The experience of using AAT in the Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This paper analyzes the experience of implementing the Tainacan digital repository at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rio Grande do Sul (MACRS), focusing on the use of the Getty Research Institute's Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). The aim is to investigate the applicability of the AAT, a knowledge organization system developed in another country and language (American English), in a Brazilian contemporary art institution. The research adopts a qualitative and quantitative approach, using bibliographic and ocumentary techniques to examine the application of AAT as a controlled vocabulary for 3 meta data sets in the MACRS digital repository. The results show that the use of AAT in MACRS has both advantages and limitations. More than 87% of the terms used by the museum have equivalence in the AAT, indicating high compatibility between the vocabulary adopted by the museum and the international reference. However, the translation of terms into Portuguese (BR) and the inclusion of specific terms are still challenges to beovercome. The study concludes that adopting the AAT as a data value standard is feasible and can contribute significantly to the standardization and internationalization of museum practices in Brazil. It also highlights the importance of strategic partnerships for the translation and adaptation of additional AAT terms, as well as for the development of new knowledge organization systems that meet the specific demands of different types of museum collections.