Data value standards are lists of standard terms or codes used when inputting data elements. Examples include authority files for names, thesauri and subject headings for subject terms and geographic names, and resource type terms. Using an established list of terms (controlled vocabulary) ensures consistency when describing physical materials or digital objects and can improve the quality of search and browse results by the end user.
Regional
- Directory of Minnesota Photographers
Online access provided by the Minnesota Historical Society. - Minnesota Place Names
Look up Minnesota cities, townships and villages, counties, and people. Print editions exist, but online access is temporarily unavailable.
National
- Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
Created and maintained by the Getty Research Institute, this list includes terms relating to fine art, architecture, decorative arts, archival materials, and material culture. It is used by catalogers and/or indexers to describe works of art, architecture, material culture, archival materials, visual surrogates, or bibliographic materials. - Dublin Core Metadata Type Vocabulary
A general cross-domain list of terms that may be used as values for the Dublin Core Type element to identify the genre of a resource. Examples of terms include Still Image, Text, and Moving Image. - Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST)
Adapted from the Library of Congress Subject Headings, FAST is a simplified controlled vocabulary from which terms can be assigned and used by non-professional catalogers and/or indexers. - Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Provides terminology about places important to various disciplines that specialize in art, architecture, and material culture. - Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
Access to Library of Congress Subject Headings is available from the Library of Congress. After clicking on the link above, limit your search by selecting "Subject Authority Headings" from the drop-down menu. - Library of Congress Name Authority File
After clicking on the link above, limit your search by selecting "Name Authority Headings" from the drop down menu. - National Agricultural Library Agricultural Thesaurus
Over 110,000 agricultural terms produced by the National Agricultural Library. - Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Compiled and maintained by the Library of Congress, this thesaurus contains more than 7,000 subject and genre/format terms used to describe visual materials.
