# Introduction These resources are designed to support cataloging and access to the Visual and Material Culture Collections held in Wellcome Collection. The collection, although mainly 2D graphic material, covers a broad range of formats, including prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, born digital images, sculpture and other 3D objects. Wellcome Collection's Visual Collections are not catalogued in a single database, therefore these guidelines aim to facilitate a common approach to cataloging, regardless of the system they are catalogued in. The following **Cataloging History** section provides an insight into past cataloging of the collection (pre 2021), and gives context for the legacy metadata in existing catalogue records. The **Metadata Framework** identifies the common types of data the cataloger should aim to include in a record, if known or applicable to the object being described. The Framework is based on the [Cataloguing Cultural Objects](https://www.vraweb.org/cco#:~:text=Cataloging%20Cultural%20Objects%20\(CCO\)%20is,museums%2C%20digital%20libraries%2C%20and%20archives) (CCO) manual published by the Visual Resources Association (VRA). A **Metadata Crosswalk** compares how each element of metadata is treated in Wellcome's current cataloging systems and sector standards used in Wellcome Collection, plus CCO and the Museum Accreditation standard SPECTRUM. Elements identified in the Metadata Framework are applied to Library and Archive principles in Wellcome's system specific guidelines for [Library](https://docs.wellcomecollection.org/library-cataloguing/) and [Archive](https://docs.wellcomecollection.org/archive-cataloguing/) materials. **Cataloguing Aids** includes a basic template for Visual Material catalogue records, plus links to examples of different Visual formats, considerations on record content, and a guide to the identification of different formats. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.wellcomecollection.org/visual-and-material-culture-cataloguing/readme.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.