About the Glossary
The Collections Digitization Glossary is a museum collections management and digitization terminology database containing 135 standardized terminology
entries designed to establish a shared vernacular across collections for museum collections professionals.
The glossary is maintained by the author, Ben Norton michaelnorton.ben@gmail.com).
Last Modified: 2025-10-06
Key Characteristics:
- Scope: The glossary covers five main categories
- Collections (accessioning, acquisition, specimen management)
- Workflows (activities, actions, processes)
- Global (general concepts like agents, events, assets)
- Data (data entry, governance, integration)
- Standardization: Terms are drawn from 43 authoritative sources including:
- ISO standards (21246, 18461, 19104, etc.)
- CIDOC CRM (Cultural heritage conceptual reference model)
- PROV ontology (Provenance data model)
- DOI Museum Property Directives
- Domain-specific ontologies
- Status: 126 terms are approved, 8 are provisional, indicating an active, governed vocabulary
- Purpose: This glossary serves to:
- Standardize terminology across museum collections
- Ensure consistent understanding of collections management processes
- Support data interoperability and governance
- Provide authoritative definitions with usage notes and examples
- Align with international standards and best practices