[Archivesspace_Users_Group] Dates in Agent record

[Brad Westbrook]

Thanks, Cory, for the detailed analysis.  Chris and I will discuss next week after he gets back from his conference.   More soon.

Brad


From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Cory Nimer
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 9:58 AM
To: Archivesspace Users Group
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] Dates in Agent record

Brad,

While there is some overlap in the date of existence element and the name, I am not sure that this will always mean exact duplication. In most cases (though not always) the text string in the LCNAF would be just a year span (e.g., 1801-1877), though repositories may want to record more specific dates for the <existDates> life span (e.g., 1801 June 1 - 1877 August 29). Even if repositories were required to simplify the <existDates> entry to allow its inclusion in the heading, there would still need to be some mechanism to indicate whether is should be included in the exports--such as a "Include in heading?" checkbox in either the <nameEntry> or <existDates> section of the record. Of these two, having the checkbox in the <nameEntry> section would probably work better in most cases, since there is some variability between vocabularies whether the dates should be included. Looking at Mark Twain, for example, if you were adding the full VIAF record content (http://viaf.org/viaf/50566653/#Twain,_Mark,_1835-1910) to an ArchivesSpace Agent record you would need to distinguish which <nameEntry>s needed to include the dates in the heading and which did not. However, even this possibility can break down since not all controlled lists use the same form of dates for the same entity. Looking at the record for Peter Williams (http://viaf.org/viaf/282239842/#Williams,_Peter,_1935_April_7-) you can see that the date component of the different headings varies to include "1937-", "1937.g. 14.maijs-", "1937, 14 maig-", and "1935 April 7", in addition to the many cases of no date being recorded.

In order to ensure that the exports will be correct on a consistent basis, it would seem that the simplest approach would to maintain the date qualifier field in the <nameEntry> section of the Agent record. While the <nameEntry> and <existDates> elements maintain similar data, they are not always the same and have slightly different functions. For EAC-CPF exports, depending on the needs of the community one could either not include the date qualifiers as part of the <nameEntry> (though again this might break the authorized form of the name), or develop a <nameEntry><part> @localType value of "date" or "dateQualifier" (if it does not already exist in best practices) so that the date qualifier could be retained.

Cory Nimer
Manuscripts Cataloger/Metadata Specialist
Brigham Young University
801-422-6091
________________________________
From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> [archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] on behalf of Brad Westbrook [brad.westbrook at lyrasis.org]
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2014 6:14 AM
To: Archivesspace Users Group
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] Dates in Agent record
Good morning.

The changes Cory describes were made for several reasons, of which one was to reduce redundant data entry in the agent / name record.  In our understanding the values that would be recorded in <existDates> are analogous to the values recorded in the date qualifier in an LCNAF record and, thus, both fields could be supported by a single Dates of Existence field in the ArchivesSpace agent/name record.  Is our understanding totally incorrect?  If so, is restoring the date field in the name record the only option for supporting both EAC and LCNAF?

Brad W.

Bradley D. Westbrook
Program Manager
brad.westbrook at lyrasis.org<mailto:brad at archivesspace.org>
800.999.8558 x2910
678.235.2910
bradley_d_westbrook (Skype)
[cid:image003.png at 01CE734E.FD759D30]





From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Cory Nimer
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 8:04 PM
To: Archivesspace Users Group
Subject: Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] Dates in Agent record

Based on the EAC-CPF tag library, <useDates> is a subelement of <nameEntry> but is not considered to be part of the name itself. Rather, it is meant to indicate "the dates when the name or names were used by the entity being described." This would allow someone to create an aggregate name record, as in allowed in the optional provisions of DACS 2nd ed. 10.3.5, while recording usage dates for the different names (though this is not compatible with LC Name Authority File entries). Presumably, one might do the same with names recorded as variants. The <existDates> element, on the other hand, is nested in <description> and is meant to record the existence dates of the entity (e.g., date of birth, death, organization, abolishment, etc.). The <existDates> is paralleled in MARC and the LCNAF with the 046 field, but there is currently no equivalent element for <useDates>.

However, neither of the date options above provide a way of recording the date qualifiers that may be part of an LCNAF authorized access point. It was possible to record this data as part of the name entry up to release ArchivesSpace 1.0.7, but one of the changes in 1.0.9 appears to have been moving this data to a separate field from the name-to an EAC-CPF <existDates>/MARC 046 equivalent. This has also appears to have resulted in the removal of the date component of authorized access points in exported EAD, EAC-CPF, and MARC files.

While it might be possible to have the system display/export the date as part of the name, this may not produce the authorized access point as not all include date qualifiers. In order to support LCNAF name entries, the date qualifier field from 1.0.7 would need to be restored and the moved entries copied back into the name entry for existing users. This could potentially duplicate data in some Agent records, but would ensure that the display/exports would be accurate.

Cory Nimer
Manuscripts Cataloger/Metadata Specialist
Brigham Young University
1108 HBLL
(801) 422-6091

From: archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> [mailto:archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org] On Behalf Of Kottman, Miloche
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 8:36 AM
To: Archivesspace Users Group (archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org<mailto:archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>)
Subject: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] Dates in Agent record

What is the difference between "Dates of Existence" and "Date(s) of Name Use" in a Person Agent record?  In other words, which section do I but the birth and death dates needed to differentiate the heading.

In addition, could a future version of ArchivesSpace include the date as part of the display of the name?

Thanks,

--Miloche Kottman
University of Kansas Libraries


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