The Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) provides a standard, controlled vocabulary for use by indexers, catalogers, and other professionals concerned with information management in the fields of art and architecture. This new, complete second edition contains more than 90,000 words and phrases used to describe objects, materials, activities, agents, styles and periods, physical attributes, and associated concepts in the disciplines of fine arts, architecture, decorative arts, and material culture of the Western world from antiquity to the present. The vocabulary is presented both in hierarchical displays and in alphabetical order, providing the user with precise information on definitions, relationships, and dependencies of related terms. The standardized vocabulary allows the primary users to compile accurate, consistent records of items in their collections. Applicable to a broad range of archival and special collections, the AAT can be used to describe not only objects but also visual surrogates of objects (slides, photographs, etc.), documents and records, and publications.
Each recommended term, or descriptor, included in the AAT represents a single concept; synonyms and spelling variants are included as "lead-in terms." The second edition contains 24,496 descriptors, 2,756 guide terms, and 63,003 alternate and lead-in terms, for a total American English vocabulary of 87,499 terms. Also included are 3,462 related terms and 1,812 British English descriptors, alternate terms, and lead-in terms. The addition of British English terms in the second edition enhances the use of the AAT for an international audience.
The Guide to Indexing and Cataloging with the Art and Architecture Thesaurus is directed to members of four major indexing and cataloging communities--archives, libraries, museums, and visual resources collections--and is intended to train them in the use of the AAT vocabulary as an indexing tool. The Guide includes a general introduction, specific instructions for indexing special materials, and separate chapters directed to each of the four user communities, written by an expert practitioner and vetted by peer review. Also included in the volume are a section devoted to management and policy issues arising from local applications of a standardized indexing vocabulary, a glossary of technical terms used in the volume, and a bibliography of suggested readings on subject analysis, indexing, and controlled vocabulary usage. This volume is set-packed with the five volumes of the second edition of the AAT and is also available as open stock.
Each recommended term, or descriptor, included in the AAT represents a single concept; synonyms and spelling variants are included as "lead-in terms." The second edition contains 24,496 descriptors, 2,756 guide terms, and 63,003 alternate and lead-in terms, for a total American English vocabulary of 87,499 terms. Also included are 3,462 related terms and 1,812 British English descriptors, alternate terms, and lead-in terms. The addition of British English terms in the second edition enhances the use of the AAT for an international audience.
The Guide to Indexing and Cataloging with the Art and Architecture Thesaurus is directed to members of four major indexing and cataloging communities--archives, libraries, museums, and visual resources collections--and is intended to train them in the use of the AAT vocabulary as an indexing tool. The Guide includes a general introduction, specific instructions for indexing special materials, and separate chapters directed to each of the four user communities, written by an expert practitioner and vetted by peer review. Also included in the volume are a section devoted to management and policy issues arising from local applications of a standardized indexing vocabulary, a glossary of technical terms used in the volume, and a bibliography of suggested readings on subject analysis, indexing, and controlled vocabulary usage. This volume is set-packed with the five volumes of the second edition of the AAT and is also available as open stock.
