16. Sources for Geographic Names

LC-PCC PS for 16.2.2.2

NACO RDA Training, Module 5, Describing Places

The LC-PCC Policy Statement for 16.2.2.2 gives preferred online sources that should be used to determine the preferred form of a place name.  When the WWW is not available, the policy statement says to use a gazetteer published within the last two years.

  • U.S.: base preferred name on form found in GNIS
  • Australia: base on form found in Geoscience Australia Place Name Search
  • Canada: base on form found in Canadian Geographical Names Data Base
  • Great Britain: base on form found in Ordnance Survey gazetteer
  • N.Z.: base on form found in New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names and Official Names with Macrons
  • Other names: base on the form found in the resource being cataloged together with a consideration of the form found in the GEOnet Names Server (GNS)