LIDO Terminology Recommendation
The Terminology Recommendation document is part of the LIDO accompanying documents. LIDO was originally introduced for the purpose of harvesting and merging metadata from local
catalogs. The release of these terminology recommendations addresses the difficulties arising
from a lack of alignment between users of the LIDO schema. To this end, the principal goal of
the terminology recommendations is to achieve consistency in indexing not only within an
institution, but also across portals and aggregators. Such consistency is expected to have
a profound impact on retrieval quality with respect to both, recall and precision, and on
the reliability of search results in general. Moreover, since LIDO is intended for delivering
metadata to portals of aggregated resources, as well as exposing, sharing and connecting data
on the web, interoperability is a major quality issue.
For a number of schema elements and attributes, the Terminology Recommendation document contains links to recommended terms from the (1) LIDO Terminology, or suggests the usage of descriptors from (2) other linked open vocabularies.
1. LIDO Terminology
The LIDO Terminology is a complement to the LIDO specification with the aim of enhancing the interoperability of object descriptions across different collections. This is accomplished by introducing controlled vocabularies for certain elements and attributes within the LIDO XML Schema. For more information on the LIDO Terminology, see the LIDO Terminology Documentation.
Note on the relationship between LIDO Terminology and profile-specific terminology recommendations: If terms of the LIDO Terminology are not sufficient for a specific use case, compatible vocabulary recommendations may be provided within an application profile. Such recommendations should extend the LIDO Terminology. The application profile determines to what extent the use of these terms is binding. For more information on LIDO application profiles, see the LIDO Primer.
2. Other linked open vocabularies
In addition to the use of terms from the LIDO Terminology, this document suggests the use of descriptors from other linked open vocabularies such as the Art & Architecture
Thesaurus (AAT), Union List of Artist Names (ULAN), or Wikidata items. The Art & Architecture Thesaurus® is the most elaborate and reliable source for indexing in the
cultural heritage domain. Therefore, whenever possible, a link to suitable AAT terms for a LIDO
element or attribute is provided. The link leads to the top-most concept of an AAT hierarchy serving
as an access point to a list of appropriate subordinate descriptors that can be perused. AAT
vocabulary items referenced by their URI are suitable for processing in any Linked Data
application or environment.
The Terminology Recommendation document complements terminology or format proposals in the set of Getty Editorial Guidelines, including Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA), and Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO).
This document is expected to be updated and extended with further usage recommendations.
Elements
attributionQualifierActor
Terminology recommendations
For the
Attribution Qualifier Actor element
choose a concept URI from the
attribution qualifiers
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
category
Terminology recommendations
For the
Category element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Category Vocabulary.
classification
Terminology recommendations
Recommended values for the Classification element:
Controlled vocabulary.
As of December 2021, there is no published classification scheme to broadly categorize cultural and
natural heritage objects that meets Linked Open Data requirements. The Getty Research Institute is using a local,
extensible list of descriptors for object classification, published in Cultural Object Names Authority (CONA)
Editorial Guidelines, section
3.6.1.7 Classification,
especially subsection "3.6.1.7.5.3 List of Classification Terms". However, these terms are not available as Linked Data.
Universal classification systems, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) or the Universal Classification (UDC), are not amenable to Linked Data processing.
Universal classification systems, such as the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) or the Universal Classification (UDC), are not amenable to Linked Data processing.
culture
Terminology recommendations
For the
Culture element
choose a concept URI from the
Styles and Periods
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
eventActor
Terminology recommendations
For the
Event Actor element
choose a concept URI from a linked open authority files, for example, one of those aggregated in
VIAF or in
Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 28. Person/Corporate Body Authority – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT and
CDWA 17.1.5. Event Agent – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
eventMethod
Terminology recommendations
For the
Event Method element
choose a concept URI from the
Functions
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
eventPlace
Terminology recommendations
For the
Event Place element
choose a concept URI from a linked open authority files, for example, one of those aggregated in
VIAF or in
Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 29. Place/Location Authority – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
eventType
Terminology recommendations
For the
Event Type element
in an Event Set element choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Event Type Vocabulary.
extentActor
Terminology recommendations
For the
Extent Actor element
choose a concept URI from the
Components Hierarchy
of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 4.1.1. Creator Extent – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
extentMaterialsTech
Terminology recommendations
For the
Extent Materials/Techniques element
choose a concept URI from the
Objects Facet
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 7.3. Materials/Techniques Extent – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
extentMeasurements
Terminology recommendations
For the
Extent Measurements element
choose a concept URI from the
Objects Facet
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 6.5. Dimensions Extent – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
extentSubject
Terminology recommendations
For the
Extent Subject element
choose a concept URI from the
object portions
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
For examples see
CDWA 16.2.2. General Subject Extent – EXAMPLES
formatMeasurements
Terminology recommendations
For the
Format Measurements element
choose a concept URI from the
format
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 6.10. Format/Size – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
genderActor
Terminology recommendations
For the
Gender Actor element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the Gender Actor Vocabulary.
measurementType
Terminology recommendations
For the
Measurement Type element
choose a concept URI from the
size/dimensions by general type
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 6.2. Dimensions Type – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
measurementUnit
Terminology recommendations
For the
Measurement Unit element
choose a concept URI from the
size/dimensions by unit
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary, such as Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 6.4. Dimensions Unit – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
nationalityActor
Terminology recommendations
For the
Nationality Actor element with type
cultural or
ethnic affiliation
choose a concept URI from the
styles, periods, and cultures by region
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus. For Nationality Actor with type attribute
country of affiliation or citizenship,
use a concept URI from a gazetteer, such as the
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names,
GeoNames, or another linked open authority file, for example, one of those aggregated in
VIAF or in
Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 28.8. Person Nationality/Culture/Race – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
objectType
Terminology recommendations
Values for the Object Type element may be determined by application profiles.
For the
Object Type element
referring to Collection choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Object Type Vocabulary.
objectWorkType
Terminology recommendations
For the
Object/Work Type element
choose a concept URI from the
Objects Facet
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 21.2. Object/Work Type – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
periodName
Terminology recommendations
For the
Period/Style element
choose a concept URI from the
Styles and Periods
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 5.2. Styles/Periods Indexing Terms – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
place
Terminology recommendations
For the
Place element
choose a concept URI from a linked open authority files, for example, one of those aggregated in
VIAF or in
Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 29. Place/Location Authority – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
placeClassification
Terminology recommendations
For the
Place Classification element
choose a concept URI from the
administrative bodies, the
landscapes
hierarchies of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary,
for instance, from Wikidata.
qualifierMeasurements
Terminology recommendations
For the
Qualifier Measurements element
choose a concept URI from the
Attributes and Properties
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
recordType
Terminology recommendations
For the
Record Type element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Record Type Vocabulary.
repositoryName
Terminology recommendations
For the
Repository Name element
choose a concept URI from the ISIL- and Library Codes Agency
or a linked open authority file aggregated in
VIAF, or in
Wikidata.
resourcePerspective
Terminology recommendations
For the
Resource Perspective element
choose a concept URI from the
views (visual works)
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus; namely concepts beneath the guide terms
images by vantage point or orientation and
images by method of representation,
or another linked open vocabulary.
resourceType
Terminology recommendations
For the
Resource Type element
choose a concept URI from the following hierarchies of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, respectively:
information forms,
visual works, especially the
photographs hierarchy,
or another linked open vocabulary.
rightsType
Terminology recommendations
For the
Rights Type element
choose a concept URI from the following hierarchies of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus:
intellectual property,
copyright/licensing statement, or
licensing, as appropriate,
or another linked open vocabulary.
Note that recommendations for vocabularies may vary from country to country as the applicable legal concepts
depend on national legislation. Recommended standardized statements on copyright, usage, or access rights,
in particular for metadata and resources, are available at
Creative Commons Public Domain Tool,
Creative Commons Licenses, and
Rights Statements.
roleActor
Terminology recommendations
For the
Role Actor element
choose a concept URI from the following hierarchies of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, respectively:
people by occupation,
people by activity,
people by degree of qualification,
or another linked open vocabulary.
roleInEvent
Terminology recommendations
For the
Role in Event element
choose a concept URI from the following hierarchies of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus:
Events,
Associated Concepts,
or another linked open vocabulary.
scaleMeasurements
Terminology recommendations
For the LIDO
Scale Measurements element
choose a concept URI from the
scale (relative size)
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
shapeMeasurements
Terminology recommendations
For the
Shape Measurements element
choose a concept URI from the
shape (form attribute)
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also examples and recommendations in
CDWA 6.9. Shape – EXAMPLES and TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT.
subjectActor
Terminology recommendations
In general an authority file with hierarchical structure, cross referencing, and synonyms is recommended.
For the
Subject Actor element
choose a concept URI from
Union List of Artist Names,
Library of Congress Names,
or another linked open authority file, for example, one of those aggregated in
VIAF or in
Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 28. Person/Corporate Body Authority – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT and
CDWA 16.3. Specific Subject Terms – RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS.
Note: Fictitious actors are indexed as Subject Object.
Note: For ICONCLASS URIs use Subject Concept.
subjectConcept
Terminology recommendations
For the
Subject Concept element
choose a concept URI from the Art & Architecture Thesaurus,
or another linked open vocabulary referring to general concepts, such as the
Library of Congress Subject Headings,
or the Integrated Authority File (GND).
For indexing in the context of iconographical themes, URIs from ICONCLASS may be used. If indexing with ICONCLASS use in the Subject element as type-Attribute the specific ICONCLASS term from the LIDO Terminology.
Note that ICONCLASS is a classification system, primarily designed for hierarchical browsing and less suitable for post coordinate retrieval. Main features of controlled vocabularies, such as controlling synonyms, variant names, and homonyms, are not elaborated. This may impede retrieval quality, particularly in aggregation environments.
ICONCLASS provides terms for indexing actors in the context of iconographical narratives.
For religious or mythological concepts from ICONCLASS, especially subclasses of 61A historical events and situations may be appropriate.
ICONCLASS provides terms for indexing places in the context of iconographical narratives, for instance, holy places or places of worship.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 31. Subject Authority – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
subjectEvent
Terminology recommendations
In general an authority file with hierarchical structure, cross referencing, and synonyms is recommended.
For the
Subject Event element
choose a concept URI from the
Library of Congress Names Authority File,
the Integrated Authority File (GND), especially concepts for
Historic single event or era,
or another linked open vocabulary.
For named historical and natural events, auctions and sales, exhibitions etc. descriptors may be found in the CONA Named Events Facet.
Note that a Linked Data RDF representation is not available as of December 2021.
However, CONA identifiers can be used for indexing, indicated as
Local identifier, pending future URI assignments.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 17.1.2. Event Identification – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT and
CDWA 16.3. Specific Subject Terms – RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS.
Note: Fictitious events are indexed as Subject Object.
Note: For ICONCLASS URIs use Subject Concept.
subjectObject
Terminology recommendations
In general an authority file with hierarchical structure, cross referencing, and synonyms is recommended.
For the
Subject Object element
you may choose a concept identifier from the Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA).
Note that a Linked Data RDF representation is not available as of December 2021.
However, CONA identifiers can be used for indexing, indicated as
Local identifier, pending future URI assignments.
For fictional, religious, mythological, or legendary characters you may find appropriate concepts in the Getty Iconography Authority (IA) under the
Legend, Religion, Mythology Facet, or under the Guide Term Miscellaneous Characters. Note that a Linked Data RDF representation is not available as of December 2021. However, IA identifiers can be used for indexing, indicated as Local identifier, pending future URI assignments.
For legendary places you may find appropriate
concepts in the Getty Iconography Authority (IA) under the
Legend, Religion, Mythology Facet, or under the Guide Term Miscellaneous Legendary Places. Note that a Linked Data RDF representation is not available as of December 2021. However, IA identifiers can be used for indexing, indicated as Local identifier, pending future URI assignments.
Note: For ICONCLASS URIs use Subject Concept.
subjectPlace
Terminology recommendations
In general an authority file with hierarchical structure, cross referencing, and synonyms is recommended.
For the
Subject Place element
choose a concept URI from a linked open authority file, for example, one of those aggregated in
VIAF or in
Wikidata.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 29. Place/Location Authority – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT and
CDWA 17.1.4. Event Place – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Note: Fictitious places are indexed as as Subject Object.
Note: For ICONCLASS URIs use Subject Concept.
termMaterialsTech
Terminology recommendations
For the
Term Materials/Techniques element
choose a concept URI from the following hierarchies of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, respectively:
Materials,
Processes and Techniques, or another linked open vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 7.5. Materials/Techniques Name – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Attributes
actor type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the Actor element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Actor Type-Vocabulary.
classification type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Classification element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Classification Type-Vocabulary.
earliestDate type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Earliest Date element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Earliest Date Type-Vocabulary.
eventPlace type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Event Place element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Event Place Type-Vocabulary.
genderActor type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Gender Actor element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Gender Actor Type-Vocabulary.
It is recommended to index values for Sex or gender,
using values from the LIDO
Gender Actor Vocabulary.
For the type attribute Sex (Biological concept)
choose a concept URI from the
sex (biological characteristic)
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
For the type attribute Gender (Sociological concept)
choose a concept URI from the
gender (sociological concept)
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
geographicalEntity
Terminology recommendations
For the
geographical entity attribute
choose a concept URI from the
landscapes
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
Note that this attribute for the Place element in LIDO v1.0
was intended to qualify the type of the given place entity including natural environment and landscape.
In LIDO v1.1 these values can be expressed in greater detail through
Place Classification,
thus superseding this attribute. However, it may still be in use alternatively or for
stating explicitly that the place entity in focus is of type physical, rather than political.
As a value you may refer to the TGN Record Type physical feature.
This attribute could be used to facilitate browsing by administrative or physical place types, respectively.
identifier type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of LIDO
Identifier elements
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Identifier Type-Vocabulary.
latestDate type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Latest Date element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Latest Date Type-Vocabulary.
nationalityActor type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Nationality Actor element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Nationality Actor Type-Vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 28.8.2. Nationality/Culture/Race Type – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
objectMeasurementsSet type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the
Object Measurements Set and
Event Measurements elements
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Object Measurements Set Type-Vocabulary.
objectWorkType type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Object/Work Type element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Object/WorkType Type-Vocabulary.
periodName type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Period/Style element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Period/Style Type-Vocabulary.
politicalEntity
Terminology recommendations
For the
political entity attribute you may
choose a concept URI from the
administrative bodies
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus.
Note that this attribute for the Place element in LIDO v1.0
was intended to qualify the type of the given place entity according to political structures, including values
such as city or country.
In LIDO v1.1 these values can be expressed in greater detail through
Place Classification,
thus superseding this attribute. However, it may still be in use alternatively or for
stating explicitly that the place entity in focus is of type political, rather than a physical feature.
As a value you may refer to the TGN Record Type administrative.
This attribute could be used to facilitate browsing by administrative or physical place types, respectively.
pref
Terminology recommendations
For the
preference attribute
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Preference Vocabulary.
recordInfoSet type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Record Metadata Information Set element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Record Info Set Type-Vocabulary.
recordMetadataDate type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Record Metadata Date element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Record Metadata Date Type-Vocabulary.
repositorySet type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Repository/Location Set element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
LIDO Repository/Location Set Type-Vocabulary.
resourceRepresentation type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Resource Representation element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Resource Representation Type-Vocabulary.
rightsType type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Rights Type element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Rights Type Type-Vocabulary.
subject type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Subject element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
LIDO Subject Type-Vocabulary.
See also recommendations in
CDWA 16.2.1. General Subject Type – TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
termMaterialsTech type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Term Materials/Techniques element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
LIDO Term Materials/Techniques Type-Vocabulary>.
titleSet type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the
Title Set element
choose a concept URI under the
titles (general, names)
hierarchy of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus, or another linked open vocabulary.
vitalDatesActor type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Vital Dates Actor element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Vital Dates Actor Type-Vocabuary.
vitalPlaceActor type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the
Vital Place Actor element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Vital Place Actor Type-Vocabulary.
workID type attribute
Terminology recommendations
For the type attribute of the LIDO
Repository Work Identification Number element
choose a LIDO Term URI from the
Repository Work ID Type-Vocabulary.