History

Documentation Standards working group (DSWG) is a merger of two earlier groups: the Data and Terminology Working Group and the Data Model Working Group.

DSWG’s terminology work includes reviews of terminology resources. The Group has published a Terminology control bibliography (1990) and a Directory of Thesauri for Object Names (1994).[source?]

DSWG  has issued a Data modelling bibliography, published in 1994 and compiled by Jacqueline Zak and Linda Kincheloe (Getty Conservation Institute), with the help of Pat Barnett, Janet Goman and George Hickman.

International Guidelines for Museum Object Information, in cidoc pages was published in June 1995. This is a description of the Information Categories that can be used when developing records about the objects in museum collections. The Guidelines can be adopted by an individual museum, national documentation organization, or system developer, as the basis for a working museum documentation system.

The data model work included developing a theoretical data model, preparing publications and training workshops concerning the model and advising other projects about the application of the model. The files making up the data model itself are available on-line and in print (updated 1995), but the model itself has largely been superseded by the Conceptual Reference Model. Eventually, the Conceptual Reference Model Special Interest Group (CRM SIG) was founded in CIDOC Ottawa, August 2000, to develop and promote this particular standard [Martin Doerr].

More recently, the Documentation Standards Working Group has developed a Statement of principles of museum documentation. This document has been finalized, and was adopted at the 2012 CIDOC AGM in Helsinki. The following year “The Documentation Principles” was adopted as ICOM recommendation in ICOM General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There is also an executive summary available [PLS, CHECK CORRECT LINK in cidoc pages] . Here you can find a presentation explaining the benefits of adhering to Principles of Documentation given few years ago in a CIDOC Conference:

List of  Previous Chairs

Jonathan Whitson Cloud, UK, 2013 –

Richard Light, UK xxxx – 2013

NIcholas Crofts, Switzerland xxxx – xxxx

We are collecting memories and facts of the past of this long standing CIDOC working group, and are happy to receive contributions. Please, send your stories to ekosaari@iki.fi