Group naming convention

In our library we have an inconsistent naming convention for groups (see here for a full list of our authors and groups: https://libcom.org/library/authors/index)

As part of the redesign, currently going on behind the scenes, I would like for us to standardise how we name groups in our Authors/People/Groups tags field.

At the moment we have a mishmash of acronyms, full names in English and foreign language names (e.g. CNT, IWW, Mouvement Communiste, Anarchist Federation etc)

so what I would propose is instead we try to use just one format. I would suggest we use the format of full names, in the original language, unless the group happens to be better known by an English-language name (for example if the language uses a non-Latin alphabet, like the Autonomous Workers Union in Ukraine).

So in the new format group names would be Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, Industrial Workers of the World, Mouvement Communiste, Anarchist Federation etc.

What do people reckon?

Sounds sensible but for

Sounds sensible but for different groups with the same or very similar names over time may need to add some location or other distinction thus; eg Solidarity Federation (IWA) Solidarity(UK) Wildcat(Germany) Wildcat(UK) etc?? Some of this maybe already done?

Spikymike wrote: Sounds

Spikymike

Sounds sensible but for different groups with the same or very similar names over time may need to add some location or other distinction thus; eg Solidarity Federation (IWA) Solidarity(UK) Wildcat(Germany) Wildcat(UK) etc?? Some of this maybe already done?

yeah, we do this already, where necessary. So we use Wildcat (Germany) and Wildcat (UK) as the groups have the same name, but Solidarity and Solidarity Federation are the only groups with those names, so don't need additional info in my view.

But say the USI in Italy, that would need qualification, like Unione Sindacale Italiana (AIT), and Unione Sindacale Italiana (Roma), to distinguish between the IWA and non-IWA splits

This is interesting. What you

This is interesting. What you are proposing, and to some extent already doing, is very similar to what national and academic libraries already ''do' for Authority Control. I'm guessing that you've already looked at, for example, http://viaf.org/ ? If not, it could save you some work as headings already exist for a lot of leftist and revolutionary groups (see: http://viaf.org/viaf/search?query=local.names+all+%22Socialist%20Workers%20Party%22&sortKeys=holdingscount&recordSchema=BriefVIAF for example).

morven wrote: This is

morven

This is interesting. What you are proposing, and to some extent already doing, is very similar to what national and academic libraries already ''do' for Authority Control. I'm guessing that you've already looked at, for example, http://viaf.org/ ? If not, it could save you some work as headings already exist for a lot of leftist and revolutionary groups (see: http://viaf.org/viaf/search?query=local.names+all+%22Socialist%20Workers%20Party%22&sortKeys=holdingscount&recordSchema=BriefVIAF for example).

thanks for that, looks interesting.

Although I think we really want a more simplified version. So for the IWW we would like everything as it currently is in one tag (whereas that system, for example has loads of different ones for different sections of the IWW)

Steven. wrote: So in the new

Steven.

So in the new format group names would be Confederación Nacional del Trabajo, Industrial Workers of the World, Mouvement Communiste, Anarchist Federation etc.

What do people reckon?

Is the reason just consistency or are there other reasons? Because I'm not sure that alone is necessarily enough of a reason to make it worthwhile - eg with the IWW and CNT, that's what they're generally known as; just in terms of being user friendliness, ease of searching etc isn't that the most sensible way? Most books on the IWW for example will use the acronym in the title.

Sorry, I should clarify (I'll

Sorry, I should clarify (I'll edit the OP), this wouldn't be for text or titles, just for author/group tags