Capturing name variations is a key part of the Navigating.art platform to enable precise cataloging. This article explores the benefits of documenting detailed data for name variations and walks through all the available fields.
Agent records can store multiple name variations for the described person, corporate body, or other type of agent. Each name entry should represent a distinct variation of how the agent is being addressed. The name variations may derive from different contexts or changing of a name over time.
Why should you document more than one name?
Capturing multiple names for each agent allows creating a detailed documentation about a person or corporate body. Any variation os a name help identify agents accurately. For example, many artist are widely known with shorter names than their birth names. Additionally, persons could change their name, for example after marriage, and even corporate bodies may go through changes that involve new naming of an organisation. Having the full names and past names available ensures precise identification of agents.
Amongst these name entries one entry must be marked as the primary name. Still, throughout the cataloguing process, the name matching the specific context can chosen for display. This is especially relevant when dealing with aliases, which may be completely different from an agent's actual name. For example, the artist Tom Wesselmann published essay and book as his alter ego Slim Stealingworth. By capturing both names in the same agent, the artist entry Tom Wesselmann will be connected to those publication, while the alter ego name Slim Stealingworth has been chosen for display in the article.
The available fields of a name entry
The available fields for each name entry are:
- Name (normal order): This is the main variation used for display throughout the platform and public display. For persons, the normal order name generally consists of
forename surname. This is a required field. - Name (inverted order): This name variation is used for accurate sorting of agents and for the rendering of authors in bibliographic records. The inverted order name should start with the name element by which the name should be sorted. For persons this is generally
surname, forname. Please note: This field is needed for agents used in publication records. When the inverted name is empty, the bibliography will display the normal order name instead. - Name type: This menu allows categorising special name forms, such as suffixes, academic credentials, and nobility titles. Choose from the list of option. This field is optional.
- Name description: This text field allows entering explanations and document circumstances related to the name entry. The name description can help other understand why the name entry is needed and how it should be used.
Filling in missing inverted order for names
In the Names section on the agent detail page, you see an overview of all available name data. Each name should contain a normal order and an inverted order. This way variations of the same name are documented in the same entry. When a name's inverted order field is empty, an automatically created inversion is suggested. Click Accept to save the suggested name inversion. If the suggestion is not accurate, click the edit icon on the right, enter the correct inversion, and save.
The impact of using inverted names
Inverted names are used for sorting agents accurately and for generating bibliographic citations.
When sorting agents by name, the inverted order offers the benefit of showing persons in order of their surname (last name). Agents can only be sorted by either normal name or inverted name. If sorting by inverted name, any agents names without an inverted order, will sort at the end of the list.
Publication records included in bibliographies automatically display the inverted names of agents and editors in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style. Because each name entry contains both normal and inverted order, you do not have to choose which order to use where. This happens automatically, you just need to choose the correct variation of the agent's name for the context you are cataloguing in. When the inverted name is empty, the bibliography will display the normal order name instead.
Does the name structure apply to persons or all agent types?
Yes, the normal and inverted name order can be entered for all agent types, including corporate bodies and families. By filling in the inverted order for all names of your agents, you enable more accurate sorting. This applies to corporate bodies as. Think of organisation names that include articles at the beginning, for example The Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you wish to sort this agent entry under M, then you must add the inverted order fort sorting as "Metropolitan Museum of Art, The". Additionally, having multiple names per agent allows you to capture known aliases, for example in this case "The Met".
