The Getty Vocabulary Program

The Getty Vocabulary Program is an initiative by the Getty Research Institute that develops and maintains structured sets of terms to describe art, architecture, and cultural heritage. These controlled vocabularies ensure consistent and accurate description across museums, libraries, and archives worldwide. By standardizing terminology, the program improves information sharing, searchability, and research, helping users find and understand cultural collections more effectively. It includes well-known resources like the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) and the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN).