EMII European Standards Survey - Information Management Standards

European Standards Survey

Information Management Standards - Norway

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
'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:

We do not know of any other term lists that may be in use in Norwegian museums other than the ones that have been developed and recommended by the Norwegian Museum Authority. The ones that have been suggested or listed below by the EMII-project may be used by some museums but this is however not known to us.

Term List Details
Name:
Dictionarium Museologicum
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0
Usage by Significant Collections:
As mentioned above, we have no data to state with certainty whether or not some, several or no museums use this term list. This is a dictionary found in the Norwegian Museum Authority's own library, so there is reason to believe that at least some museums employ it. (figures are: Estimated )

Term List Details
Name:
Reyniès' Le Mobilier Domestique
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
We have no data to state with certainty whether or not some, several or no museums use this term list.

Term List Details
Name:
ISO 5127-3: Iconic Documents
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
(ObjNoEg3'} (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Usage unknown.

Term List Details
Name:
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Usage unknown.

Term List Details
Name:
Museums' Handbook ("Museumshaandboka") from 1980.
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
110
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Number of terms is an estimate of the main groupings, not subgroupings. Number of objects covered is unknown.

Term List Details
Name:
Nomenclature Boxes and Chests (Esker, Tiner og Skrin)
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
131
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Number of museums and objects covered is unknown.

Term List Details
Name:
Nomenclature Dairy Equipment ("Melkestell")
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
1109
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Number of terms is an estimate. Number of museums and objects covered is unknown.

Term List Details
Name:
Nomenclature Cutlery (Bestikk)
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
275
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Number of terms is an estimate. Number of museums and objects covered is unknown.

Term List Details
Name:
Nomenclature Drinking vessels ("Drikkestell")
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
580
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
Number of terms is an estimate. Number of museums and objects covered is unknown.

3.1.1.2 Classification Systems
'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:

There are only two main systems of classification in use in Norway: a Norwegian translation of Outline of Cultural Materials and Iconclass.

Classification Details
Name:
Glass Subject Index for the Visual Arts
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
3,300
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Usage unknown.

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: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Usage unknown.

Classification Details
Name:
Iconclass
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
24,000
Number of Museums:
12 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
70000 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Nasjonalgalleriet, Museum of Contemporary Art ("Museet for samtidskunst"), Oslo kommunale kunstsamlinger (Oslo municipal collection of art), Srlandet Kunstmuseum, Munchmuseum, Astrup Fearnley Museum.

Classification Details
Name:
Revised Nomenclature
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Usage unknown.

Classification Details
Name:
Social History and Industrial Classification, [SHIC]
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
100,000
Number of Museums:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
Usage unknown.

Classification Details
Name:
Outline of Cultural Materials, a Norwegian version thereof.
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
654
Number of Museums:
275 (figures are: Estimated )
Number of Objects Covered:
0 (figures are: Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections
The number of terms recorded here are the number of terms found at the third level, i.e. the main categories. Number of objects covered is unknown.

3.1.1.3 Thesauri
'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:

No thesauri are known to us to be in use by Norwegian museums. Therefore, in this section our answers are incomplete.

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:
Usage unknown.

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
Usage unknown.

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:
Usage unknown.

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:
Usage unknown.

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:
Usage unknown.

3.2 Technological Standards and Protocols

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: Included in the document itself Held in a separate document 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.

3.1.2.1 Data Content Standards

i. Overall Comments:

Only one in use in Norway called the Field Catalog or "Feltkatalogen". The Norwegian Museum Authority recommends that museums, in case they develop their own database program, at least use the national standard for registration, i.e. the Field Catalog, and the national standard classification system, i.e. Outline.

Standard Details
Name:
Field Catalog ("Feltkatalogen")
Type:
De facto
Number of Museums:
500 (figures are Estimated )
Number of Resources Covered:
0 (figures are Estimated )
Usage by Significant Collections:
No particularly significant collections since it is used by most of the museums including the ones not employing one of the recommended database programs, WinRegimus or Primus.

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: Included in the document itself Held in a separate document 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.

3.1.2.2 Metadata Standards for Resource Discovery and Interoperability

i. Overall Comments:

To our knowledge, there are no metadata standards in use in our country.

3.1.3 Bibliographic Description Standards
'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)	[?]	[?]	Unknown
ISBD(CM)	Cartographic Material	[?]	[?]	Unknown
ISBD(EP)	Electronic Publications	[?]	[?]	Unknown
ISBD(M)	Monographic Publications	[?]	[?]	Unknown
ISBD(NBM)	Non Book Materials	[?]	[?]	Unknown
ISBD(PM)	Printed Music	[?]	[?]	Unknown
ISBD(S)	Serials	[?]	[?]	Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:

We have no survey data to provide this type of information.

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	[?]	[?]	Unknown
AACR2	Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules	[?]	[?]	Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:

Several museums use a database program for libraries called Micromarc.

Other Comments:

[none]

3.1.4 Archive Description Standards
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	[?]	[?]	Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:

Usage unknown.

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	[?]	[?]	Actual

Estimated/Unknown:

Usage unknown.

Other Comments:

[none]

3.2 Technological Standards and Protocols

3.2.1 Data Presentation and Encoding Standards

Standard		No of Museums	No of Documents	Figures are:
HTML	ISO/IEC 15445	665	[?]	Estimated
SGML	ISO 8879	[?]	[?]	Unknown
VRML	ISO/IEC 14772-1	[?]	[?]	Unknown
XML	W3C REC 19980210	[?]	[?]	Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:

An estimated 95% of the museums use the HTML-standard.

Other Comments:

[none]

3.2.2 Image Format Standards
Image format standards define ways of capturing, storing and compressing digital images.

Standard	No of Museums	No of Images	Figures are:
BMP	[?]	[?]	Unknown
GIF	[?]	[?]	Unknown
JBIG	[?]	[?]	Unknown
JFIF	[?]	[?]	Unknown
JPEG	[?]	[?]	Unknown
MPEG	[?]	[?]	Unknown
PICT	[?]	[?]	Unknown
SPIFF	[?]	[?]	Unknown
TIFF	[?]	[?]	Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:

We have no actual numbers, but several museums use the JPEG, TIFF and GIF formats which are the most widely used standard formats in Norwegian museums.

Other Comments:

[none]

3.2.3 Searching Distributed Databases

Standard		No of Museums	No of Museums	Figures are:
Z39.50	ISO 23950	[?]	[?]	Unknown
HTTP/CGI	ISO	[?]	[?]	Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:

Usage unknown

Other Comments:

[none]

3.2.4 Protection of Intellectual Property

i. Overall Comments:

In Norway we do not currently have any official standard concerning how to protect intellectual property [in electronic format], even though this has been dicussed at different levels and the question pops up from time to time.

Submission Details

i. Submitted by:	Elin Harriet Wyller
ii. Job title:	Head of Documentation section
iii. Organisation:	Norwegian Museum Authority
iv. E-mail:	elinhw@museumsnett.no
v. Date Submitted:	01/04/2000

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