{"id":"linked-art/api/shared-identifiers","relativePath":"linked-art/api/shared-identifiers.md","title":"Linked Art API: Shared Identifiers","markdown":"# Linked Art API: Shared Identifiers\n\n**Last refreshed:** 2026-07-06\n\nSource: [Identifiers shared structure](https://linked.art/api/1.0/shared/identifier/), part of Linked Art API 1.0, published under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is a project summary; the upstream page is authoritative.\n\n## Purpose\n\nIdentifiers are string codes assigned to a resource in a particular context, such as accession numbers, system identifiers, inventory numbers, or contact points. Every endpoint can use identifiers through `identified_by`.\n\nIdentifiers are structurally similar to Names, but they are not natural-language labels. They do not have `language`, translated forms, or alternative language forms.\n\n## Required Shape\n\nAn identifier structure includes:\n\n- `type`: required. Must be `Identifier`.\n- `content`: required string value of the identifier.\n- `id`: optional URI identifying the identifier, not the entity being identified.\n- `_complete`: optional completeness signal. If an `id` URI has richer dereferenceable information, `_complete: false` must be present.\n\n## Recommended Fields\n\n- `_label`: developer-facing label.\n- `classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as accession number.\n- `identified_by`: display names for the identifier itself, following the `Name` pattern.\n\n## Optional Fields\n\n- `referred_to_by`: references to textual works about the identifier, or embedded statements about it.\n- `assigned_by`: assignment evidence following the `AttributeAssignment` pattern.\n\n## Common Incoming Relationships\n\n- `identified_by`: used by all endpoint records for identifiers assigned to the resource.\n- `contact_point`: used by Person and Group records for contact points modeled as identifiers.\n\n## Meta Museum Notes\n\nMeta Museum already preserves identifiers across object, concept, person, group, set, textual, visual, and digital records. Existing coverage proves primary/system identifiers and embedded `Identifier.assigned_by` evidence can survive record retrieval without being collapsed into display labels. Future fixture work should keep identifier assignment evidence explicit: `AttributeAssignment`, `timespan`, `carried_out_by`, and explanatory statements.\n\n## Test Ideas\n\n- Preserve `Identifier.content` and `classified_as` for accession numbers and system identifiers.\n- Preserve `identified_by` display names on identifiers without treating them as replacement identifier values.\n- Preserve `referred_to_by` notes attached to identifiers.\n- Preserve `assigned_by` `AttributeAssignment` evidence, including timespan and assigning group.\n- Preserve `contact_point` identifiers on Person and Group records.\n- Add a dereferenceable identifier `id` with richer detail available and verify `_complete: false`.\n","sections":[{"level":2,"heading":"Purpose","anchor":"purpose"},{"level":2,"heading":"Required Shape","anchor":"required-shape"},{"level":2,"heading":"Recommended Fields","anchor":"recommended-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Optional Fields","anchor":"optional-fields"},{"level":2,"heading":"Common Incoming Relationships","anchor":"common-incoming-relationships"},{"level":2,"heading":"Meta Museum Notes","anchor":"meta-museum-notes"},{"level":2,"heading":"Test Ideas","anchor":"test-ideas"}],"html":"<h1 id=\"linked-art-api-shared-identifiers\">Linked Art API: Shared Identifiers</h1>\n<p><strong>Last refreshed:</strong> 2026-07-06</p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://linked.art/api/1.0/shared/identifier/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">Identifiers shared structure</a>, part of Linked Art API 1.0, published under <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"doc-link\">CC BY 4.0</a>. This is a project summary; the upstream page is authoritative.</p>\n<h2 id=\"purpose\">Purpose</h2>\n<p>Identifiers are string codes assigned to a resource in a particular context, such as accession numbers, system identifiers, inventory numbers, or contact points. Every endpoint can use identifiers through `identified_by`.</p>\n<p>Identifiers are structurally similar to Names, but they are not natural-language labels. They do not have `language`, translated forms, or alternative language forms.</p>\n<h2 id=\"required-shape\">Required Shape</h2>\n<p>An identifier structure includes:</p>\n<ul><li>`type`: required. Must be `Identifier`.</li><li>`content`: required string value of the identifier.</li><li>`id`: optional URI identifying the identifier, not the entity being identified.</li><li>`_complete`: optional completeness signal. If an `id` URI has richer dereferenceable information, `_complete: false` must be present.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"recommended-fields\">Recommended Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`_label`: developer-facing label.</li><li>`classified_as`: classifications following the `Type` structure, such as accession number.</li><li>`identified_by`: display names for the identifier itself, following the `Name` pattern.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"optional-fields\">Optional Fields</h2>\n<ul><li>`referred_to_by`: references to textual works about the identifier, or embedded statements about it.</li><li>`assigned_by`: assignment evidence following the `AttributeAssignment` pattern.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"common-incoming-relationships\">Common Incoming Relationships</h2>\n<ul><li>`identified_by`: used by all endpoint records for identifiers assigned to the resource.</li><li>`contact_point`: used by Person and Group records for contact points modeled as identifiers.</li></ul>\n<h2 id=\"meta-museum-notes\">Meta Museum Notes</h2>\n<p>Meta Museum already preserves identifiers across object, concept, person, group, set, textual, visual, and digital records. Existing coverage proves primary/system identifiers and embedded `Identifier.assigned_by` evidence can survive record retrieval without being collapsed into display labels. Future fixture work should keep identifier assignment evidence explicit: `AttributeAssignment`, `timespan`, `carried_out_by`, and explanatory statements.</p>\n<h2 id=\"test-ideas\">Test Ideas</h2>\n<ul><li>Preserve `Identifier.content` and `classified_as` for accession numbers and system identifiers.</li><li>Preserve `identified_by` display names on identifiers without treating them as replacement identifier values.</li><li>Preserve `referred_to_by` notes attached to identifiers.</li><li>Preserve `assigned_by` `AttributeAssignment` evidence, including timespan and assigning group.</li><li>Preserve `contact_point` identifiers on Person and Group records.</li><li>Add a dereferenceable identifier `id` with richer detail available and verify `_complete: false`.</li></ul>","updatedAt":"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z","checksum":"0e518b8d88c5e540579903630393f47792500c29f4ea91f650a94ec50d067621","checksumPrefix":"0e518b8d88c5","anchorCount":7,"lineCount":50,"rawUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fshared-identifiers.md","htmlUrl":"/docs?doc=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fshared-identifiers.md","apiUrl":"/api/docs/content?path=linked-art%2Fapi%2Fshared-identifiers.md"}