CIDOC Guidelines for Museum Object Information: Object Production Information Group

This page is part of the International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information Categories: a description of the Information Categories that can be used when developing records about the objects in museum collections. For an outline of the Information Groups and Categories in the Guidelines, turn to the introductory list.

Object Production Information Group

Purpose:

Object production information supports Security, Accountability, Access, and an Historic archive. It can be applied to collections management areas as well as object history and description areas. It supports the documentation of the production of man made objects. As such it is required for all types of collection disciplines.

Information categories:

Production place
Production date
Production group/person name
Production role

Examples:

Production place: Leeds
Production date: 1932-03-01
Production group/person name: Grindley
Production group/person role: designer, manufacturer

Notes:

• This Information Group can be repeated to describe multiple production events in the history of an object, including design, manufacture, decoration, etc.

Production place

Alternate names:

Creation place
Place of manufacture

Definition:

The name of a place associated with the production of the object.

Examples:

Karystos/Evia/Greece/Europe
Spurn Point/North Humberside/England/Europe

Notes:

• To record information about specific places, separate each component of a place using the same character, such as a slash.
• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.
• Use the Production role Information Category to specify the way in which the Production place is associated with the object.

Move to beginning of Object production

Production date

Definition:

The date or date range associated with the production of the object.

Examples:

c.1883
1956-01-21
1200-1400
600BC
10BCE

Notes:

• Always use the same format when recording dates.
• Always record all four digits for the year of a date, e.g., 1994, not '94.
• Be as precise as possible when recording dates. It may be necessary to record ranges of dates or to otherwise qualify the date recorded in some way. If so, always use the same method of indicating any qualification.
• Use the Production role Information Category to specify the way in which the Production date is associated with the object.

Move to beginning of Object production

Production group/person name

Alternate names:

Artist
Designer
Maker
Manufacturer

Definition:

The person, group, or organization associated with the production of the object.

Examples:

Iroquois
Heals Ltd
Jones, I

Notes:

• It is recommended that a controlled list of authorized names is used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.
• Use the Production role Information Category to specify the way in which the Production group/person name is associated with the object.

Move to beginning of Object production

Production role

Definition:

The way in which the person/group, date, or place is associated with the origins of the object, including the creation, manufacture, use, excavation, or collection of an object or specimen.

Examples:

designer
manufacturer
painter

Notes:

• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.
• It may be necessary to record more than one Production role for the same person/group, date or place, e.g., where an object was designed and manufactured by the same company.

Move to beginning of Object production

Move to outline of the Information Groups and Categories or the next section of the Guidelines, Object title

file: guidepro.htm; author: CIDOC; updated June 1995