Taxonomies Used by Art and History Museums: An In-depth Guide

Introduction

Museums play a crucial role in preserving and educating the public about art, history, and cultural heritage. To effectively catalog and organize their vast collections, museums rely on various taxonomies and classification systems. This article explores the key taxonomies used by art and history museums, with a focus on those maintained or widely adopted by these institutions.

The Getty Research Institute and Its Vocabularies

The Getty Research Institute takes the lead in developing and maintaining specialized vocabularies for museums. One of the most notable is the Getty Vocabularies, which includes the Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). The AAT provides a structured terminology for cataloging records of art, architecture, and objects of cultural heritage. This system is widely recognized and used internationally, making it a valuable resource for both public access and scholarly research.

Nomenclature 4.0: A Comprehensive Classification System

Nomenclature 4.0 is the latest version of a classification system originally developed by Robert G. Chenhall. It is designed to classify and catalog human-made objects and has gained significant traction in the United States and Canada. The system is the most commonly used by North American museums for cataloging historical objects. This version includes extensive improvements and updates to reflect the evolving nature of museum collections.

The Harmonization of Nomenclature 4.0 and Parks Canada Descriptive and Visual Dictionary

In 2017, the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN) and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) announced the Harmonization of Nomenclature 4.0 and Parks Canada Descriptive and Visual Dictionary of Objects. This cooperation aims to enhance the interoperability and consistency of museum classification systems, ensuring that records across different institutions are more easily comparable and searchable. The harmonization process involves aligning the terminology, classifications, and descriptive elements to create a unified approach.

Adopting Classification Systems: Challenges and Successes

To fully leverage the benefits of a standardized classification system, museums must adopt these tools. The Harmonization of Nomenclature 4.0 and Parks Canada Descriptive and Visual Dictionary of Objects offers a comprehensive framework, but successful integration requires careful planning and implementation. A notable resource for understanding the adoption process is the CHIN webpage by Heather Dunn, titled Adopting a Classification System for Collections of Cultural Objects: A Comparison of Nomenclature 4.0 and the Parks Canada Classification System. This article provides a detailed comparison of the two systems, helping institutions make informed decisions about which system to implement.

UK Developed Terminology Lists

Supporting cultural institutions in the UK, the Collections Trust is a valuable resource that links to several UK-developed terminology lists. These lists include:

British Museum Object Name Thesaurus: A generic thesaurus that provides a standardized vocabulary for object names. Royal Air Force Museums Aircraft Types Thesaurus: A more specialized thesaurus designed for cataloging aircraft types in RAF Museums.

Other UK institutions have also developed their own specialized thesauri. For example, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, has created an object names thesaurus that has been adopted by other Australasian institutions. This thesaurus offers a standardized and structured approach to cataloging and managing the diverse collections held by these museums.

Conclusion

Effective classification and cataloging are essential for the management and accessibility of art and history museum collections. By adopting standardized systems such as the Getty Vocabularies, Nomenclature 4.0, and specialized thesauri, museums can ensure that their collections are well-organized, easily searchable, and accessible to both the public and scholars. As these systems continue to evolve and expand, museums have a wealth of resources to help them achieve these goals.