A controlled vocabulary of terms related to the audiovisual collections of the Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l’Europe (CVCE) provides a standardized way to index and retrieve materials related to European integration. For example, using a term like “Treaty of Rome” instead of variations such as “Rome Treaty” or “Treaty establishing the European Economic Community” ensures consistent indexing and facilitates more accurate search results. This structured lexicon enhances the discoverability of primary source documents, photographs, videos, and other resources within the CVCE archives.
Standardized terminology offers several key advantages. It improves the precision of search queries, reducing irrelevant results and saving researchers valuable time. Furthermore, a controlled vocabulary allows for more effective cross-referencing and linking of related materials, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex historical context surrounding European integration. The development and implementation of such a vocabulary represent a significant step towards preserving and making accessible crucial historical resources for scholars and the wider public.
