Dear all,

The usual apologies for cross-posting.

 

We have recently been reconciling the narrower terms in our thesauri to ensure that each instance of a term in the polyhierarchy has the same narrower terms. For example LIBRARY sits under 2 broader terms in the EDUCATION and RECREATIONAL classes but only one instance had narrower terms assigned.

 

This has been rectified along with the vast majority of other terms where this was an issue.

 

However there are some terms whereby the narrower terms cannot be reconciled.

For example CAIRN in the Religious, Ritual and Funerary class has the narrower terms of BURIAL CAIRN, CAIRN ALIGNMENT and PLATFORM CAIRN whereas in Agriculture and Subsistence it has the narrower term of CLEARANCE CAIRN.

 

It would be incorrect to add BURIAL CAIRN as a narrower term of the agricultural instance of CAIRN as they are not types of agricultural monument.

 

The solution is to create homographs for the terms so we would have CAIRN (AGRICULTURAL) and CAIRN (FUNERARY).

 

There are 12 terms which will need to be treated like this. They are:

Monument Types:

 

AVENUE

CAIRN

GARDEN

MAZE

MEETING HALL

PUMPING STATION

WASH HOUSE

 

Object Types:

 

KNIFE

BOSS

CHEST

FLAKE

FIREARM

 

We are therefore giving prior warning that these changes will be made and that the aforementioned terms will be downgraded to non-preferred terms of their new homographs (eg. Cairn USE CAIRN (AGRICULTURAL) or CAIRN (FUNERARY)).

 

Obviously any records already indexed with these terms will need to be reassigned to the new terms manually.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this will cause you.

 

If anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me either on or off list.

 

Phil

 

 

Phil Carlisle

Data Standards Supervisor

English Heritage

National Monuments Record Centre

Kemble Drive

Swindon

SN2 2GZ

+44 (0)1793 414824

 

http://thesaurus.english-heritage.org.uk/

 

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