Providing Subject Access to Architectural Records

• Indexing can be done at collection, project, or item-level (item-level only necessary for digitization projects)

Access Points

• Personal and corporate names
• Topical subject headings
• Geographic headings
• Form and genre terms

Tools

• Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus
• Getty Union List of Artist Names
• Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
• Library of Congress Name Authority File
• Library of Congress Subject Headings
• Library of Congress Thesaurus of Graphic Materials I and TGM II

Considerations

• Use a few broad headings or a number of very specific terms?
• Apply all relevant terms, or a selective number based on amount and significance of material?
• At what level is the material be described?
• How do your institution's users locate material, and what are they most interested in?
• Once these decisions are made, apply subject headings consistently

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Originally presented at a workshop sponsored by:
Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
and the National Park Service

Site Hosted By:
Environmental Design Archives
University of California, Berkeley