DEFINITION
Information about geographic places important to the work
of art, architecture, or to the creators. This authority includes
administrative entities, such as nations or cities, and physical
features, such as rivers or continents.
SUBCATEGORIES
GENERAL DISCUSSION
The PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY contains information about geographic
places important to the cultural works and creators. Geographic
places in this authority file include administrative entities
and physical features.
Physical features
Physical features include entities that are part of the natural
physical condition of the planet, such as continents, rivers,
and mountains. Surface features as well as underground and
submarine features may be included, as necessary. Former features,
such as submerged islands and lost coastlines, may also be
included, as necessary.
Administrative geographic entities
Most records in this authority will probably represent nations
and the administrative subdivisions and inhabited places belonging
to them. Administrative geographic entities include man-made
or cultural entities that are typically defined by political
and administrative boundaries, such as empires, nations, states,
districts, townships, and cities. In addition to such administrative
entities set up by independent sovereign states, entities
set up by ecclesiastical or tribal governing bodies may also
be included, as necessary. Both current and historical places
(e.g., deserted settlements and former nations)
may be included.
Recording streets within cities is generally not appropriate
to this authority, because it adds an unnecessary level of
complexity; however, the authority could accommodate the names
of streets if this level of detail is considered important
by the cataloging institution. Built works are outside of
the scope of the geographic place authority. They should be
recorded as works or in the SUBJECT AUTHORITY. Repositories,
in the sense of administrative bodies that have control of
art objects (not the building housing the art work), should
be recorded as corporate bodies in the PERSON/CORPORATE BODY
AUTHORITY.
The authority may contain names for archaeological sites
(e.g., trench A66 (Flag Fen, Essex, England)) and street
addresses. This authority may also include "general regions,"
which are recognized, named areas with undefined, controversial,
or ambiguous borders. An example is the Middle East,
which refers to an area in southwestern Asia and northeastern
Africa that has no defined borders and may be variously interpreted
to mean different sets of nations.
Terminology for generic cultural and political groups is
outside the scope of this geographic authority file; it should
generally be recorded in the Concept Authority. However, the
political state of a cultural or political group, and the
territory within its boundaries, are within the scope of the
geographic authority file. For example, the Ottoman Turks
are outside the scope of the authority, although the Ottoman
Empire could be included.
Cataloging rules
This category contains an overview of guidelines for cataloging
geographic place authority information. A full set of cataloging
rules may be found in the online Getty Thesaurus of Geographic
Names: Editorial Guidelines, as well as a more
comprehensive list of subcategories/fields.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Prefer the most authoritative, up-to-date sources available,
which may include the following, arranged according to preference:
Standard general reference sources
- TGN
- atlases, loose maps, gazetteers
- geographic dictionaries, encyclopedias, guidebooks
- government Web sites, including NGA (formerly NIMA) and
USGS
Other official sources
- newsletters from ISO and United Nations
- communication with embassies
- Library of Congress subject headings
Other material on topics of geography or current events
- books, journal articles, and newspaper articles
- archives and other original sources
Other sources
- books on history of art and architecture
- inscriptions on art objects, catalog records of repositories
of art objects
Standard general sources include the following, arranged
in order of preference:
- Getty Vocabulary Program. Getty Thesaurus of Geographic
Names (TGN). Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Trust, Vocabulary
Program, 1988-. www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabularies/ulan/.
- Library of Congress Authorities. [Subject Headings]
Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 2002. http://authorities.loc.gov/
- Grove Dictionary of Art (online edition). Jane
Turner, ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Ltd., 1999-2002.
http://www.groveart.com (3 December 1999).
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). GEOnet
Names Server (GNS) [online database; formerly NIMA].
Washington: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 2004-.
http://gnswww.nga.mil/geonames/GNS/index.jsp. (1 September
2004).
- United States Geological Survey (USGS). Geographic
Names Information System (GNIS) [online database]. Washington:
U.S. Geological Survey, 1998-. http://geonames.usgs.gov
(7 January 2004).
- Times Atlas of the World. 10th comprehensive edition.
New York: Times Books, 1999.
- Oxford Atlas of the World. 4th edition. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1996.
- National Geographic Atlas of the World. Revised
7th ed. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 1999.
- New International Atlas. 25th Anniversary Ed. Reprinted
with revisions 1994. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1994.
- Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary. 3rd
ed. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 1997.
- Columbia Gazetteer of the World. Saul B. Cohen,
ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.
- Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. 2nd
ed. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1979.
RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS
This authority may be used to control terminology in many
subcategories of the work record (including in the LOCATION
category) and in the other authorities. The names for the
place should be available in combination with other core data
in the object record. Names should be accessible by keywords
and Boolean operators. [1]
Hierarchical relationships
If possible, this authority should be compliant with ISO and
NISO standards for thesauri; it should be structured as a
hierarchical, relational database.[2]
A geographic thesaurus such as PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY should
be polyhierarchical, because geographic places
often must have multiple "parents" or broader contexts.
Associative relationships
Places may have "associative relationships," meaning they
are related non-hierarchically to other places, including
relationships described as distinguished from, ally of,
predecessor of, possibly identified as, adjacent to, etc.
For an explanation and discussion of thesauri, hierarchical
relationships, associative relationships, preferred terms,
"descriptors," and other issues regarding terminology, see
Introduction
to Vocabularies.
29.1. Place Authority Record
Type
DEFINITION
A term distinguishing records for physical features from
those for administrative entities, which include cities, nations,
and administrative subdivsions.
EXAMPLES
physical feature
administrative entity
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: It is optional, but highly recommended,
to record a term indicating if the record represents a physical
feature or a corporate body. Use lower case.
Use administrative entity if the record represents
an inhabited place, nation, or any other entity that is defined
by human-made, administrative boundaries. Use physical
feature if the record represents a continent, river, mountain,
and any other natural feature on the planet. It is possible
that one place may be both a physical and administrative entity
(e.g., with an island-state). However, rather than labeling
it "both," for clarity it is recommended to create
two separate records (e.g., for the island and for the administrative
entity with boundaries coextensive with the island).
If necessary, you may further organize the records by including
facets and guide terms. A guide term (also called
a node label) is a level used to organize the hierarchy into
logical segments. For example, you may use guide terms are
used to separate artists from non-artists. A facet is an even
broader division of the hierarchy, generally appearing directly
under the root of the hierarchy.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Control this subcategory with
a list, including the terms physical feature, administrative
entity , facet, and guide term. Other terms may
also be used if necessary.
29.2. Place Name 
DEFINITION
Proper names, appellations, nicknames, or other identifying
phrases by which a place is known.
EXAMPLES
Siena
Sena Julia
Peking
Beijing
Flanders
Northern Sporades Islands
Vóries Sporádhes, Nísoi
Rift Valley
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Required: It is required to record at least
one name - the preferred name, which is the name used most
often in general and scholarly literature to refer to the
place. Record any other proper names, appellations, nicknames,
or other identifying phrases used in published sources to
identify place
Preferred name
For the preferred name, chose the one most often used in scholarly
literature and authoritative reference books in the language
of the catalog record (English in the United States). Consult
the sources listed above to determine which name is used most
often; if the sources disagree, choose the source listed first
in the order of preference above. The purpose of the preferred
name is to identify the place in displays. Therefore, the
preferred name should not necessarily be the long official
name, but is often a shorter version of the name, where possible
(e.g., the preferred name for the nation is Italy,
not Repubblica Italiana, though the latter would be
a variant name).
If the name is not in these sources, construct a preferred
name based on the rules in the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic
Names: Editorial Guidelines: Chapter 3.3: Names or the
Anglo American Cataloguing Rules.
Variant names
Include alternate and variant names that appear in published
sources and represent significant differences in form or spelling,
fullness, diacritics, punctuation, name inversions, various
languages, appellations, and alternate names, including official
names, abbreviations, codes, translations, variant transliterations,
historical names, and other cases as discussed below.
All names referring to the same place should be recorded
in subsequent occurrences of this subcategory. For example,
all the names in the following list refer to the same place:
Lisboa, Lisbon, Lisbonne, Lissabon, Lisabon, Olissibona,
Ulixbone, Luzbona, Lixbuna, Felicitas Julia, and Olisipo.
Form and syntax: Inverted and natural order names
The names of physical features may be in natural order (e.g.,
Mount Etna, used for display) or in inverted order
(e.g., Etna, Mount, used for indexing). Record the
preferred name in both natural and inverted order, if appropriate.
The names of administrative entities are not inverted for
display or indexing, with rare exceptions (e.g., Hague,
The).
For the inverted order form of the name of a physical feature,
record the name in the following order: trunk name,
comma, descriptive phrase. In the example of Lake Michgan,
Michigan is the trunk name, and Lake is a descriptive
phrase (a word for the place type meaning body of water, "lake")
that is considered part of the name. If the name is in an
unfamiliar language and you do not know which word is the
descriptive phrase, either find the inverted name in an authoritative
source or do not invert the name. Note that the preferred
names of inhabited places, administrative units, and nations
are generally listed in natural orde for both display and
indexing, even if one of the words in the name is descriptive
(e.g., for the city in Florida, Lake Wales, do not
invert the name).
For the natural order form of the name of either administrative
entities or physical features, record the name as found in
standard authoritative sources, with no comma.
Fullness of the name
Include significant differences in the fullness of the name,
particularly when they help to distinguish between two places
that could be confused (e.g., with the two nations with similar
names, Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic
of the Congo). Given that the purpose of the preferred
name is to identify the place in displays, the preferred name
should not necessarily be the fullest official name, but may
be a shorter commonly used name found in authoritative sources.
Abbreviations and codes
Include commonly used abbreviations and initials as variant
names. Include ISO codes, US Postal Codes, or other commonly
used standard codes (e.g., UK for the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). In general, avoid
abbreviations in the preferred name, unless the official,
commonly used name contains initials or abbreviations.
Various languages
If the place is known by variant names in different languages,
include them as variant names. For a language that is not
written in the Roman alphabet, the name may have to be transliterated.
There may be multiple methods of transliteration. For the
preferred name in a given language, it is advised to use a
transliteration derived by applying ISO standards.[3]
However, you must often choose between variant transliterations
without knowing which transliteration method was employed.
In such cases, choose as the preferred name the name that
is found in the most authoritative of available possible sources.
Nicknames
Include nicknames (e.g., Big Apple for New York
City), but they should be restricted to those found in
published sources.
Historical names
Include name changes (e.g., when North Tarrytown, New
York changed its name to Sleepy Hollow). For cities,
towns, and other settlements, if the place is still inhabited,
for the preferred name choose the name most commonly used
to refer to the modern place (e.g., the preferred name would
be Bodrum, Turkey, rather than the historical name
for the place Halicarnassus). For deserted settlements,
lost settlements, former nations or states, and other administrative
entities that do not exist in the current world, the preferred
name should be the name currently most often used to refer
to the place in scholarly literature (e.g., Masada,
Israel). For nations and states, if the historical nation
or state had significantly different boundaries from the current
nation or state, make two separate records: one for the historical
and a second for its modern counterpart (e.g., for medieval
Flanders and modern Belgium). Link them through
RELATED PLACES.
Guide term and facet names
If you use guide terms, create a descriptive phrase. Use lower
case, unless the phrase contains a proper name. For facet
names, capitalize the name for the sake of clarity in the
hierarchical display.
Additional rules
More extensive rules for constructing and formatting place
names are found in the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names:
Editorial Guidelines: Chapter 3.3: Names.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This subcategory is free text. The
names may be populated by using published sources, including
TGN and LCSH.
29.2.1. Preference
DEFINITION
An indication of whether the name is the preferred name for
the place; the preferred name is generally the indexing form
of the name that is most commonly found in authoritative sources.
EXAMPLES
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record an indication of which name
is preferred for this place. The preferred name is the indexing
form of the name that is most commonly found in standard authoritative
published sources in the language of the catalog record. Use
lower case.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Use the terms preferred, variant,
and others as necessary.
29.2.2. Name
Type
DEFINITION
An indication of the type of name, to be used if the authority
is intended to be compliant with standards for thesaurus construction,
or to distinguish nouns from adjectival forms of names.
EXAMPLES
descriptor
alternate descriptor
used for term
noun
adjectival form
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a term indicating the type
of name. Use lower case.
This subcategory is intended for use by those who wish the
authority to be compliant with national and international
standards for thesaurus construction (designating the term
descriptor, alternate descriptor, etc.). For a discussion
of the meanings of these terms, see the GENERAL CONCEPT AUTHORITY.
It may also be used to distinguish the noun form of names
(e.g., Siena) from the adjectival forms (e.g., Sienese).
TERMINOLOGY/ACCESS
Controlled list: Use the terms in the Examples
above, and others as described in the GENERAL CONCEPT AUTHORITY.
29.2.3. Name
Qualifier
DEFINITION
Word or phrase used as necessary to provide clarification
or disambiguation.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: It is rare that a qualifer would
be necessary with the name of a place. The parent string and
place type are typically concatenated in the label to disambiguate
homographs.
However, it may be necessary to add a qualifier in very rare
cases. For example, if the name of a modern nation and its
ancient counterpart would be otherwise ambiguous (e.g. Egypt
(ancient)).. Use the Other Name Flags subcategory to flag
the official name and other special name statuses.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This subcategory is free text. Be
consistent where possible.
29.2.4. Name Language
DEFINITION
An indication of the language of the name, particularly when
the name is in a language other than the language of the catalog
record.
EXAMPLES
English
Italian
Chinese (transliterated Pinyin)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the language of the name,
if known from authoritative sources. Capitalize the names
of languages.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Control this subcategory with
a controlled list. Values may be derived from a source such
as Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 14th edition.
Barbara F. Grimes, ed. Dallas, Texas: SIL International, 2000.
The ISO-639 standard may be used for language codes; however,
if ISO codes are used, values must be translated into legible
form for end-users.
29.2.5. Historical
Flag
DEFINITION
Flag indicating the historical status of the name.
EXAMPLES
current
historical
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record an indication if the name
is current or historical. Use lower case.
Note that this flag records the historical status of a particular
name only, not of the place represented in the record.
If the name is currently in use, the flag should be set to
current. Sources will generally indicate when a name is historical.
Names found in atlases and national geographic databases are
almost always current, unless otherwise indicated.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Use a controlled list with
terms current, historical, and others if necessary.
29.2.6. Display
Name Flag
DEFINITION
Flag designating whether or not the name is to be used in
natural order displays or in an alphabetical list.
EXAMPLES
index
display
not applicable
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Flag the name as display if
it has been constructed in order to be used in horizontal
displays (e.g., Siena province), or if it is the natural
order form of the preferred name in cases where the preferred
name is inverted. If the name is the form that should appear
in alphabetical lists and indexes, flag it as index.
There may be only one display name and one index name per
record.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Use a controlled list with
terms index, display, not applicable,
and others if necessary.
29.2.7. Other
Name Flags
DEFINITION
Flags designating an official name, code, and other special
name statuses for the place.
EXAMPLES
official name
pseudonym
site name
ISO 3-number
not applicable
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record an indication of the special
status of the name, as necessary. Use lower case.
The official name is generally a full form of the name. For
the official names of nations, use official publications in
this order of preference: ISO-3166 standard, the United Nations
Country Names and other bulletins, the CIA World Fact Book
online, Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, official
national Web sites of the individual nations, and geographic
dictionaries or other authoritative reference sources.
Use ISO and official government sources names representing
official codes.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Use a controlled list with
terms official name, pseudonym, site name,
ISO 3-letter, ISO 2-letter, ISO 3-number, ISO
2-number, US Postal Service, FIPS, not
applicable, and others if necessary.
29.2.8. Name Source
DEFINITION
A reference to a bibliographic source or unpublished document
that provides the warrant for a particular name.
EXAMPLES
- Webster's Geographical Dictionary (1988)
- Canby, Historic Places (1984)
- Times Atlas of the World (1992)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Required: Record the source(s) used for the
name. In order to be a source, the name should have been translated
precisely, retaining the diacritics, capitalization, and punctuation
of the source.
For a full set of rules, see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES
- CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Ideally, this information is controlled
by citations in the citations authority; see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES.
RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS
Sources may also be recorded for PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY
- DESCRIPTIVE NOTE and for the authority record in general
in PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY - CITATIONS.
29.2.8.1. Page
DEFINITION
Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any
other information indicating where in the source the name
was found.
EXAMPLES
54
23 ff.
7:128
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: For a full set of rules for PAGE,
see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS - PAGE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
28.2.9. Name Date
DEFINITION
A description of the date or range of dates when a particular
name was in use for the place.
EXAMPLES
- established 1777
- from late 1st century BCE
- until 1986
- ca. 1st century BCE until 15th century
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the dates or date range when
a name was used. Precise date spans for place names are rarely
known; include references to uncertainty or ambiguity as necessary.
Note that this field records the date of a particular name
only, not of the place represented in the record.
For the names of dynasties and other precisely defined periods,
include the dates for the period, when known (e.g., under
the Chou Dynasty (1122-255 BCE). For general, broadly
defined periods, do not include the span dates in the display
NAME DATE (although you should index them in EARLIEST and
LATEST DATES), because it will be misleading to the user,
implying knowledge of greater specificity than is truly known
(e.g., Late Bronze Age Greek name for the place).
Ideally, the NAME DATE should refer, explicitly or implicitly,
to a time period or date. However, it may be used to record
unusual or important information about the name, often referring
to the derivation of the name (e.g., name used by Homer
(Odyssey, 7th century BCE) to refer to both the river and
the land through which it flowed).
If a date is uncertain, use a broad or vague designation
(e.g., ancient) or words such as documented, ca.,
and probably). Note that the first year when a name
was documented is not necessarily the year when the name was
first used; therefore, you must create a sufficiently early
EARLIEST DATE.
Note that NAME DATES refer to the name itself, not the date
of the site (which would be recorded with PLACE TYPE DATE).
For historical names, do not mistakenly record the date of
the site if the name was not in use when the site was occupied.
Names used in very ancient times are often unknown, and more
recent names are used.
Form and syntax
In the free-text NAME DATE field, record a phrase referring
to a year, a span of years, or period that describes the specific
or approximate date in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. Index
this free-text date with EARLIEST and LATEST DATES delimiting
the appropriate span. If the name is still in use to refer
to this place, the end date should be "9999."
The NAME DATE may contain a note that does not refer to a
date per se, but it must still be indexed with EARLIEST and
LATEST DATES.
Follow other rules for display dates in CREATION - CREATION
DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Maintain consistent capitalization, punctuation, and syntax
where possible. Index the dates in the controlled EARLIEST
and LATEST DATE subcategories.[4]
28.2.9.1 Earliest Date
DEFINITION
The earliest date on which a particular name was used.
EXAMPLES
1877
1670
1950
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the earliest year indicated
by or implied in the display NAME DATE.
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record EARLIEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
LATEST DATE. Follow rules for dates in CREATION - CREATION
DATE - EARLIEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
28.2.9.2. Latest Date
DEFINITION
The latest date on which a particular name was used.
EXAMPLES
1901
1675
9999
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the latest year indicated
by or implied in the display NAME DATE.
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record EARLIEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
EARLIEST DATE. Follow rules for dates in CREATION - CREATION
DATE - LATEST DATE.
Note that this is they last year when the name was used,
which is generally "9999."
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.3. Geographic Coordinates
DEFINITION
A set of numbers used to define points on the earth\x92s surface
that correspond to the physical location of the place.
EXAMPLES
[for the Great Zimbabwe ruins]
43 13 00 N, 011 24 00 E (43.2167, 11.4000)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the latitude and longitude
of the place. Geographic coordinates should represent a single
point for each place, corresponding to a point at or near
the center of the inhabited place, political entity, or physical
feature. For linear features such as rivers, the point represents
the source of the feature. For a full discussion, see the
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: Editorial Guidelines:
Chapter 3.7: Coordinates. Elevation may also be recorded.
Form and syntax
The example above illustrates this syntax: List latitude first:
degrees, space, minutes, space, seconds, space, N or S, comma,
[list longitude] degrees (use zeroes to the left as place
holders if the degrees are less than three digits), space,
minutes, space, seconds, space, E or W. This may be followed
by decimal fractions of degrees in parentheses, using a period
between degrees and the decimal fractions of whole degrees.
Display decimal fractions of degrees to the nearest third
or fourth position. Use a hyphen to indicate negative numbers,
which are used for positions south of the equator and west
of the Prime Meridian.
Several alternative ways of displaying coordinates are acceptable,
provided they are applied consistently. An alternative method
of displaying latitude and longitude is as follows, clearly
labeling what is displayed:
Latitude: 20 16 00 S degrees/minutes/seconds
Longitude: 030 54 00 E degrees/minutes/seconds
(Latitude: -20.2667 decimal degrees)
(Longitude: 30.9000 decimal degrees)
Another alternative way of listing degrees and minutes is
to use degree, minute, and second symbols, with or without
spaces, with a comma between latitude and longitude (e.g.,
20°16'00"S,030°54'00"E); the same
format may be used if seconds are omitted (e.g., 20°16'S,030°54'E).
If you omit seconds, be consistent and never list them. Some
atlases use a period to separate degrees and minutes (e.g.,
20.16S,030.54E), but this is not recommended because
users may confuse this representation of degrees and minutes
with decimal degrees, which are also represented with a period.
Some displays show a string of numbers with no punctuation
between degrees, minutes, and direction (e.g., 201600S,0305400E),
but this is also not recommended for end users, due to the
potential for confusion.
Degrees and minutes and decimal degrees
Geographic latitude is the angular distance north or south
of the equator, measured along a meridian. Parallels of latitude
are equidistant circles drawn around the globe parallel to
the equator. Measurements along the parallels are traditionally
given in degrees, minutes, and seconds (counted in increments
of 60, as with a clock), combined with a directional indicator
for north (N) or south (S). The equator is at 0 degrees; 90
degrees north is the North Pole, 90 degrees south is the South
Pole. The greatest possible latitudes are 90° N and 90°
S.
Longitude is the angular distance east or west of the Prime
Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England. Meridians
are imaginary north-south lines on the Earth's surface that
connect both geographic poles, used to measure longitude.
Measurements along the meridians are traditionally given in
degrees, minutes, and seconds (counted in increments of 60,
as with a clock), combined with a directional indicator for
east (E) or west (W). The prime meridian is at 0 degrees;
180 degrees is the International Date Line. The greatest longitude
is measured 180° both east and west of the prime meridian.
The combination of meridians of longitude and parallels of
latitude establishes a grid by which exact positions can be
determined. Coordinates represent the point on the grid where
latitude and longitude cross.
Coordinates are expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds,
corresponding to the standard used in atlases and illustrated
above. Coordinates may also be expressed in decimal fractions
of degrees where minutes and seconds are translated into decimal
values, (e.g., 40 degrees 30 minutes 00 seconds = 40.5000
decimal degrees). The expression of coordinates in decimal
degrees is used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and
for other applications where mathematical calculations are
necessary. In decimal fractions, the directional indicators
(e.g., north, south, east, or west) are not included. Instead,
directions are indicated by using sets of positive and negative
numbers: north latitude and east longitude are expressed as
positive numbers; south latitude and west longitude are expressed
as negative numbers.
This subcategory discusses a single point for each place.
In addition to the coordinates representing the center, a
set of four bounding coordinates may be used to roughly encompass
the area of a geographic feature or administrative entity.
Elevation could be included as well.
[for the Great Lakes Region]
Coordinates
Lat: 45 00 00 N degrees/minutes/seconds
Long: 085 00 00 W degrees/minutes/seconds
(Lat: 45.0000 decimal degrees)
(Long: -85.0000 decimal degrees)
Elevation: 601 feet
(183.184 meters)
Bounding coordinates
South Bounding Lat: 43 09 25 N degrees/minutes/seconds
North Bounding Lat: 48 48 46 N degrees/minutes/seconds
East Bounding Long: 082 29 53 W degrees/minutes/seconds
West Bounding Long: 092 01 17 W degrees/minutes/seconds
(South Bounding Lat: 43.1560 decimal degrees)
(North Bounding Lat: 48.8120 decimal degrees)
(East Bounding Long: -82.4910 decimal degrees)
(West Bounding Long: -92.0160 decimal degrees)
Elevation: 601 feet (183.184 meters)
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This is a free text subcategory.
Use consistent formatting.
Controlled format: For a discussion of controlled
fields, see Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: Editorial
Guidelines: Chapter 3.7: Coordinates. If retrieval on
latitude and longitude is required, separate controlled fields
should be created for degrees, minutes and direction of latitude
and longitude.
29.4. Place Types
DEFINITION
Terms that characterize significant aspects of the place,
including its role, function, political anatomy, size, or
physical characteristics.
EXAMPLES
nation
province
inhabited place
island group
valley
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Required: Record one or more words or phrases
that characterize significant aspects of the place, including
its role, function, political anatomy, size, or physical characteristics.
It is required to record at least one place type for each
place. If only one place type is provided it should be the
most representative or most important place type for the place.
Form and syntax
Use lower case. Record multiple PLACE TYPES for one place
in repeating instances of this subcategory
Use the most specific place type applicable (i.e., archaeological
site rather than site), if known.
The preferred place type displays with the name in the hierarchy
and other displays; thus, the preferred place type should
be consistently applied for similar places across the database.
The preferred place type should represent the place\x92s
primary or general function or role. The preferred place type
for cities, towns, and villages is inhabited place
or populated place; for places that are no longer inhabited,
the preferred place type generally is deserted settlement.
Note that occasionally a place may be known from historic
accounts, but its exact location is unknown (e.g., Gath, Israel);
it could be labeled with the place type lost settlement.
The preferred place type for sovereign nations could be nation;
it could be dependent state for semi-autonomous states.
Dependent states typically exclude territories (1)
to which the Antarctic Treaty is applicable in whole or in
part, (2) without permanent civilian population, (3) without
internationally recognized civilian government, or (4) representing
unadjudicated unilateral or multilateral territorial claims.
The preferred place types of subdivisions within a nation
generally should be the terms used by the nation (or English
translations of the terms; e.g., state for the USA,
and region for Italy).
The preferred place types of physical features are typically
specific terms that describe the individual feature (e.g.,
lake, mountain, river).
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list or authority: Use the GENERIC
CONCEPT AUTHORITY or a controlled list of terms. Published
sources of terminology include the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic
Names: Editorial Guidelines: Chapter 4.6, Appendix F: Place
Types; terms in this source are derived from the AAT and
GeoNet Names Server, NIMA/NGA: National Geospacial
Intelligence Agency, http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/.
29.4.1. Preference
DEFINITION
An indication of whether the the place type is preferred
or non preferred for the place.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Flag one place type in each record
as "preferred." Use lower case.
The preferred place type is used as a default to create displays
in combination with the preferred name. Choose the palce type
that represents the most important or most representative
place type.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Use the terms preferred
and non preferred. Others may be added if necessary.
29.4.2. Place Type Date
DEFINITION
A description of the date or range of dates when the place
type was relevant.
EXAMPLES
- after 1638
- beginning ca. 1910
- established in 1861
- was Etruscan settlement
- founded in 1743
- first documented in 1010
- settled by Europeans in 1874, on the site of an earlier
Native American village
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the dates or date range when
a place type was relevant. Include references to uncertainty
or ambiguity as necessary.
Form and syntax
Follow rules for display dates in CREATION - CREATION DATE.
Date of habitation
It is recommended to include the date of habitation or human
endeavor at a site, when known; use the PLACE TYPE DATE attached
to inhabited place or deserted settlement place
types to record this date. For the preferred place type inhabited
place, note the year or approximate date of founding,
chartering, or first settlement (e.g., founded by James
Brooke in 1839). Note that the EARLIEST DATE may be earlier
than the actual founding or chartering (e.g., for PLACE TYPE
DATE chartered in 1644, on the site of an Amerindian village,
EARLIEST DATE may be 1300). For the preferred place type deserted
settlement, record the date span of habitation (e.g., occupied
from the Stone Age to the Roman period).
It is unusual to know the exact date when human habitation
first occurred at a place; therefore, the nuances and ambiguity
associated with such information should be expressed. For
inhabited places, dates of incorporation or founding dates
are commonly recorded in public records (e.g., founded
in 1781). Settlement dates are occasionally recorded in
historic documents (e.g., settled by Spanish expedition
on August 2, 1769); in other cases, approximate dates
of settlement may be deduced from peripheral documents. Note
that published sources often emphasize the date of first habitation
in the modern era and may not account for habitation by earlier
cultures; these earlier dates of settlement should be accommodated
(e.g., founded in 1765, on site of previous Native American
seasonal camp). Often, no precise years of habitation
are known, and general references to cultures that settled
in the place are recorded (e.g., settled by Etruscans
or was Celtic center). An event may be mentioned as
an allusion to the date (e.g., settled after Louisiana
Purchase by USA). Multiple dates may be mentioned (e.g.,
was Dutch trading post in 1633, settled in 1635 by English
pioneers or founded in 1717 by de Bienville as a French
colony, city incorporated in 1805).
Dates of administrative entities are generally known with
more precision (e.g., it may be known that an entity was a
"state" in the USA since April 28, 1788). The
dates surrounding the establishment of a nation may be known,
but complex (e.g., independence from Spain proclaimed on
May 20, 1902; revolution established communist state in 1959).
For historical places that are no longer extant, the known
facts should be recorded, including date of abandonment (e.g.,
was important site by 3rd mill. BC; destroyed by Romans
29 BC; a few houses remained according to documents of 120
AD).
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Maintain consistent capitalization, punctuation, and syntax
where possible. Index the dates in the controlled EARLIEST
and LATEST DATE subcategories.
29.4.2.1. Earliest Date
DEFINITION
The earliest date when the place type was relevant.
EXAMPLES
1666
1300
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the earliest year indicated
by or implied in the display PLACE TYPE DATE.
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record EARLIEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
LATEST DATE. Follow rules for dates in CREATION - CREATION
DATE - EARLIES DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.4.2.2. Latest Date
DEFINITION
The latest date when the place type was relevant.
EXAMPLES
1723
1410
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the earliest year indicated
by or implied in the display PLACE TYPE DATE.
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record EARLIEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
LATEST DATE. Follow rules for dates in CREATION - CREATION
DATE - EARLIES DATE.
When recording dates of activity, for LATEST ACTIVE DATE
for living persons or extant corporate bodies, to allow successful
retrieval, it is strongly recommended that you enter 9999
or another appropriate value rather than leaving the subcategory
blank.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.5. Related Places
DEFINITION
The identification of any places that have important ties
or connections to the place being cataloged, excluding hierarchical
whole/part relationships.
EXAMPLES
- Bologna (Emilia-Romagna, Italy) (inhabited place)
- Luxor (Upper Egypt region, Egypt) (deserted settlement)
- South Sea Islands (Pacific Ocean) (islands)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Identify any place related to the
place being cataloged where there is an important associative
relationship. Associative relationships are to "see also"
references, and exclude whole/part hierarchical relationships.
Form and syntax
Capitalize place names. Use the label/identification of the
related place, described in PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY - LABEL/IDENTIFICATION.
Confusion between two places
If there is a significant possibility that two places may
be confused because they are adjacent to each other, they
are coextensive, one place has been moved to another, or places
have a direct historical connection (excluding hierarchical
relationships), link them as RELATED PLACES. For example the
original town Sikión (in Corinth, Greece) was
moved 4 kilometers inland to the current site atop two plateaus
in 303 BCE, and the old site has since been repopulated and
renamed, Kiáton.
If one place is the historical counterpart to the modern
place (and both have the same name), however, linking them
in RELATED PLACE is appropriate (as in the example for the
modern town of Machu Picchu below, which may be confused
with the famous ancient site of the same name).
If the only cause of potential confusion is that the places
have the same or similar names and are near each other, do
not link them as RELATED PLACES. In such cases, describe the
issue regarding the name in the DESCRIPTIVE NOTE.
Variant names vs. separate records
If scholarly opinion is divided as to whether or not one place
is the same place as another, make separate records for each
place and link them with relationship type: possibly identified
as. This typically occurs with historical entities or
historical names for extant places.
If scholars generally agree that a historical place sat on
the same site as a modern place (or another historical place),
make only one record for the place and include the other names
as variant names.
Hierarchical vs. Associative Relationships
Do not make associative relationships when hierarchical relationships
are more appropriate. For the administrative divisions of
nations, states, empires, and any other entity with centralized
power and borders, use the hierarchical relationships in BROADER
CONTEXT rather than RELATED PLACES (which are associative
relationships).
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
System generated: Ideally, this should be generated
from various fields in the related PERSON/CORPORATE BODY AUTHORITY
record.
Free-text: If this is a free-text field, index
the information in the pertinent controlled subcategories
elsewhere in the related record.
29.5.1. Place Relationship
Type
DEFINITION
An indication of the type of relationship between the place
and a related place.
EXAMPLES
ally of
predecessor of
successor of
distinguished from
possibly identified as
adjacent to
moved from
historical connection
related to
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: It is optional to record related
places, but if they are recorded, it is highly recommended
to use this subcategory to identify the type of relationship
between them.
Form and syntax
Use lower case. For a list of terms and their definitions,
see the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: Editorial
Guidelines: Chapter 3.5: Associative Relationships.
RELATIONSHIP TYPE describes relationships that go from the
subject of the record to the related entity. Many reciprocal
relationships between places are equal and the same on both
sides of the relationship (e.g., ally of / ally of).
However, be careful to link to the correct side of the relationship
when the term is not the same on both sides of the relationship
(e.g., predecessor of / successor of , and vice versa).
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled list: Control these terms with a
controlled list, including the terms above and others in the
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names: Editorial Guidelines:
Chapter 3.5: Associative Relationships.
29.5.2. Place Relationship Date
DEFINITION
A description of the date or range of dates associated with
the relationship between the place and the related place.
EXAMPLES
from 1310
17th century
ancient
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a description of the dates
or date range when the relationship was in place. Include
references to uncertainty or ambiguity as necessary.
Form and syntax
Follow the applicable rules for display dates in CREATION
- CREATION DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Maintain consistent capitalization, punctuation, and syntax
where possible. Index the dates in the controlled EARLIEST
and LATEST DATE subcategories.
29.5.2.1. Earliest Date
DEFINITION
The earliest date when the relationship could have been in
effect.
EXAMPLES
1420
900
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: The earliest date when the hierarchical
relationship could have been in place.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record EARLIEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
LATEST DATE. Follow the applicable rules for dates in CREATION
- CREATION DATE - EARLIEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.5.2.2. Latest Date
DEFINITION
The latest date when the relationship could have been in
effect.
EXAMPLES
1623
1521
9999
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the latest year indicated
by the display RELATIONSHIP DATE.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record LATEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
EARLIEST DATE. Follow the applicable rules for dates in CREATION
- CREATION DATE - LATEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.6. Place Broader Context
DEFINITION
An identification of the broader contexts for the place,
such as between cities and the nations to which they belong.
Ideally this is a hierarchical link.
EXAMPLES
- Valdosta (Lowndes county, Georgia, United States)
(inhabited place)
- Roman Empire (empire)
- Gascogne (France) (historical region)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Required: This subcategory is required, when
applicable. There may be multiple hierarchical relationships
(polyhierarchical). Identify the larger context (parent)
required to construct the hierarchical (whole/part) relationships
between a place and another place. Position the place under
the most specific parent possible
Form and syntax
Ideally this is a hierarchical link. For display, follow
the example above, using the preferred NAME, levels of parents
to the level of nation, and PLACE TYPE, as described in PLACE/LOCATION
AUTHORITY - LABEL/IDENTIFICATION.
In addition to the label as displayed in the Examples above,
the broader contexts may be derived from the hierarchical
links and displayed in indented format as in the Examples
below.
Africa (continent)
....... Benin (nation)
............ Atakora (province)
.................. Bassila (inhabited place)
Europe (continent)
.....Italian Peninsula (peninsula)
..........Etruria (former group of nations/states/cities)
...............Arezzo (inhabited place)
...............Bologna (inhabited place)
...............Cerveteri (inhabited place)
...............Chianciano Terme (inhabited place)
...............Chiusi (inhabited place)
...............Cortona (inhabited place)
...............Fiesole (inhabited place)
................[etc.]
Hierarchical relationships in this authority are those links
in a thesaurus that describe whole/part relationships. Each
record in the authority is linked to its immediate parent
(broader context); hierarchy is constructed through these
links.
Both physical and administrative/political entities make
up the geographic place hierarchy. Hierarchical relationships
in this authority represent whole/part relationships (as opposed
to genus/species relationships). The authority is polyhierarchical,
meaning that places can belong to more than one parent place.
Hierarchical relationships are referred to by genealogical
terms: child, children, siblings, parent, grandparent,
ancestors, descendents, etc.
Both physical and political/administrative entities may make
up the hierarchy. Major subdivisions of the hierarchy typically
include continent, nation, first level subdivision, second
level subdivision, inhabited place, and possibly neighborhood.
Most nations will require at least one level of administrative
subdivision above inhabited place, and many will have two
levels. Generally, the hierarchy in this authority will need
to go only to the level of the "inhabited place." However,
the level of neighborhood may be required for some of the
world\x92s largest cities.
A place should have multiple broader contexts when its administrative
parent is contested or it otherwise has multiple direct hierarchical
relationships. Multiple parents should be assigned when an
area is disputed between two nations (as with an occupied
territory). Multiple parents should also be assigned when
a place is part of two broader administrative regions (as
when a city in the US is part of multiple counties), Also
assign multiple parents when a place is physically in one
place, but administratively tied to another (as with Bermuda,
which is physically in North and Central America, but
is a dependent state of the United Kingdom).
For guidance regarding building hierarchies, how to determine
parents, etc., see the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names:
Editorial Guidelines: 3.1 Hierarchical Relationships.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
System generated: Ideally, this broader context
display should be generated from the hierarchical relationships
of the authority record linked as BROADER CONTEXT.
Ideally, this relationship should be managed by the computer
system. The method by which the broader context is noted or
linked will be specific to the cataloging, collection management,
or editorial system being used. Linking the authority record
to its broader context allows hierarchies to be constructed.
In the examples above, the hierarchical relationships are
represented by indentation, illustrating a display that will
be intelligible to most end users.
Since nations have varying levels of administrative subdivisions,
and because physical features may intervene between political
entities in the hierarchy, it is recommended that there should
be no set number of levels in the hierarchy. Since the physical
and administrative worlds coexist in this authority, it may
be necessary to link inhabited places and physical features
to islands that do not form part of the administrative hierarchy.
In such cases, the island could form a level in the hierarchy.
Free-text: If generating a display by algorithm
is not possible, or if the cataloging institution wants to
express nuance that is not possible from an automatically
generated string, a free-text field may be used instead.
RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS
Generally, the hierarchical relationship will be a special
relationship that is managed separately from associative relationships.
However, for some institutions, the whole/part relationships
will be recorded only by using "part of" and "broader
context for" in PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY - RELATED PLACE
- RELATIONSHIP TYPE.
29.6.1. Broader Context Date
DEFINITION
A description of the date or range of dates associated with
the hierarchical relationship between the corporate body being
cataloged and the related corporate body.
EXAMPLES
from 1791
18th century
11th century through 15th century
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a description of the dates
or date range when a hierarchical relationship was relevant.
Include references to uncertainty or ambiguity as necessary.
Form and syntax
Follow the applicable rules for display dates in CREATION
- CREATION DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Maintain consistent capitalization, punctuation, and syntax
where possible. Index the dates in the controlled EARLIEST
and LATEST DATE subcategories.
29.6.1.1. Earliest Date
DEFINITION
The earliest date when the hierarchical relationship could
have been in place.
EXAMPLES
1420
900
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: The earliest date when the hierarchical
relationship could have been in place.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record EARLIEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
LATEST DATE. Follow the applicable rules for dates in CREATION
- CREATION DATE - EARLIEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.6.1.2. Latest Date
DEFINITION
The latest date when the hierarchical relationship could
have been in place.
EXAMPLES
1623
1521
9999
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the latest year indicated
by the display RELATIONSHIP DATE.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. It is optional to record LATEST
DATE; however, if you record a value here, you must also record
EARLIEST DATE. Follow the applicable rules for dates in CREATION
- CREATION DATE - LATEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be
formatted consistently to allow retrieval. Local rules should
be in place. Suggested formats are available in the ISO Standard
and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International
Organization for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange
Formats. Information Interchange. Representation of Dates
and Times. Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization
for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
29.7. Place/Location Label/Identification
DEFINITION
A label or heading to identify the place in displays.
EXAMPLES
- Orvieto (Terni province, Umbria, Italy) (inhabited
place)
- Oldenburg (Franklin county, Indiana, United States) (inhabited
place)
- Galatia (Turkey) (general region)
- Republic of Ireland (nation)
- Cyprus (Asia) (island)
- Belgica Prima (Gallia Belgica, Gaul) (nation)
[alternatively, omitting the place type]
- Oldenburg (Franklin county, Indiana, United States)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a label or heading identifying
the name, broader contexts, and place type of the related
place, to provide context for the place name.
Form and syntax
Use consistent syntax and punctuation for the label identifying
the place. Follow the Examples above, concatenating the preferred
NAME, parents, and preferred PLACE TYPE (e.g., Cissbury
Ring (West Sussex, England, United Kingdom) (deserted settlement)).
Alternatively, devise another scheme for syntax and punctuation
for use in various situations.
Labels for various purposes
Labels with the inverted form of the preferred name followed
by parents and place type are suited for alphabetical lists;
note that only names of physical features will generally be
inverted, as discussed in PLACE/LOCATION AUTHORITY - PLACE
NAME.
- Arrowsmith, Mount (Vancouver Island, British Columbia,
Canada) (mountain)
- Erie, Lake (North and Central America) (lake)
- Hathala (Northwest Frontier, Pakistan) (inhabited place)
- Heicheng (Nei Mongol, China) (deserted settlement)
- Los Angeles (California, United States) (inhabited place)
- Zama (Siliana government, Tunisia) (lost settlement)
Labels with the natural order form of the preferred name
followed by parents and place type are suited for wall labels,
slide labels, and captions.
- Mount Arrowsmith (Vancouver Island, British Columbia,
Canada) (mountain)
- Lake Erie (North and Central America) (lake)
- Hathala (Northwest Frontier, Pakistan) (inhabited place)
- Heicheng (Nei Mongol, China) (deserted settlement)
- Los Angeles (California, United States) (inhabited place)
- Zama (Siliana government, Tunisia) (lost settlement)
Labels with the preferred name (in either natural or inverted
order, depending upon local preference) followed by parents
but excluding place types may be used locally for display
in various subcategories.
- Mount Arrowsmith (Vancouver Island, British Columbia,
Canada)
- Lake Erie (North and Central America)
- Hathala (Northwest Frontier, Pakistan)
- Heicheng (Nei Mongol, China)
- Los Angeles (California, United States)
- Zama (Siliana government, Tunisia)
Labels with the parents in descending order (as opposed to
ascending order, illustrated in above examples), may be used
for lists where results need to sort by parent; for example,
all the places in one nation or state will sort together.
Orléans .......... (inhabited place)
...(Europe, France, Centre region, Loiret)
Orléans .......... (inhabited place)
...(North and Central America, Canada, Ontario)
Orleans .......... (inhabited place)
...(North and Central America, United States, California,
Humboldt county)
Orleans .......... (inhabited place)
...(North and Central America, United States, Illinois,
Morgan county)
Orleans .......... (inhabited place)
...(North and Central America, United States, Indiana, Orange
county)
Orleans .......... (inhabited place)
...(North and Central America, United States, Iowa, Appanoose
county)
Orleans .......... (inhabited place)
...(North and Central America, United States, Iowa, Dickinson
county)
Orleans .......... (parish (political))
...(North and Central America, United States, Louisiana)
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
System generated: Ideally, this should be generated
from various fields in the place record and its parents' records.
Free-text: If this is a free-text field, index
the information in the pertinent controlled subcategories
elsewhere in the related record.
29.8. Place/Location Descriptive
Note
DEFINITION
Additional information about the place, including a discussion
of its history, particularly noting any controversies or issues,
presented in a form to be displayed to end users.
EXAMPLES
[for Gath, Israel]
It was a royal city of the ancient Philistines, although
its precise location is unknown. The Bible mentions it
as the birthplace of Goliath and a refuge for David, also
as the city of the Anakim.
[for the Cayman Islands]
The islands were uninhabited when charted by Columbus
in 1503, but the Arawaks and Caribs probably had visited
here. The name comes from the Spanish "caim$00n",
meaning "alligators," though they were really
indigenous iguanas. The Spanish and French visited them,
then the British settled here in the 17th century and
brought Africans as slaves. The official language is English,
though Spanish is also widely spoken.
[for Raetia]
Ancient Roman province including most of Tirol and
Vorarlberg in Austria, Graub$04unden in Switzerland, and
parts of Bavaria and Baden-W$04urttemberg in Germany.
The native inhabitants were probably of mixed Illyrian
and Celtic stock. The area was conquered by Rome in 15
BCE; it was important as a point of communications between
parts of the empire. As a frontier province, its boundaries
shifted; by 450 only the Alpine regions were controlled
by Rome.
[for Siena, Italy]
Siena was founded as an Etruscan hill town; later it
was the Roman city of Sena Julia (3rd century BCE). It
flourished under the Lombard kings (6th century CE) and
was a Medieval self-governing commune (constitution dates
to 1179). Siena was a Medieval seat of pro-imperial Ghibelline
power and was an economic and territorial rival of Guelf
(anti-imperial) Florence. The population was ravaged by
the Black Death (bubonic plague) in 1348. Siena was ruled
by Charles of Anjou in the 13th century, the Visconti
of Milan in the early 15th century, and the Medici of
Florence after 1557.
GENERAL DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a single coherent statement
covering some or all of the salient characteristics and historical
significance of the place.
Form and syntax
Use natural word order. You may use phrases or complete sentences,
but always begin the note with capital letter and end it with
a period. Use sentence case (not all capitals or title case).
Capitalize proper names. Avoid abbreviations. Write the note
in the language of the catalog record (English in the United
States). Names and other words in foreign languages may be
used within the note when there is no commonly used English
equivalent. Use diacritics as appropriate.
This note deals primarily with artistic activity. It may
also clarify or explain information related to the place.
Topics typically should be structured in the note according
to the order below, omitting topics as necessary, depending
upon what is important or relevant to the place being described.
Topics may include the following, but omit topics that are
not relevant:
- disputed issues, sovereignty, or ambiguity regarding
the names or critical facts about the place
- possible confusion of the place due to its name being
a homograph for a nearby place
- physical description
- description of its location (do NOT repeat the hierarchy
information, but you may mention physical features, etc.)
- the first habitation of the place
- its political history, in chronological order
- its importance relative to other places or to the history
of art and architecture
- for modern nations, include the languages spoken
- population may be included for inhabited places, provided
you cite the date of your source
Various issues
The recommendations below may be altered to accommodate local
needs or preferences.
All information in the descriptive note must be derived from
an authoritative source. It is highly recommended to cite
your source and page number. Do not plagiarize: You may paraphrase
the information, but do not copy it verbatim. If information
in the note ultimately comes from a literary or unreliable
source (as opposed to a modern reliable source), be careful
not to state it as if it were proven fact. Do not use this
note to record extremely volatile situations that may change
in a few months or years. Instead, situations recorded here
should be relatively long-standing.
Explain any controversies or issues regarding the identification
of the place, its names, history, or any other facts that
are in dispute among scholars or experts. If an issue is in
dispute, be careful not to express it as a certain fact. When
two sources disagree, prefer the information obtained from
the most scholarly, authoritative, recent source.
Be objective. Avoid bias or critical judgment, either positive
or negative. Express all information in a neutral tone, including
politics, religion, artistic styles or works, rulers, people,
art, architecture, and events. Do not write from a subjective
or biased point of view, even if your source expresses a fact
in a subjective way.
In general, avoid including a long list of the names of specific
works of art or architecture located in the place. You may
mention a few specific works as necessary to make a point.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent format and syntax when possible. Any significant
information in the DESCRIPTIVE NOTE should be recorded in
the appropriate controlled fields, including names, place
types, dates, and significant related places.
29.8.1. Note Source
DEFINITION
A reference to a bibliographic source or unpublished document
that supplied information in the DESCRIPTIVE NOTE.
EXAMPLES
- New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967-1979)
- Gardner's Art Through the Ages (1996)
- Grove Art Online (2003-)
- Columbia Gazetteer of the World (1998)
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: It is optional but strongly recommended
to record the source used for the DESCRIPTIVE NOTE. For a
full set of rules for CITATIONS, see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES
- CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Ideally, this information is controlled
by citations in the citations authority; see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES.
29.8.1.1. Page
DEFINITION
Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any
other information indicating where in the source the information
was found.
EXAMPLES
54
23 ff.
7:128
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: For a full set of rules for PAGE,
see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS - PAGE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
29.9. Remarks
DEFINITION
Notes or comments about information in the place record.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a note containing additional
information or comments on this category. Use consistent syntax
and format. For rules regarding writing notes, see DESCRIPTIVE
NOTE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
29.10. Citations
DEFINITION
A reference to a bibliographic source, unpublished document,
or individual opinion that provides the basis for the information
recorded in this authority record.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the source used for information
in this category. For a full set of rules for CITATIONS, see
RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Ideally, this information is controlled
by citations in the citations authority; see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES.
29.10.1. Page
DEFINITION
Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any
other information indicating where in the source the information
was found.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: For a full set of rules for PAGE,
see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS - PAGE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
29.11. Place Authority Record
ID
DEFINITION
A number used to uniquely identify the Place/Location Authority
record to the computer system.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: It is optional but highly recommended
to use persistent unique numeric identifiers for the Place/Location
Authority record in the computer system. Typically, such numeric
schemes are composed of a consistent, defined range of integers
(e.g., 12 number sequences, such as 100000000123). Alternatively,
numbers may be applied sequentially beginning with number
one.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: This subcategory is automatically
generated and controlled.
EXAMPLES
Record Type: administrative entity
Name:
Burgundy Preference: preferred Language:
English
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Bourgogne Preference: preferred vernacular
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Burgund Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Bourgogne, duché de Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Duchy of Burgundy Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Broader Context:
Europe
Europe (continent)
........ France (nation)
............ Burgundy
(historical region)
Place Types:
historical region | kingdom | duchy
Coordinates:
Lat: 47 00 00 N degrees
minutes
Long: 004 30 00 E degrees
minutes
(Lat: 47.0000 decimal
degrees)
(Long: 4.5000 decimal
degrees)
Descriptive Note: Historic region that included
a kingdom founded by Germanic people in the 5th century CE.
It was conquered by the Merovingians and incorporated into
the Frankish Empire in the 6th century. It was divided in
the 9th century, and united as the Kingdom of Burgundy or
Arles in 933. The area flourished culturally during the 14th-15th
centuries.
Note Source: Webster's
Geographical Dictionary (1988) Page: 191
Citations: Cambridge World Gazetteer (1990)
Page: 211
Record Type: physical feature
Name:
Ötztaler Alps Preference: preferred
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name: Ötztal Alps Preference:
variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Oetztaler Alps Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Venoste, Alpi Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Ötztaler Alpen Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Broader Context:
Alps (Europe)
Europe (continent)
....... Alps (mountain
system)
............ Ötztaler
Alps (mountain range)
Place Type:
mountain range
Coordinates:
Lat: 46 45 00 N degrees
minutes
Long: 010 55 00 E degrees
minutes
(Lat: 46.7500 decimal
degrees)
(Long: 10.9167 decimal
degrees)
Descriptive Note: Located in the eastern Alps
on the border of South Tirol, Austria, and Trentino-Alto Adige,
Italy.
Citation: Webster's Geographical Dictionary
(1988). Page: 906
Citation: NIMA, GEOnet Names Server (2000-)
Page: accessed 23 November 2003
Record Type: administrative entity
Name:
Alexandria Preference: preferred Language:
English
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name Date: used
since 4th century BCE, named after Alexander the Great
Earliest: -399
Latest: 9999
Name:
Al-Iskandariyah Preference: preferred vernacular
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name Date: Arabic
name used since 640 CE
Earliest: 0640
Latest: 9999
Name:
Alexandrie Preference: variant Language:
French
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Alejandría Preference: variant Language:
Spanish
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Alessandria Preference: variant
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name:
Alexandria Aegypti Preference: variant
Historical: historical
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name Date: Roman
name Earliest: -100 Latest: 1500
Name:
Rhakotis Preference: variant Historical:
historical
Name Source:
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (1988-).
Name Date: name
of original village on the site Earliest: -800
Latest: -300
Broader Context:
Urban retion (Egypt)
Africa (continent)
........ Egypt (nation)
............ Urban (region)
....................
Alexandria (inhabited place)
Place Types:
inhabited place | city | regional capital | port
Coordinates:
Lat: 31 12 00 N degrees
minutes
Long: 029 54 00 E degrees
minutes
(Lat: 31.2000 decimal
degrees)
(Long: 29.9000 decimal
degrees)
Descriptive Note: The city is located on a narrow
strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariut;
it is now partially submerged. Alexandria was built by the
Greek architect Dinocrates for Alexander the Great, and was
the renowned capital of the Ptolemies when they ruled Egypt.
It was noted for its library and a great lighthouse on the
island of Pharos. It was captured by Caesar in 48 BCE, taken
by Arabs in 640 and by Turks in 1517. The city was famed for
being the site of convergence of Greek, Arab and Jewish ideas.
Occupied by the French 1798-1801, by the British in 1892;
evacuated by the British in 1946.
Note Source: Princeton
Encyclopedia (1979). Page: 36
Citation: NIMA, GEOnet Names Server (2000-)
Page: accessed 18 April 2003
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NOTE: Outline numbers are subject to change and intended only to
organize this document.
Revised 18 December 2008
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