Murtha Baca
This paper will describe the history, developments, and scope of the Union List of Artist Names (ULAN), a database developed by the Getty Art History Information Program (AHIP). I will also discuss the evolution of this vocabulary resource from its original conception as a tool for cataloguing to a powerful "retrieval engine" that can be used in a wide variety of environments. The various release formats (print, PC browser, USMARC, ASCII) and future development of this resource (including possible use on the Internet) will be examined, along with a more general discussion of the role of controlled vocabularies in the rapidly changing world of art information.