Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images

For the first time, under the leadership of the Visual Resources Association, a cross section of five visual and cultural heritage experts, along with scores of reviewers from varied institutions, have created a new data content standard focused on cultural materials. This cutting-edge reference offers practical resources for cataloging and flexibility to meet the needs of a wide range of institutions - from libraries to museums to archives to visual collections. Consistently following these guidelines for selecting, ordering, and formatting data used to populate metadata elements in cultural materials' catalog records: promotes good descriptive cataloging and reduces redundancy; builds a foundation of shared documentation; creates data sharing opportunities; and, complements existing standards (AACR).

Murtha Baca is head of the Getty Vocabulary Program and the Digital Resource Management Department at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.

Patricia Harpring is managing editor of the Getty Vocabulary Program.

Elisa Lanzi is director of the Imaging Center at Smith College.

Linda McRae is university librarian and director of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Visual Resources Library at the University of South Florida.

Ann Baird Whiteside is head of Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning at MIT.

The Visual Resources Association is a multi-disciplinary community of image management professionals working in educational and cultural heritage environments and actively supporting the primacy of visual culture in the educational experience. The Association, committed to providing leadership in the field, develops and advocates for standards, provides education tools, and offers opportunities for members.