Thoughts on setting up a names authority and the leadership and staff support required; involving local expertise and advisory committees could be beneficial
Setting up a names authority
The structure of a names authority should be based on fair consideration of those governmental agencies directly concerned with names standardization. Once a decision to establish a programme is made, and with consideration of the requirements outlined in chapter III, it is time to plan the organization and the means to achieve objectives. A national standardization activity need not be complicated or expensive, provided there is agreement concerning the organizational and instrumental components of the task.
It is important that decisions on names be objective and based on formalized rules.
Names standardization rules (referred to as principles, policies and procedures) are best established, with the help of a knowledgeable staff, when a committee is first organized. These rules can be modified over time, as needed and as experience is gained. As a starting point, it might be helpful to review those rules and guidelines established by other countries.
It is important to keep in mind that the prime objective is standardization and not necessarily the in-depth study of geographical names, a field best left to university scholars.
Of course, there are occasions when background research is necessary to resolve particular name problems or to refine rules. In these cases, the names authority can rely on staff and/or other expert information and advice before rendering decisions on the issues.
In this respect, it should be kept in mind that many names of major features might already enjoy a degree of written uniformity and that it is normally prudent to give official recognition to such names as present no problem. The operation of effective decision-making on names for official standardization purposes depends more on general rules and less on individual names research.
Standardization progammes require a clear statement of purpose. Agreement on fundamental issues by interested parties is essential at the planning stage. The following questions should be considered and answered at the outset:
1. What kind of names authority is best suited for the internal structure of the national Government and the political organization of the country?
2. What status and resources will be available for staff support to the authority and where in government will the staff reside?
3. What kinds of names of features will be under the purview of the national authority?
4. What characteristics or attributes associated with toponyms will be standardized?
5. How will the costs of operation and promulgation of official names be covered?
A names standardization programme should begin carefully and not be over-organized. A small core of persons who are aware of the practical needs of the programme can work out a plan of organization, procedures and even preliminary principles and policies for national standardization. It is possible to “fine-tune” these rules to meet special conditions when experience is gained during the planning stage, and as work proceeds.
The cost of a names authority and a standardization programme need not be great. It should decrease overall costs in government by centralizing an activity performed in several offices. Actual cost will depend on several factors such as size and organization of an authority, number and complexity of the country’s names, and necessary procedures used to achieve standardization. It is important to balance the time and money spent for national standardization with potential savings derived from the programme.
Leadership
A key person in any organization is the one responsible for directing its mission and leading a successful programme. Administrative leadership of a director (or executive secretary) is required either for a central names office or for a national names committee.
A central names office organized within the government of a country needs only the simplest form of administrative organization to do its work. The director is the main leader of the staff and programme and often is responsible for the success or failure of this effort. The person chosen for the job should have both administrative and technical abilities. The position requires efficient and sensitive management skills, and the person should be sensitive to language and cultural issues, as well as to the interests and special names-related problems of government agencies, private organizations and local citizens groups. Under normal circumstances, he or she would be expected to:
(a) Recommend and direct plans of work;
(b) Supervise the staff;
(c) Deal with the daily activities of the standardization programme;
(d) Ensure and supervise the publication/distribution of the results of the committee’s work;
(e) Act as spokesperson for the programme;
(f) Orchestrate the support for the national names committee.
A national names committee (centralized or decentralized in nature) generally has an elected or appointed chairperson (or president). That person runs the committee in compliance with established policies and may also serve as spokesperson in the public arena. The role of chairperson, however, is frequently undertaken by someone who has a full-time job performing another activity. It is generally necessary for the chairperson to rely on the director (or executive secretary) for administrative and operational leadership.
In the case of a national names committee, the responsibilities of the director are similar to those described above for a central names office, but are performed in consultation with, or under the immediate direction of, the committee chairperson.
Staff support
Staff support is key to a successful standardization programme. Every governmental or institutional body needs both administrative and technical staff to carry out its mission.
Although some technical and professional help may be available from knowledgeable public and university volunteers, it seems practical for a national Government to provide some, if not all, technical and administrative support.
The effectiveness of any programme in government depends on the flow of information.
It is no less true for a names office. A geographical names authority, in the form of a central names office, a national names committee, or a decentralized authority, cannot function unless the everyday business of the programme is accomplished. Geographical names require investigation and processing, letters need to be written, records need to be kept and official publications dealing with decisions and policies need to be prepared. A small professional staff headed by a director or executive secretary can do this work. It is possible to have a staff office located within an existing organization interested in supporting the programme, which could be the national mapping agency or office of natural resources. Such an established organization could easily provide office space, and technical and administrative assistance for a small names staff.
Staff support for a central names office and for a national names committee are much the same. In the former, policy and decisions are made by the staff, and in the latter, by a committee representing several interested government agencies and/or local citizens groups. In the latter case, the staff is responsible for providing the committee with all necessary information to allow good decision-making. A decentralized authority allows most decisions to be made locally by appropriate major civil divisions, with a small national government staff coordinating activities and dealing with issues that lie outside the authority of those divisions.
Staff responsibilities
Any type of national names authority depends on accurate information to function effectively. Obtaining information is the job of a professional staff. Such information is gathered from a variety of sources, then analysed and processed for appropriate treatment. The information is obtained from:
(a) Document research and investigation;
(b) Scholars appointed to advise the names authority;
(c) Support committees;
(d) Field investigations;
(e) Local citizens;
(f) State, regional and local names offices.
The staff also provides administrative service, handles correspondence and answers enquiries, prepares documentation on names, maintains paper and computer records, keeps files of decisions made, and prepares reports and publications, all under the supervision of a director.
Staff size
The size of a supporting staff is about the same for all forms of national authorities. The amount of work needed for standardization activities is a constant. Because of varying conditions in different countries, many factors enter into the equation, making it difficult to suggest staff size. Including the director and staff personnel, the number ranges between 4 and 10. Staff size for a single authority can also vary over time, depending on the workload, which might be large in the beginning and less demanding later when maintenance is the main activity.
Staff qualifications
A support staff includes those with administrative functions and professionally qualified people. Administrative/secretarial support is needed for processing the volume of filing, typing and other office duties. Also, it is important to have staff with competence in using computers in order to facilitate the office work and detailed information-handling undertaken.
Professional staff members are responsible for the collection, researching, and analysis of toponymic information and should have training or education adequate to deal with geographical, cartographic and linguistic problems. These needs will vary, depending on the toponymic environment found in each country:
(a) Professional geographers and cartographers, with an understanding of geographical name phenomena, are necessary. They need to have an understanding of geographical features and terminology, and be capable of correctly identifying entities (for example, landscape features) on maps of different scales and accuracy;
(b) Personnel familiar with historical research methodology are useful for identifying and evaluating historical names usage found in documents;
(c) In multilingual countries, one or more persons sensitive to cultural issues are needed to deal with linguistic concepts and questions. Knowledge of phonetic systems, grammatical structures and orthography of relevant languages is a key requirement for understanding and recording name information.
In the beginning, not every staff member needs to be expert in any of these areas. Experience can be gained by working with professionals. Most important is an interest in the standardization process and the ability to work as a team member so as to give a country the best and fairest names programme possible.
Advisory committees and support organizations
In 1967, the First United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names recommended that, when appropriate, provision be made for establishing cooperative regional, local and/or advisory committees. The need for establishing one or more of these committees is normally determined by the national authority. Advisory committees can be part of the standardization process. They are useful as long as they demonstrate cooperation and compliance with the policies and practices of the national authority.
Often, local support committees or organizations are able to investigate and resolve names-related problems better than a national authority located in a capital city some distance away. Support committees, with local involvement, can be sensitive to local situations important in the determination of official names. It is recommended that the need for regional, local and/or advisory committees be considered carefully. In the beginning, it might be best, however, to delay their organization—at least until the national authority has developed initial guiding principles, policies and procedures and become fully operational.
Advisory/support committees can be permanent or temporary, and organized by particular language and/or cultural areas and/or according to political subdivisions of a country. These committees may consist of key persons in local or provincial government;
teachers and professors from area schools, colleges and universities; and community leaders.
Committee membership may be voluntary or constitute part of regional government activity.
Besides investigating and reporting on local problems, regional and local committees are able to investigate and collect toponymic information for the national programme and recommend policies affecting the national standardization of names. Overall, they are able to reduce the investigative and research costs of a names standardization programme.
Special toponymic experts
For advice, some national authorities use volunteer scholars expert in disciplines pertinent to names standardization. For example, an expert might possess knowledge of a particular minority language or be able to make professional recommendations on specific kinds of issues, such as those associated with urban and administrative toponymy, or names related to desert, coastal, mountain or underwater features. Special advisors may be permanent or temporary, depending on the nature of the work and the length of time needed for completion of the task.