Controlled vocabularies
Introduction
The Archives Catalogue includes several controlled vocabularies used to create access points in archival descriptions. Controlled vocabularies include subject terms, geographic place names, genre terms, and authorized names used to uniquely identify archival authority records.
Terms added to controlled vocabularies are primarily derived from authorized headings found in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
Required terms not found in LCSH are created locally using access point rules prescribed in the Rules for Archival Description (RAD), International Standard Archival Authority Records for Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families (ISAAR-CPF), and related metadata standards.Â
This section of the University Archives Manual provides guidance on how to create, revise, and delete terms in controlled vocabularies.
See metadata guidelines for archival descriptions for guidance on when to include access points at each level of description.