Brera di Milano, Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Galleria Borghese di Roma, Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Barberini di Roma, Galleria Spada di Roma, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte di Napoli, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Cagliari.

Term List Details
Name:
Vocabolario di controllo del campo oggetto
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
700
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
2,000,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Galleria Sabauda di Torino, Pinacoteca di Brera di Milano, Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Galleria Borghese di Roma, Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Barberini di Roma, Galleria Spada di Roma, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte di Napoli, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Cagliari.

Term List Details
Name:
Archivio controllato Autore/Bibliografia
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
10,609
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
2,000,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Galleria Sabauda di Torino, Pinacoteca di Brera di Milano, Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, Galleria Borghese di Roma, Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Barberini di Roma, Galleria Spada di Roma, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte di Napoli, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Cagliari.

Term List Details
Name:
Vocabolario di controllo del campo oggetto
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
330
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
1,800,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Museo Nazionale romano Palazzo Massimo di Roma, Museo Nazionale romano di Palazzo Altemps di Roma, Museo Archelogico nazionale di Napoli, Museo Archeologico nazionale di Firenze, Museo nazionale di Taranto, Museo Archeologico nazionale di Reggio Calabria.

Term List Details
Name:
Vocabolario scheda RA lista settoriale scultura in marmo
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
300
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
1,800,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Museo Nazionale romano Palazzo Massimo di Roma, Museo Nazionale romano di Palazzo Altemps di Roma, Museo Archelogico nazionale di Napoli, Museo Archeologico nazionale di Firenze, Museo nazionale di Taranto, Museo Archeologico nazionale di Reggio Calabria.

Term List Details
Name:
Vocabolario scheda RA lista settoriale opera pavimentale mosaico
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
433
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
1,800,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Museo Nazionale romano Palazzo Massimo di Roma, Museo Nazionale romano di Palazzo Altemps di Roma, Museo Archelogico nazionale di Napoli, Museo Archeologico nazionale di Firenze, Museo nazionale di Taranto, Museo Archeologico nazionale di Reggio Calabria.

3.1.1.2 Classification Systems click here to edit data
'The aim of Classification is to make relationships between objects, etc via their context.'

'Social History and Industrial Classification [SHIC]', 2nd Edition, mda, 1993

i. Overall Comments:
We have translated from English to Italian the Iconclass. We have a CD-ROM "Multilingual Thesaurus of Religious Objects", result of an international project, promoted by institutions that deal with cataloguing and enhancement of the cultural heritage. At the moment we dont have the number of the catalogued objects by the use of this thesaurus. Now, we are sending to you some more comprhensive datas, regarding the total number of objects catalogued in Italy by the regional office of the Ministero Beni e Attivit Culturali. These are objects preserved in museums or churches.

Classification Details
Name:
Glass Subject Index for the Visual Arts
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
3,300
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Classification Details
Name:
Vocabulary of Basic Terms for Cataloguing Costume, ICOM Costume Committee
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Classification Details
Name:
Iconclass
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
24,000
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
2,000,000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Pinacoteca di Brera di Milano,Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia,Galleria degli Uffizi di Firenze, Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Barberini di Roma, Galleria Spada di Roma, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte di Napoli.

Classification Details
Name:
Revised Nomenclature
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Classification Details
Name:
Social History and Industrial Classification, [SHIC]
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
100,000
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Classification Details
Name:
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
0
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
[None]

3.1.1.3 Thesauri click here to edit data
'Controlled indexing vocabularies that provide preferred ways of referring to concepts, linking terms whose meanings are related, bringing together synonyms and noting other relationships between terms.'

Art & Architecture Thesaurus, Getty Standards Program

i. Overall Comments:
We have "The Multilingual Thesaurus of Religious Objects" is the result of an international project. At the present time, the number of objects catalogued by this thesaurus is not available. I am sending to you some comprehensive datas regarding the total number of objects catalogued in Italy by the regional offices of Ministero Beni e Attivit Culturali. These objects, according to their type, are preserved in museums, historical buildings or churches.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Art & Architecture Thesaurus [AAT], Getty Vocabulary Program
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
120,000
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
British Museum Object Name Thesaurus
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
5,000
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Not in use.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
mda Archaeological Objects Thesaurus in association with The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and English Heritage
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
2,200
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Thesaurus of Geographic Names [TGN], Getty Vocabulary Program
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
900,000
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Union List of Artists Names [ULAN], Getty Vocabulary Program
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
120,000
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
Not in use.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Thesaurus multilingue del Corredo Ecclesiastico
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
4,000
Number of Museums:
100 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
2,000,00 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
All the regional offices of the Ministero Beni e Attivit Culturali.

3.2 Technological Standards and Protocols

3.1.2.1 Data Content Standards click here to edit data

Not in use.

3.1.2 Content and Structure Description (Metadata) Standards
'Content and structure description standards (also known as metadata standards, where metadata is understood to mean 'information about information') define and describe means of identifying and organising data content. Metadata describing a document can be:
  1. Included in the document itself
  2. Held in a separate document
  3. Transferred accompanying the document (e.g. as part of protocol headers).'
European Commission Memorandum of Understanding: Multi-media access to Europe's Cultural Heritage, final report of Working Group 1: Standards and Protocols for Interoperability of Systems.
[not answered yet]

3.1.2.2 Metadata Standards for Resource Discovery and Interoperability click here to edit data

i. Overall Comments:
Our work on metadata is now in progress.

3.1.3 Bibliographic Description Standards click here to edit data
'The International Standard Bibliographic Description, ISBD, formal standard is the most suitable and widespread reference specification currently available for bibliographic description'.
European Commission Memorandum of Understanding: Multi-media access to Europe's Cultural Heritage, final report of Working Group 1: Standards and Protocols for Interoperability of Systems.
Standard No of Museums No of Resources Figures are:
ISBD(A) Older Monographic Publications (Antiquarian) 0 0 Actual
ISBD(CM) Cartographic Material 0 0 Actual
ISBD(EP) Electronic Publications 0 0 Actual
ISBD(M) Monographic Publications 0 0 Actual
ISBD(NBM) Non Book Materials 0 0 Actual
ISBD(PM) Printed Music 0 0 Actual
ISBD(S) Serials 0 0 Actual
Estimated/Unknown:
RICA (Regole Italiane Catalogazione Autore) Scheda BIB (scheda per citazioni bibliografiche).

Please also indicate if the either or both of the following are in use in your country for bibliographic description:
Standard No of Museums No of Resources Figures are:
MARC Format Machine Readable Cataloguing 0 0 Actual
AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules 0 0 Actual

Estimated/Unknown:
[n/a]

Other Comments:
Not in use (ICCD).

3.1.4 Archive Description Standards click here to edit data
The International Standards of Archival Description, ISAD(G), is a formal standard issued by ICA (International Council of Archives). It provides general rules for archival description.
Standard No of Museums No of Resources Figures are:
ISAD(G) General Rules 0 0 Actual
Estimated/Unknown:
Not in use (ICCD).
The International Standard Archival Authority Record ISAAR(CPF), also issued by ICA provides specific rules for corporate bodies, persons and families.
Standard No of Museums No of Resources Figures are:
ISAAR (CPF) Corporate bodies, Persons and Families 0 0 Actual
Estimated/Unknown:
[n/a]

Other Comments:
Not in use (ICCD).

3.2 Technological Standards and Protocols

3.2.1 Data Presentation and Encoding Standards click here to edit data

Standard No of Museums No of Documents Figures are:
HTML ISO/IEC 15445 0 0 Estimated
SGML ISO 8879 0 0 Actual
VRML ISO/IEC 14772-1 0 0 Actual
XML W3C REC 19980210 0 0 Actual

Estimated/Unknown:
At the moment the data regarding the HTML standards encoding are not available. Yet the HTML is the encoding standard generally used by the Italian national museums.

Other Comments:
[None]

3.2.2 Image Format Standards click here to edit data
Image format standards define ways of capturing, storing and compressing digital images.
Standard No of Museums No of Images Figures are:
BMP 0 0 Estimated
GIF 0 0 Actual
JBIG 0 0 Actual
JFIF 0 0 Actual
JPEG 200 395,000 Estimated
MPEG 0 0 Actual
PICT 0 0 Actual
SPIFF 0 0 Actual
TIFF 0 0 Actual

Estimated/Unknown:
The number of museums is estimated. The number of JPG images is actual. It is the number of images listed in the I.C.C.D. data-bases.

Other Comments:
PCD 3,000 images The number of images regards all the regional offices (74) of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali.

3.2.3 Searching Distributed Databases click here to edit data
Standard No of Museums No of Museums Figures are:
Z39.50 ISO 23950 200 950,093 Estimated
HTTP/CGI ISO 0 0 Actual

Estimated/Unknown:
The number of museums is estimated. The number of resources is actual. It is the number of resources listed in the I.C.C.D. data-bases.

Other Comments:
The number of the resources regards all the regional offices (74) of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attivit Culturali

3.2.4 Protection of Intellectual Property click here to edit data
[not answered yet]

Submission Details
i. Submitted by: Matilde Amaturo
ii. Job title: storico dell'arte
iii. Organisation: Ministero Beni e Attivit Culturali Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione
iv. E-mail: amaturo@iccd.beniculturali.it
v. Date Submitted: 10/05/2000

Funded by the European Commission - DGX - Raphaël Programme