AIATSIS Place Thesaurus
Thesauri homepage | About the thesaurus | Using the thesaurus | Structure and display | Searching the catalogue from the thesaurus | Place Links
About the thesaurus
This thesaurus has been set up in a way that allows automatic searching of Mura®, the AIATSIS catalogue. Before clicking on the links to search the catalogue, please read our sensitivity message.The AIATSIS thesaurus contains headings for language group and people, subjects relating to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies, and place names. These headings are used to describe all items held in Mura®, the AIATSIS Collections Catalogue.
Currently, you are able to search for headings relating to language group and people. Headings relating to subjects and place names are planned to be added to this online version of the AIATSIS thesaurus in a few months time.
The AIATSIS thesaurus will be updated every 1-2 months.
We welcome your comments on the AIATSIS thesaurus. Click on the Feedback link on the page for the heading that you wish to provide comments on.
Using the thesaurus
There is a drop-down box of different search options where you can select the type of search you want to make. It is currently set (as a default) to “Terms which contain this character string”.
Terms which contain this character string…
A character string is any set of letters that make up part of a word (for example ‘arac’ is a character string of the word ‘character’).
Enter in a term or set of letters in the search box then click on the search button, this will find the term anywhere within the word i.e. typing in ‘wood’ will find Woodah Isle as well as Mount Ringwood.
Terms that start with…
This search option will only find terms beginning with the letters you have typed into the search box, i.e. ‘mon’ would find Mona Mona. If you know the start of the word you are looking for but not the whole word, use this option (it will bring back less results than “Terms which contain this character string”).
Display formats
Default display option: Term list
This will display a list of valid terms in alphabetical order starting with your search term.
Other Display Formats
From the display contents drop-down box choose the option: Term + Relationships
This will display the term followed by its relationships and will be followed by the next alphabetical entry with its relationships.
BT: Broader Term
NT: Narrower Term
UF: Use For
Searching the catalogue from the Thesaurus
This thesaurus has been set up in a way that allows automatic searching of the AIATSIS catalogue. Once you have displayed a term you will notice a drop-down menu at the top right hand side of the page.
Description of search options
All
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to all item types in the AIATSIS catalogue for the term from the thesaurus.
ABI
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Biographical Index for the term from the thesaurus.
Books
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to books, and book chapters from the AIATSIS catalogue for the term from the thesaurus.
Manuscripts and microform
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to manuscripts and microform from the AIATSIS catalogue for the term from the thesaurus.
Language collection
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to items in the language collection from the AIATSIS catalogue for the term from the thesaurus.
Recorded sound collections
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to the recorded sound collections held in the AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive, for the term from the thesaurus.
Film and video
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to film and videos held in the AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive, for the term from the thesaurus.
Pictorial collections
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to the pictorial collections held in the AIATSIS Audiovisual Archive, for the term from the thesaurus.
Rare books, pamphlets, serials
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to rare books, rare pamphlets and rare serials from the AIATSIS catalogue for the term from the thesaurus.
Serial Articles and pamphlets
This option will automatically search for and retrieve records relating to serial articles and pamphlets from the AIATSIS catalogue for the term from the thesaurus.
If your catalogue search is unsuccessful you will see a browse list of headings. You can navigate through this list if you wish or return to the thesaurus and select to search the catalogue by a different item type.
Structure and display
Important:
This thesaurus has been set up in a way that allows automatic searching of the AIATSIS catalogue. Before clicking on the links to search the catalogue, please read our sensitivity message.
Hierarchical relationships
The thesaurus is based on a hierarchical structure.
The following abbreviations have been used in the thesaurus: "Broader Terms" represent more general concepts than "Narrower Terms", which are more specific terms. These are labelled as BT (broader term) and its reciprocal relationship of NT (narrower term).
Example:
Pilbara area (WA SF50, SF51, SG50)
BT: Western Australia (WA)
NT: Ashburton River (WA Pilbara SF50)
NT: Barrow Island (WA SF50-01)
Additions to headings
The majority of headings in the AIATSIS language thesaurus and the AIATSIS place thesaurus contain grid references. These grid references relate to the 1: 250 000 map grid reference areas.
Examples: Dubbo (N NSW SI55-04)
You can search the Geoscience Australia web site, place names of Australia for place names which will take you to the appropriate map grid reference.
http://www.ga.gov.au/map/names/
Place links
Geoscience Australia web site, place names of Australia
http://www.ga.gov.au/map/names/
Map from the Norman B. Tindale's Aboriginal tribes of Australia, 1974 http://www.ga.gov.au/map/names/
Australian mapping organisations
http://www.nla.gov.au/map/cartolinks.html
Updated October 2005.