Recordonderwerpen

Recordonderwerpen are standardized subject headings employed by Dutch libraries, archives, and cultural institutions to classify and index recorded media, including audio recordings, sound tapes, video tapes, and digital audio‑visual material. The concept arose in the late twentieth century as a response to the growing diversity of recorded formats and the need for consistent metadata across institutions. By assigning a Recordonderwerp to each item, information professionals facilitate precise retrieval, thematic browsing, and cross‑institutional cataloguing.

The system operates similarly to the Dutch vastbepaald system (VBN) for books and to the RAMEAU used in France, but it targets the peculiarities of recorded content. Recordonderwerpen encompass topics such as musical genre, performer, recording date, and place, but they also cover cultural, historical, and technological themes—e.g., "mansong" for English folk ballads, “olympische spelen 1984” for recordings related to the 1984 Olympic Games. Each heading follows a controlled vocabulary, often derived from the Serpico National Library Classification and subsequently adapted by institutions such as the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (National Library of the Netherlands).

Usage of Recordonderwerpen enhances interoperability between physical and online catalogs. In digital repositories, the headings are encoded in metadata standards such as MARC21, RDA, or Dublin Core, allowing interoperability across the European Union's digital library networks. However, the system faces challenges: ambiguous or emerging topics can strain the controlled vocabulary, and rapid technological change necessitates regular updates. Continuous collaboration among Dutch cultural heritage institutions and international metadata communities mitigates these issues, ensuring that Recordonderwerpen remain a robust tool for recording and retrieving cultural heritage in audio‑visual form.