5/4/2019
copyright J.Paul Getty Trust
Introduction to the AAT
revised May 2019 For educational purposes
What is literary warrant?•
Goal of finding warrant for a descriptor includes
determining the most
often used spelling of
the term in the target language in
authoritative, published sources
Note that the term in the published source
s should have not only the same spelling,
but also precisely the same
meaning
as defined in the scope
note of the AAT concept
If the source defines or us
es the term differently t
han intended in the AAT record,
the source may not be used he
term, even though the spelling of
the term is the same.
How many sources are required?•
Each
“descriptor”
requires
a
minimum
of
three
sources,
or
“literary
warrant,”
to
establish
common
usage
Must
be
enough
warrant
to
be
able
to
define
the
term
and
distinguish
it
from
other
terms
Published
evidence
of
a
term
establishing
form
and
spelling
meaning
Usage
by
scholars
and
practitioners
One
of
the
three
sources
for
descriptors
can
be
a
cataloging
institution’s
database
Must
have
at
least
one
authoritative
source
for
UFs
Other
information
in
the
record
must
also
come
from
published
authoritative
sources
Sources
Patricia Harpring © 2019 J. Paul Getty Trust. For educational purposes only. Do not distribute.