Table of Contents
Date
Overview
(Req, Rep)
The Date field group consists of 5 fields.
For more information on Date see CCO, pages 166-177.
Fields
Date
This field is a free text description of chronological information related to the work or image that will display to the public.
For definitive dates, record the information as YYYY-MM-DD (giving the level of specificity that the information you have allows).
Use BCE and CE instead of BC and AD. For all dates earlier than the year 500 CE, use BCE or CE.
Avoid abbreviations, except “ca.” for circa, BCE, or CE.
For date ranges, describe the span in such a way that it is clear what dates are included.
Date type
Date type explains what the date value refers to through use of a qualifier. We might record multiple dates for one object. A building, for example, may have one date for its creation and another date for the time when the view in the photograph of that building was taken. Each date recorded will have only one of the following date types: alteration, broadcast, bulk, commission, creation, design, destruction, discovery, exhibition, inclusive, performance, publication, restoration, view, or other.
Start date
Use only numeric values in this field with the exception of the dash, which can be used to express negative numbers for BCE. For approximate dates the start date is the earliest possible date for the work. For example, if the work has an approximate date of ca. 1880's the earliest possible date is 1880.
End Date
Use only numeric values in this field with the exception of the dash, which can be used to express negative numbers for BCE. For approximate dates the end date is the latest possible date for the work. For example, if the work has an approximate date of ca. 1880's the earliest possible date is 1889.
Date Notes
Provide any notes on dates that might help clarify what the time span recorded pertains to. This is especially important for images that might have multiple works or if a work has somehow changed over time.
Examples
Date: 1943
Date type: creation date
Start date: 1943
End date: 1943
Date notes: The date given is for the main building. The garage and garden were design and completed years after the original construction.
Date: 13th Century
Date type: creation
Start date: 1201
End date: 1300
