Resources – Collection Archive Location Type Index

The Collection Archive Location Type is an attempt to assess the scale and nature of a digitized item in terms of its location. Items which have no identifiable location such as photos of individuals are tagged as “Not Applicable” whereas the default for items where no successful attempt has allowed the location to be classified are tagged as “Undefined”. There are 4 kinds of location types: 1) miscellaneous which is for those items that lack a location, 2) historical for items such as maps and documents prior to California becoming part of the United States, 3) geographical where we can pinpoint the location of an item with an areal footprint anywhere from country level scale down to specific lot, 4) routes which apply to items with a linear location such as railroads, highways, trails, pipelines and so on. The purpose behind creating the 32 location types is to work around the reality that this web site is not a multi-criteria searchable database. The location type index and its location type catalogs help users focus their quests by homing in on different location scale and nature of digitized items. On the plus side, the catalogs are generated from records in a relational database, which allows a true online database to be developed one day.

Undefined	This is the default tag for new records where not attempt has yet been made to assign a location type.
Not Applicable	Used to tag items that are not location based such as photos of individuals.
Historical Region	Documents and maps focused on regions with a historical name such as Alta California.
Historical Land Grant	Items that deal with the Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados as well as other land grants in the Bay Area. These documents and maps are generally pre-1900 by which point the original 50:50 ownership of the Moraga land grant by Joaquin Moraga and Juan Bernal had been fragmented and sold off to third parties.
Country	Items whose focus is at a nation level scale such as the United States or Mexico.
State	Items that are at a state scale such as maps of California.
County	Items dealing with country scale such as Contra Costa County.
Town-City	Items about a town or city such as Moraga, typically of a government nature, and maps or aerial photos whose scale covers all or much of a town.
Subdivision	Items dealing with a particular subdivision at a general scale as opposed to individual lots within the subdivision.
Lot-Commercial	Items dealing with commercial properties such as the Moraga and Theem shopping centers.
Lot-Government	Properties occupied by a government agency such as the town hall.
Lot-Industrial	Specific lots that are used for private sector manufacturing or warehousing.
Lot-Institutional	Lots used for institutional purposes such as retirement or memory care facilities, hospitals and cemeteries, fire stations, police stations.
Lot-Residential	Items that deal with a specific residential lot.
Building	Assigned to a building that has achieved a widely recognized identity.
Church	Items that focus on a specific place of worship.
Park	Items that deal with a location that has been officially designated a park such as the Moraga Commons.
School	Items that deal with a specific school such as Campolindo High School.
Ranch-Farm	Items that deal with a location that is operated as a ranch or farm.
Sports Facility	Items dealing with sports facilities such as swimming pools, health clubs, golf courses, tennis or basketball courts and sports fields. This classification will be used when the item is about a sports facility within a school.
Utility – Line	Items that deal with the transmission of utilities such as power, water, pipelines, sewage, as opposed to utility places such as a water reservoir, pumping station, power substation, and radio towers.
Utility – Place	Items that deal with utility places such as a water reservoir, pumping station, power substation, and radio towers, as opposed to transmission routes.
Waterbody	Items that deal with specific waterbodies such as lakes and reservoirs.
Waterway	Items that deal with creeks, rivers, drainage channels.
Railway	Items that deal with railway routes, stations and trains on a track.
Highway-Road	Items that deal with non-rail transportation routes such as roads and highways.
Trail	Items that deal with paths and trails on which unauthorized vehicle travel is not allowed such as the Lafayette-Moraga Trail or the trails in the EBMUD watersheds.
Natural Landmark	Items that deal with a natural physical landmark such as Painted Rock.
Cultural Landmark	Items that deal with human created objects or buildings that are recognized as signifying something more than a commercial or residential place such as the Hacienda.
Historic Landmark	Items that deal with a place or building that has been designated as a historic landmark that is to be preserved, such as the Moraga Adobe.
Monument	Items dealing with a location where a monument commemorating something has been placed such as the Moraga 50th Anniversary Time Capsule.
Survey Marker	Items that deal with a government survey marker location.