AAT

Art & Architecture Thesaurus

Diffuse list of museum standards

http://www.diffuse.org/museums.html#help

It’s Purpose

Standards list used by museums to classify and describe their collections in electronic form

Relies on a structured vocabulary Polyheirarchical Currently contains over 125,000 terms Access two ways:

Using as implemented in a collection management system Online database

Advantages of AAT

Provides structure and classification schemes to document material culture

Framework is not subject specific

http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/

History

(1985) Thesaurus Artis Universitalis(TAU) Multilingual art thesaurus English, French, German, Italian, Spanish Begun by CIHA-Intr’l Comm for the History of Art

(1989) CIHA endorsed use of AAT as base language

(1991) Project changes scope and nature larger than imagined Lost financial support as scope broadened

History Continued

AAT has a strong network of partnerships with specialized institutions

Institutions release staff for week-long residences

Currently moving from American-English terminology to other CIHA languages

How it works

Structure and classification scheme using:

Concepts: Guide terms

Hierarchy Names Facets

The Concept Types

Objects and architecture (e.g., drinking cups, cathedrals)

Materials (e.g., bronze, stained glass) Styles and periods (e.g., art deco, Baroque) Types of people (e.g., potters, sculptors) Activities (e.g., museology, printmaking) Physical attributes (e.g., inlays, crazing) Associated concepts (e.g., realism, artistic

concepts)

Terms

Records serving as place savers to create a hierarchical level so that AAT can locate related concepts

e.g.: <planographic printing processes>

Hierarchy Name

Refers to the top of a hierarchy . e.g.: Ornate Style

Method of structuring and displaying a concept within its broader context

Example of the immediate hierarchical tree for Ornate Style in its Full Record display:

Concepts with Multiple Parents: The AAT is polyhierarchical. When a concept may be comfortably placed in more than one location within the logic of the AAT hierarchies, the concept may have multiple parents.

Facets

The major subdivisions of the hierarchical structure

Conceptually organized from abstract concepts of concrete physical artifacts

The Facets

ASSOCIATED CONCEPTS FACETHierarchy: Associated Concepts

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES FACETHierarchies: Attributes and Properties, Conditions and Effects, Design Elements, Color

STYLES AND PERIODS FACETHierarchy: Styles and Periods

AGENTS FACETHierarchies: People, Organizations

ACTIVITIES FACET Hierarchies: Disciplines, Functions, Events, Physical and Mental Activities, Processes and Techniques

MATERIALS FACETHierarchy: Materials

OBJECTS FACETHierarchies: Object Groupings and Systems, Object Genres, Components

AAT Record :

Unique numeric ID Terms/Concepts Related Concepts Data Sources Notes

ID Number

Example

ID:300194841

Terms

Singular and plural forms Inverted order Spelling variants Various forms of speech Synonyms Descriptor (flagged as preferred term that

maintains parent place in the hierarchy)

Preferred term

Example: Preferred Term/Descriptor Controlled Vocabulary

Data Sources

Institutions that contributed term Bibliographic sources of the terms

Scope Notes

Defines concept meaning and how it differs from related concepts

Refer to handout:full record search results: coffee cups

How to use AAT online

1. http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/help.html

2. Search for a term e.g.: pens

3. Read the results, refine search if necessary