Metadata Input Guidelines: Date
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Element Name
Date
Definition
Dates associated with events in the life cycle of the resource.
Where Can the Date Information be Found?
Item Type | Information Sources | Creation date for this kind of item is the date or range of dates when: |
---|---|---|
For text |
|
the text was published, printed, or revised
|
For images |
|
a photograph or slide was taken |
For maps |
|
the map was printed
|
For music scores |
|
the music was finished (handwritten) or printed
|
For videos |
|
the video was released
|
For sound files |
|
the disc/tape was issued
|
For computer files |
|
the content was finished
|
In some cases the date may come from accompanying or supplementary information.
How Date Works in the Metadata Form
- Parts:
- 1. Date qualifier – drop-down menu
- 2. Date – text field
- Repeatable?
- Yes - to include different kinds of date information, click ‘Add’ to repeat all field parts; each individual date type (creation, submission, harvested, etc.) should not be repeated
- Required?
- No - also see more information about required fields
How Should the Date be Filled in?
General Date Rules
- If no date can be found, leave the field blank
- For each date, be sure to choose the appropriate date type from the controlled vocabulary
- Always format dates appropriately:
Guideline | Form(s) | Examples |
---|---|---|
Basic Format | ||
|
YYYY-MM-DD | 1985-03-27 |
|
YYYY YYYY-MM |
1865-05 |
Date Ranges | ||
|
YYYY-MM-DD/ YYYY-MM-DD | 1941-12/1945-08 |
|
YYYY-MM-DD/.. ../YYYY-MM-DD |
1889-05-13/.. ../1914-06-02 |
General Ranges/Time Periods | ||
|
[YYYY,YYYY] [YYYY-MM,YYYY-MM,YYYY-MM] |
[1864,1865] [1901-05,1901-06,1901-08] |
|
[YYYY..YYYY] [..YYYY] [YYYY..] |
[1897..1901] [..1897] [1901..] |
|
||
Uncertain dates | ||
|
YYYY-MM-DD? | 1958-09-16? |
|
YYYY-MM-DD~ | 1879-03-29~ |
|
YYYX | 189X 1924-1X-17 |
Seasons | ||
|
YYYY-SS | 1991-23 1926-21 |
Dates with timestamps | ||
|
YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss | 2008-05-02T15:07:51 |
B. C. Dates | ||
|
-YYYY-MM-DD | -0601 |
*For more information about implementation of the date standard, see the Comments below.
Complex Dates
If you have dates that are approximate, uncertain, or complicated in other ways, it can be difficult to choose the most appropriate formatting. This chart is framed for “creation” dates, but applies to any kind of date, to help explain which format is best to express a date.
If the item was created: | Such as: | Use: | Example: | This means: |
---|---|---|---|---|
During a known time of year | A serial issue from fall 2004 (no listed publication month) | Seasonal date | 2004-23 | Autumn 2004 |
During a known decade | A hat from the 1920s | Unknown digit | 192X | 1920s |
At an approximate date | A manuscript written circa 1846 | Approximate date | 1846~ | Approximately 1846 |
At a known but uncertain date | A photograph believed to have been taken in 1963 based on context | Uncertain date | 1963? | 1963? |
During an approximate uncertain date | A map believed to have been drawn circa 1910 | Uncertain/approximate date | 1910% | Approximately 1910? |
Over a period of time | A scrapbook compiled 1980-1985 | Date range (interval) | 1980/1985 | 1980 to 1985 |
During an approximate decade | A photograph taken circa 1940s | Date range (interval) | 1940~/1949~ | Approximately 1940 to approximately 1949 |
During any approximate date range | A letter written circa 1887-1890 | Date range (interval) | 1887~/1889~ | Approximately 1887 to approximately 1889 |
At a specific time within a known range | A map drawn between 1900 and 1920 | One of a set | [1900..1920] | Between 1900 and 1920 |
A photograph taken at an event held September 12-15, 1974 | [1974-09-12..1974-09-15] | Between September 12, 1974 and September 15, 1974 | ||
At a specific time during a number of dates | A photograph taken in December, either 1954 or 1958 | One of a set | [1954-12,1958-12] | December 1954 or December 1958 |
At multiple known dates or range(s) | A page with two newspaper clippings from 1902 and November 12, 1920 | Multiple dates | {1902,1920-11-12} | 1902 and November 12, 1920 |
A scrapbook compiled during a student's senior year 1927-1928 with notes from the start of the next fall | {1927-08..1928-05,1928-09} | August 1927 to May 1928 and September 1928 |
Determining Creation Dates
- Whenever possible, enter an original resource creation date
- Be sure to select “Creation” as the date type from the drop-down menu
- If the creation date is unknown, leave the field blank
-
When the resource being described is a collection, a date range can be used to describe the creation date range of all the resources
- Creation date refers to the date of the exact item described in the
record, even if it is a derivation:
- If the item is a reprint or revision of an original text:
- Use the date of the reprint/revisions
- Include a note about the original text and printing date
- If the item is a copy negative:
- Use the date that the copy negative was created
- The date of the original photographs may be used in coverage
- If the item is a reprint or revision of an original text:
- A note about postcards and greeting cards:
- If there is no letter or message written on the card:
- The item is treated as a photograph or piece of artwork
- Use the date that the photograph was taken or the drawing was done
- If the card has a letter or message written on/in it:
- The item is treated as a piece of correspondence
- Use the date that the letter was written or that the card was postmarked
- If it is important, the date of the picture can be included as part of the coverage
- If there is no letter or message written on the card:
Non-Creation Dates
- Use other types of dates only when they are relevant:
- Date Harvested - Date that a web-resource was captured for archival purposes
- Submission Date - Date that the item was submitted for approval by an organization, institution, or agency
- Acceptance Date - Date that the item was approved by an organization, institution, or agency
- Submission and acceptance dates are primarily used for patents, but
may be used for other items when appropriate
- For patents, the acceptance/approval date and creation date are the same. This may not be true for all items.
- In certain cases, items cannot be made publicly available due to publisher requirements, privacy issues, or other strictures. The Embargo Until Date represents the first date that an item will become accessible to the public or a pre-specified user group. See also Rights Access
Other Examples
- [Letter from Zavala to Santa Anna, March 7, 1829]
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1829-03-07
- Painting: A Scene from “The Beggar’s Opera”
- Original Resource Creation Date: [1728..1729]
- Digital photograph: [Bull riding at the Cowtown Coliseum]
- Original Resource Creation Date: 2003-12-27T09:16:40
- Court case: Documents pertaining to B. C. Wallace as the receiver of the estate and guardian of Campbell minors, cause no. 532, 1896-1904
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1896-11-13/1904-12-08
- Farmer’s bulletin: Diseases of sheep and goats.
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1943-09
- University catalog: Catalog of Hardin-Simmons University, 1989-1990 Undergraduate Bulletin
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1989
- Photograph: Crazy Theatre With Car
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1914~
- Postcard: [Hamilton Hotel, Laredo, Texas]
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1910-01-23
- Archived website: U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force
- Original Resource Creation Date: 2004
- Date Harvested: 2009-07-01
- Patent: Improvement in Medical Compounds or Bitters for Treating Chills and Fever.
- Original Resource Creation Date: 1873-05-20
- Submission Date: 1873-04-05
- Acceptance Date: 1873-05-20
Comments
- To express the time period(s), date, or date range associated with
the intellectual content of the resource, use the Coverage
element.
- For example, a book published in 1976 that is about Texas history from first statehood to 1964 would have an original resource creation date of 1976, but a coverage date range of 1846 - 1964.
- Recommended best practice for encoding the date value is defined in
the ISO-approved extension, available at from the Library of Congress:
Extended Date/Time Format (EDTF)
- As of November 2020, the UNTL edit system validates against the approved standard rather than the draft specifications
- Currently all levels (0 through 2) are supported by UNT
Libraries metadata guidelines
- As of April 2013, the use of [brackets] to represent dates from a source other than the item is no longer permitted in order to support Level 2 functionality
- This notation has been common practice in traditional library cataloging (using AACR2)
- To document the fact that a creation/publication date has been added by a metadata creator, a Display Note can be added with text such as “Publication date is not printed on the {item type}.”
- Local standards for uncertain dates differ slightly from level-1
EDTF extensions:
- It is valid for the two right-most digits to be “unknown” (e.g., YYXX) however, it is preferred that the date represent at least a decade-level date in order to be helpful for users.
- This rule also applies to month and day, but it is preferred
to revert to the known date level with the assumption that
additional granularity/specificity is unknown, e.g.:
- Represent a year with an unknown month (YYYY-XX) as a year only: YYYY
- Represent a year and month with an unknown day (YYYY-MM-XX) as a year and month only: YYYY-MM
- Additionally, the extension allows for ranges to be “unknown” by leaving one side of the range blank vs. “open” using a “..” in place of one date. Generally, local standards prefer the “open” option to denote an explicit choice vs. accidental “/” punctuation.
Resources
- UNT Date Qualifier Controlled Vocabulary
- Library of Congress Extended Date/Time Format
- UNT Extended Date/Time Format Validation Service
More Guidelines: