1.0       IDENTIFICATION AREA

 

 

DEFINITION:           

This area is used to record names and other information that identify the organization.

 

DISCUSSION:         

 

            >>Purpose:               

This information is recorded in order to identify uniquely the organization being described.

 

            >>Nature:                  

Identification information consists primarily of names by which the organization has been known throughout its existence.  It also includes information such as identification numbers that may be uniquely assigned to the organization.

 

SOURCES:              

Identification information is usually determined from records produced by the organization itself, but may also be determined from reference sources.

 

USES:                       

Identification information is used to disambiguate organizations with similar names, and to ensure that other elements of organizational information are associated with the correct organizational unit.

 

ACCESS:                 

Identification information is an essential access point to the description of the organization.

 

TERMINOLOGY:

 

EXAMPLES:

 

INTERCHANGE:    

Associations between the subcategories must be maintained during information exchange or data transfer.

 

RELATIONSHIPS:  

 

PRACTICE:

 

ISSUES:       

 

 

 

 

1.1       NAME OF ORGANIZATION

 

DEFINITION:           

The names or titles by which an organization has been identified.

 

DISCUSSION:         

 

            >>Purpose:               

Names are an essential element in the unambiguous identification of an organization.  For an organization that has been known by different names over time, complete documentation of its names is necessary to express fully the continuity of the organization, and the changes it has undergone.

 

            >>Nature:                  

Although most organizations have a formal name by which they prefer to be known, they may often have additional names in everyday or colloquial use, e.g., nicknames, acronyms, and other variants.  Linguistic variations of an organization's name are common (e.g., for organizations operating in countries with two or more official languages); the language of a name and, if necessary, the scheme by which it has been transliterated should be recorded.  Names of organizations often change as a result of significant events in an organization's history, so dates associated with names are an important element to record.

 

SOURCES:              

Organization names usually figure prominently in the records created by the organization.  Official names typically can be found in formal documents, such as articles of incorporation.  Other types of names may be derived from secondary published sources such as directories or reference works.

 

USES:                       

Names are used to identify organizations.  If an organization's name changes and dates associated with the change are known, the name used when records were created can help in their dating.

 

ACCESS:                 

Names are a primary access point to information about organizations.  Researchers will search for the organization's name in many ways, including by its official name (if any), any variant or colloquial names including acronyms, and by spellings in different languages.  Researchers may search for any name in full or partial form.  Collocation of all forms of the organization's name is essential.

 

TERMINOLOGY:

Names recorded in the organizational history record will be used to control references to the organization in other documentation.  Use appropriate and relevant standards to determine whether preference for any one name will be established, and if so, which.

 

EXAMPLES:

Congregatio Concilii

Michigan. Territorial Militia

Michigan Department of Military Affairs

I.M. Pei and Partners

 

INTERCHANGE:    

Associations between subcategories must be maintained during information exchange or data transfer.

 

RELATIONSHIPS:  

 

PRACTICE:

 

ISSUES:       

 

 

 

 

1.2       IDENTIFIERS

 

DEFINITION:           

Identifiers include information (other than names) used to identify the organization.

 

DISCUSSION:         

 

            >>Purpose:               

Identifiers can add to the unique identification of organizations.

 

            >>Nature:                  

Identifiers are typically textual codes or numeric values assigned externally to an organization in order to uniquely identify it within a specific context.  It is therefore vital to record both the identifier itself, and information about the context in which the identifier is used.

 

SOURCES:              

Identifiers are often carried on reporting documents created by the organization, such as tax forms, registrations, licenses, and applications.

 

USES:                       

Identifiers are used in place of an organization's name when needed to uniquely identify the organization within a specific context.

 

ACCESS:                 

Researchers will want access to identifiers when approaching organizational information from the context in which the identifier is used.  For example, a researcher studying stock market trends may want to retrieve corporation records according to the acronyms by which they are identified in different stock markets.

 

TERMINOLOGY:

 

EXAMPLES:

Tax Identication Number

ISBN "stem" assigned to each publisher

Stock exchange acronyms [what is the term for this?]

 

INTERCHANGE:    

Associations between the subcategories must be maintained during information exchange or data transfer.

 

RELATIONSHIPS:  

 

PRACTICE:

 

ISSUES:       

The syntax of a given type of identifier may be important; e.g.,  the hyphenation in an ISBN number, and the capitalization of a stock code.