Template for music event database for ephemera

Template for music event database for ephemera

This is a suggested simple template for cataloguing music performances in order to link associated ephemera objects with them. It aims to provide those planning to create a database of programmes or other performance ephemera with a structure and content for their data, whether in a relational database such as the musiconn project (https://performance.slub-dresden.de/) or a simple flat structure for a small collection or organisation. It may be useful in particular to non-specialists in performing institutions who want to organise their own collections, as a guide to the type of information they may wish to include.

It does not attempt to encompass every aspect of a performance in the way that is addressed by projects such as the https://schema.org/MusicEvent, although this may be a useful tool for those planning a database of events. Nor does it prescribe the authority files which an event database may wish to use, as these may be dictated by national or institutional requirements, although it is recommended that databases follow a standard already in use, for example VIAF or an existing national authority file.

Its primary aim is to link various ephemeral materials to the event to which they are related, enabling diverse materials to contribute to a more complete overview of a performance.   The file with the template is attached below; it has been discussed and approved by the Study Group, but further comments are always welcome.