• CCO & Descriptive Titles for Photographs

Example that does comply with CCO rules:

Identification and Creation

Object Number

P1972.2

People

Diane Arbus, American (New York, N.Y., USA 1923 - 1971 New York, N.Y., USA)

Title

identical twins, Cathleen (l.) and Colleen, members of a twin club in New Jersey. 1966

Other Titles

Series/Book Title: A Box of Ten Photographs, 1970

Classification

Photographs

Work Type

photograph

Date

1966

Places

Creation Place: North America, United States, New Jersey

Culture

American

Source: http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/285957?position=2 

“CCO recommends that a minimal record should include most if not all core metadata elements; a minimal record should contain data values for all of the required core elements whenever possible.”

Why it complies with CCO:

Title identical twins, Cathleen (l.) and Colleen, members of a twin club in New Jersey. 1966

CCO states that the “Titles for works are typically assigned by artists, owning institutions, collectors, or scholars”. In this case, the artist, Diane Arbus assigned the title “identical twins, Cathleen (l.) and Colleen, members of a twin club in New Jersey. 1966”. This could have been more clearly spelled out in the record by stating this with Title Type. CCO states, “A Title Type provides a way to distinguish between the various types of titles (for example, repository title, inscribed title, creator’s title, descriptive title)”

Other Titles: Series/Book Title: A Box of Ten Photographs, 1970

CCO states, “Many works of art and architecture are complex works and comprise several parts. Examples include a page from a manuscript, a photograph from an album….” This Other Title conforms to CCO because it is displayed in proper hierarchical form directly below the Title, describing what is called the “Whole-Part Relationships between Works”.

Work Type: photograph

CCO states that the “Work Type term is intended to identify the work that is the focus of the catalog record” typically refers to a work’s physical form, function, or medium … works are built works, visual art works, or cultural artifacts, including architecture, paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs….”

Classification: Photographs

The Class Element associated with the Work Type is the general classification photographs. The work type photograph is stored within the Authority File photographs.

Unique ID: Object Number P1972.2

CCO states, “a unique numeric or alphanumeric code—for example, an accession number or identification number—is usually created for that purpose by the owner of the work.” In this case, the Harvard Art Museum uses the term Object Number.

People: Diane Arbus, American (New York, N.Y., USA 1923 - 1971 New York, N.Y., USA)

Refers to COO Chapter 2: Creator Information

Date: 1966

Reflects COO element of Creation Date

Places: Creation Place: North America, United States, New Jersey

Conforms to COO Chapter 5 Location and Geography Place Authority

Culture: American

From COO Chapter 4: Stylistic, Cultural, and Chronological Information, this gives the Culture element link

Example that does not comply with CCO rules:

Sorry this image is so small-it's the only one I could download and enlarging it just makes it blurry. A much clearer and easy to view can be seen here:

Source: http://collections.si.edu/search/tag/tagDoc.htm?recordID=NMAI_323840

·       Title:

___2664

·       Description:

Seated studio portrait of Chief Washakie or Shoots-on-the-Run or The Rattle (ca. 1806-1900), wearing a cotton shirt, earrings, bandolier sash, large peace medal or metal medallion, wrapped in a blanket with wool cloth leggings and plain moccasins. He holds a hat with braid decoration

·       Culture/People:

Lemhi Shoshone and Salish (Flathead)

·       Date created:

original 1860-1869; copy 1869

·       Photographer:

Original attributed to Charles William Carter, Non-Indian, 1832-1918 or Savage & Ottinger Co., 1862-ca. 1875; copy by A. Zeno Shindler (Antonio Zeno Shindler), Non-Indian, 1823-1899

·       Place:

Salt Lake City; Salt Lake County; Utah; USA

·       Format/Object name:

Albumen print

·       Collection History/Provenance:

A. Zeno Shindler was commissioned by William Henry Blackmore, an English collector, to make prints and a catalog of Blackmore's photograph collection for an exhibit at the Smithsonian. In the process of cataloging and reprinting these and other photos, Schindler often claimed authorship to the copies he made. No further collection history available.

·       Dimensions:

4 x 6.5 in.

·       Catalog number:

P02593

Why it does not comply with CCO:

Title:___2664 

COO section 1.1.2.2.1. states that “if no descriptive title is available in an authoritative source, construct a descriptive title.” Obviously _02664 is NOT descriptive and does not create access to this photograph. What is depressing about this title is that Chief Washakie is easily searchable in the LOC Authority Record, Field Heading (1XX) Washakie, approximately 1804-1900 http://lccn.loc.gov/nr94020355

As 1.1.2.2.2 states Authority files can be linked to the Work Type record.

There are three titles given to the man who is in the photograph. I am assuming the LOC naming authority would be the Smithsonian preferred, repository title. (COO Section 1.2.2.2.4 Multiple Titles) Title Type: Alternate would be given for the two other names of Chief Washakie

The Title given in this record should really be the Unique ID: _2664

CCO states, “a unique numeric or alphanumeric code—for example, an accession number or identification number—is usually created for that purpose by the owner of the work.” The Smithsonian does reference a Catalog number PO2593 that one would assume is the Unique ID, leaving us to wonder what the number 2664 is all about.

Under the Record Culture/People we would assume that Lemhi Shoshone and Salish (Flathead) is a Native American Tribe. A more complete record again would place the culture geographically. In this case the LOC named authority http://lccn.loc.gov/no93036642  Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

The place where the photograph was taken is presumably Utah. The record is confusing in this way, as it is not clearly stated whether the Chief’s tribe is from Utah or the photograph was taken there.

The other elements of the COO are fairly well represented

New Descriptive Title:

Chief Washakie, (ca. 1806-1900), Chief of Eastern Bands of Shoshoni Indians, Wyoming, seated studio portrait, albumen print

            Title: Chief Washakie Title Type: preferred, repository title

            Title: Shoots-on-the-Run Title Type: alternate            

            Title: The Rattle Title Type: alternate