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European Standards Survey

Information Management Standards - United Kingdom

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:
mda carried out a terminological survey in 1996. However only about 10% of those asked answered the survey. We therefore cannot use it to give usage figures. We do indicate however where the standards are used, and will try and acquire more information via the Museums Computer Group.

Term List Details
Name:
Dictionarium Museologicum
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This term list does not appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey.

Term List Details
Name:
Reyniès' Le Mobilier Domestique
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This term list does not appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey.

Term List Details
Name:
ISO 5127-3: Iconic Documents
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This term list does not appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey.

Term List Details
Name:
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
This term list does not appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey.

Term List Details
Name:
Hertfordshire Simple Name List
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[?]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
This term list does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, and is available through mda. However there a no figures for usage.

Term List Details
Name:
[In-house Developed Lists]
Type:
De facto
Number of Terms:
[n/a]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
In the 1996 mda terminology survey a great many respondants said that they used in-house developed lists for all sorts of collection. There are no overall figures.

Details of in-house terminology work can be found below and by seeing the mda Web site for work at:

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 carried out a terminological survey in 1996. However only about 10% of those asked answered the survey. We therefore cannot use it to give usage figures. We do indicate however where the standards are used, and will try and acquire more information via the Museums Computer Group.

Classification Details
Name:
Glass Subject Index for the Visual Arts
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
3,300
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This classification system does not appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey.

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:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This classification system does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, however there are no overal figures for usage. This is available ot the mda Web site.

Classification Details
Name:
Iconclass
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
24,000
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This classification system does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, however there are no overal figures for usage.

Classification Details
Name:
Revised Nomenclature
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[to be confirmed]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This classification system does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, however there are no overal figures for usage.

Classification Details
Name:
Social History and Industrial Classification, [SHIC]
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
100,000
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
SHIC is used exstensively in UK museums, however we have no definite figures.

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 carried out a terminological survey in 1996. However only about 10% of those asked answered the survey. We therefore cannot use it to give usage figures. We do indicate however where the standards are used, and will try and acquire more information via the Museums Computer Group

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Art & Architecture Thesaurus [AAT], Getty Vocabulary Program
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
120,000
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This thesaurus does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, however there are no overal figures for usage.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
British Museum Object Name Thesaurus
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
5,000
Number of Museums:
1 (?) (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
6,500,0000 (?) (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
This is an internal British Museum (BM) thesaurus that has been recently published on the mda Web site. Its usage outside the BM is unknown. Figures given are for collections at the BM.

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:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This thesaurus was published in 1997, both on-line and as a book by mda, usage is unknown.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Thesaurus of Geographic Names [TGN], Getty Vocabulary Program
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
900,000
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This thesaurus does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, however there are no overal figures for usage.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Union List of Artists Names [ULAN], Getty Vocabulary Program
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
120,000
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections:
This thesaurus does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey, however there are no overal figures for usage.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
British Museum Materials Thesaurus
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
c1,000
Number of Museums:
1 (?) (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
6,500,0000 (?) (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
This is an internal British Museum (BM) thesaurus that was published on paper and on the mda Web site in 1997. Its usage outside the BM is unknown. Figures given are for collections at the BM.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
British Archaelogical Thesaurus
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[?]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Published by the Council for British Archaeology, this thesaurus does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey. However there are no overal figures for usage.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Thesaurus of Archaeological Terms
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[?]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Published by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (now part of English Heritage), this thesaurus does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey. However there are no overal figures for usage.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
Thesaurus of Archaeological Site Types
Type:
De jure
Number of Terms:
[?]
Number of Museums:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
[?] (figures are: Actual)
Usage by Significant Collections
Published by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (now part of English Heritage), this thesaurus does appear in the 1996 mda terminology survey. However there are no overal figures for usage.

Thesaurus Details
Name:
[Unpublished Horniman Museum (London) Ethnographic Object Names Thesaurus]
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
4,500
Number of Museums:
1 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
60,0000 (figures are: Estimated)
Usage by Significant Collections
Is in use in the Horniman Museum only (?).

Thesaurus Details
Name:
[Unpublished Horniman Museum (London) Ethno-linguistic Groups Thesaurus]
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
4,500
Number of Museums:
1 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
60,0000 (figures are: Estimated)
Usage by Significant Collections
Is in use in the Horniman Museum only (?).

Thesaurus Details
Name:
[Unpublished British Museum Thesauri]
Type:
Evolving
Number of Terms:
[?]
Number of Museums:
1 (figures are: Actual)
Number of Objects Covered:
6,500,0000 (figures are: Estimated)
Usage by Significant Collections
In addition to those published and mentioned above the British Museum has created several in-house thesauri for data entry and retrieval on its MAGUS system. They are being used by staff in the Collections Data Management Section (CDMS), and in the curatorial departments, and are frequently updated. Some of the the thesauri are Museum-wide, while others are restricted to individual departments.

The following is a list of the main thesauri compiled by CDMS, some of which still require a great deal of editing and discussion:
  • Materials (of manufacture)
  • Techniques (of manufacture)
  • Associated names
  • Material culture/Period
  • Form/Design
  • Subject
In addition, Producer Names from the Prints & Drawings Department have been entered into a thesaurus. The Ethnography Library is also compiling two thesauri - Ethnic names and Subject to support the computerized cataloguing of a photographic collection.

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:
  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.

3.1.2.1 Data Content Standards click here to edit data

i. Overall Comments:
The question has not been asked of UK museums as a whole. We will investigate use of these standards by asking contributions from members of the Museums Computer Group.

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

i. Overall Comments:
The question has not been asked of UK museums as a whole. We will investigate use of metadata standards for resource discovery and interoperability for by asking contributions from members of the Museums Computer Group.

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) [?] [?] 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:
These questions have not been asked of UK museums. Information surveys have tended to concentrate on objects rather than related materials such as library and archive holdings. There is little information relating to the extent of the types of material listed (although it must be assumed that most museums have some collections of this nature to a greater or lessr extent). It is unlikely that any of the above standards are in use beyond the national museums and larger regional museums (if at all).

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:
It is known that both MARC and AACR2 are used within UK museums but no survey results are available to answer the questions as stated. Elements of AACR2 are incorporated within SPECTRUM and can therefore be said to have a wide application.

Other Comments:
None

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 [?] [?] Unknown
Estimated/Unknown:
Where museums employ professional archivists the standards of the ICA are widely used. There is a clear gap in understanding between the archive and museums community that mda will be attempting to address in its next revision of SPECTRUM. Work is in hand to map the SPECTRUM units of information to ISAD(G), and an archives working group has been established to examine the needs of archives and the relationship between the various standards involved.
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:
See the comments for Section 3.1.4i

Other Comments:
None

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 [?] [?] Unknown
SGML ISO 8879 [?] [?] Unknown
VRML ISO/IEC 14772-1 [?] [?] Unknown
XML W3C REC 19980210 [?] [?] Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:
As stated previously, over 400 UK museums are known to be on-line (approximately 450 are currently listed on the 24 Hour Museum). The number of HTML pages are increasing all the time so that even if survey work had been carried out in the past to estimate the number of pages this information would be so out of date as to be virtually useless. The situation is further complicated by the fact that many of the museums with the largest on-line presence (mainly the National Museums) are increasingly serving their information from web database using a more limited number of templates.

The use of SGML and XML documents within museums is unknown, but is probably limited to National and academic museums. However, increasingly collections management systems are being enabled to deliver fully marked-up XML records (including MODES for Windows, which is in wide use within small to medium-sized museums) so its use can be expected to grow. The arrival of XML is likely to curtail the future use of SGML except for more specialised applications. No information is currently available for VRML in UK 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 [?] [?] Unknown
GIF [?] [?] Unknown
JBIG [?] [?] Unknown
JFIF [?] [?] Unknown
JPEG [?] [?] Unknown
MPEG [?] [?] Unknown
PICT [?] [?] Unknown
SPIFF [?] [?] Unknown
TIFF [?] [?] Unknown

Estimated/Unknown:
No information is available for these questions, although experience suggests that the following formats are widely used: GIF, JPEG, TIFF, MPEG and BMP.

Other Comments:
None at the moment.

3.2.3 Searching Distributed Databases click here to edit data
Standard No of Museums No of Museums Figures are:
Z39.50 ISO 23950 [?] [?] Unknown
HTTP/CGI ISO 0 0 Actual

Estimated/Unknown:
Although a number of museums are using software capable of being Z39.50 enabled, it is not thought that any are currently doing so. The Arts and Humanities Data Service is making available information derived from museums databases via its constituant parts (such as the Archaeology Data Service). Also the MGC has enabled the FENSCORE database to be Z39.50 enabled.

Other Comments:
None

3.2.4 Protection of Intellectual Property click here to edit data
i. Overall Comments:
The question has not been asked of UK museums as a whole. We will investigate use of these standards by asking contributions from members of the Museums Computer Group.

Submission Details
i. Submitted by: Dr Matthew Stiff
ii. Job title: Head of Standards
iii. Organisation: mda
iv. E-mail: matthew@mda.org.uk
v. Date Submitted: 14/04/2000

Funded by the European Commission - DGX - Raphaël Programme