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Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

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Originating Country (Origin)

Field to be used with an authority listField used for ethnology and history collectionsField used for fine and decorative arts collectionsField used for science and technology collectionsField used for archaeology collections (object data and site data)Field used for natural science collectionsSociété des musées québécois Info-Muse database field

Definition:

  • This field contains the name of the country where the object originated.

Observations:

  1. For better search results in your database, avoid using a large variety of terms; draw up an authority list and add names of countries as necessary. See documentation tip No. 2 (in French only) for bibliographic references.
  2. N.B.: Do not confuse the Originating Country field with the Manufacturer Country field. The Originating Country field contains the name of the country where the object was produced. The Manufacturer Country field contains the name of the country where the manufacturer's head office is located.
    Example 1

    A plate manufactured in England by Chelsea, a British company

     Object Nameplate
      Manufacturer Chelsea
     Manufacturer Country United Kingdom, England
     Originating ContinentEurope
    Originating Country United Kingdom, England
    Example 2

    A plate inscribed "Made in England" for which you do not know the manufacturer

     Object Nameplate
      Manufacturer 
     Manufacturer Country 
     Originating ContinentEurope
    Originating Country United Kingdom, England
  3. This field is used in conjunction with the Originating Continent field.

Entry rules:

  1. Enter the full name of the country; do not use abbreviations.
    Example

    Originating Country United States
     and not 
     Originating Country USA
  2. If the name of the originating country has changed, first enter its current name, followed by a comma and a space, then the name that applied at the time the object was produced.
    Example

    A Dogon statue from French Sudan

     Object Name statue
     Originating ContinentAfrica
    Originating Country Mali, French Sudan
      Culture African, Dogon
  3. If you are unsure whether your information is correct, include a space and a question mark after the name of the country.
    Example

    A bag, probably from Afghanistan

     Object Namebag
     Originating ContinentAsia
    Originating Country Afghanistan ?
  4. This field may not contain more than one entry.
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