HELP! Language confusion occurring! Image from .

HELP!Language confusion occurring!

Image from http://www.the-whole-story.org/ee/detail.php?id=411

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To aid searching, an archival catalogue should ideally be indexed by both name and subject.

There is some debate about this, considering the search capabilities of modern software.

I think indexing is important, for searching in a printed and digital environment.

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• Naming persons, families, place and organisations is relatively easy.

• There are rules to follow: National Council on Archives for the UK elaborates

upon the international ISAAR(CPF) rules

• Although each catalogue contains unique entries, the rules make creating new index entries (‘authority files’) relatively straightforward.

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• How are subjects indexed? • The Institute of Our Lady of Mercy Archive contains

objects as well as paper and digital records, plus it is UK-centric.

• Objects can be indexed to a broad level using the Getty Thesaurus of Art & Architecture.

• The international UNESCO thesaurus doesn’t go into enough detail for it to be used in a specialist repository (such as we are).

• Although the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is the most complete, it is American-centric (world-view of topics, spellings).

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• Whilst UKAT does expand upon the work of UNESCO, there are still no entries to the level of detail required for indexing the archives of this Catholic Order of Women Religious. Below are all the entries currently on the subject index (not very many!) using UKAT:

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• Use of a controlled vocabulary to avoid language confusion

• For example, entries for Catholic, Religious order and Women Religious would be needed.

• Women Religious alone would need non-preferred terms: Nun, Sister, Lay Sister, Choir Sister; and narrower terms of Apostolic and Enclosed.

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Religious communitiesMT 3.20 ReligionUF Congregations, Religious ordersBT Religious institutionsNT Religious minoritiesNT Female enclosed communitiesNT Male enclosed communities

NT Female active communities (see ISAAR names index)

eg Religious Sisters of MercyUF RSM, Sisters of MercyNT Male active communities

RT Religious SistersRT ChurchRT Religious sects

My attempt to sort a few of the ‘Agents’ found within the archive using the UNESCO thesaurus: [MT Micro Thesaurus; UF Used For; BT Broader Term; NT Narrower Term; RT Related Term]

Religious Sisters [from MT 1.55 Educational population]

UF Nun, Women Religious [bypassing atm issue of Sister=active, Nun=enclosed]BT Religious personnel/population [not pastoral roles; not occupation as the whole thesaurus is about RSM at moment]

NT1 Pre-CandidateNT1 CandidateNT1 PostulantNT1 NoviceNT1 Professed Sister

NT2 Choir SisterNT2 Lay Sister

RT Pastoral Roles

THESAURUSPre-Candidate

SN Initial enquiry stage.BT Religious Sister

CandidateUF Aspirant, Pre-PostulantBT Religious SisterRT Pre-CandidateRT Postulant

PostulantUF Choir postulant, Black veil, Black noviceBT Religious SisterRT CandidateRT Novice

NoviceUF White novice, White veilBT Religious SisterRT PostulantRT Professed Sister

Professed SisterBT Religious SistersNT Choir SisterNT Lay SisterRT Novice

Choir SisterSN Position abolished post-Vatican II in the 1960s.BT Professed SisterRT Lay Sister

Lay SisterSN Position abolished post-Vatican II in the 1960s.UF Senior lay sisterBT Professed SisterRT Choir Sister

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UKAT:• Religious Communities

http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/term.php?i=5077• Religious Practice

http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/term.php?i=5445• Roman Catholics

http://www.ukat.org.uk/thesaurus/term.php?i=9587

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THESAURUSMy questions are: • Has anyone done any work on this already? I

have no wish to re-invent the wheel! • If no consideration has been given to this

previously, is that because it is not deemed of importance or because it is complex and time-consuming?

• Does work on a Mercy subject thesaurus need taking forward on an international scale?

• Is anyone with grammatical skills be willing to assist in the creation of a controlled vocabulary, if it is relevant?

From http://happycatholic.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html