[Archivesspace_Users_Group] how to encode open-ended date ranges?

Thu Oct 13 12:50:12 EDT 2022

Hi All,

Just as a quick addition to this conversation, there is an approved ticket
<https://archivesspace.atlassian.net/browse/ANW-1475> pending development
that would (in my biased opinion) greatly improve how date records are
structured and created in ArchivesSpace.

If this were implemented right now, you could simply import the records as
inclusive dates with a date begin of 1969 and a date end of 2022 (with
certainty set to "not after" on the end date).

All the best,

Dan

On Thu, Oct 13, 2022 at 12:14 PM Clair, Kevin <kmc35 at psu.edu> wrote:

> Hi Ron,
>
> ArchivesSpace doesn't require that both Begin and End fields are populated
> when the date type is Inclusive. We have a handful of dates in our database
> with an expression of "after" or "post" a particular year, where we've set
> the Begin to that year and left the End null. As far as indexing is
> concerned it gets us where we'd like to be.
>
> (Whether the ways we've done this in the past is DACS-compliant is a
> discussion for another time.)  -k
> ------------------------------
> *From:* archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org <
> archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> on behalf of Ron
> Van den Branden <Ron.VandenBranden at antwerpen.be>
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 13, 2022 11:52 AM
> *To:* Archivesspace Users Group <
> archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] how to encode open-ended date
> ranges?
>
>
> Hi Kate,
>
>
>
> I realize my analysis might have been biased by a data-oriented view on
> our current data, which contains quite a number of archival objects with
> only a start date, and some with only an end date. I’ve asked my
> colleagues, and open-ended dates are indeed uncommon for resources,
> accessions, archival, or digital objects: they’ll be mostly ranges with a
> known start and end date.
>
>
>
> How to interpret these single dates in our data is probably a matter of
> internal interpretation on our end, but still: what is the
> intended/preferred notation in ArchivesSpace? If the creation time span for
> a subseries is determined as e.g. 1969, how should this be encoded:
>
>    - Single date
>       - Begin date = 1969
>    - Inclusive date
>       - Begin date = 1969
>       - End date = 1969
>
> ?
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> Ron
>
>
>
> *Van:* archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org <
> archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> *Namens *Bowers,
> Kate A.
> *Verzonden:* donderdag 13 oktober 2022 16:57
> *Aan:* Archivesspace Users Group <
> archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org>
> *Onderwerp:* Re: [Archivesspace_Users_Group] how to encode open-ended
> date ranges?
>
>
>
> Can you explain the case for open-ended dates for resources, accessions,
> archival, or digital objects?
>
>
>
> *From:* archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org <
> archivesspace_users_group-bounces at lyralists.lyrasis.org> *On Behalf Of *Ron
> Van den Branden
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 13, 2022 10:32 AM
> *To:* archivesspace_users_group at lyralists.lyrasis.org
> *Subject:* [Archivesspace_Users_Group] how to encode open-ended date
> ranges?
>
>
>
> Hi,
>
>
>
> We’re in the process of migrating data to ArchivesSpace, and one thing I’m
> still struggling with is how to encode open-ended date ranges, using
> standardized dates only. In other words: how to express:
>
>    - the fact that only a start date is known
>    - or the fact that only an end date is known
>
> …while still indicating this known date is the start / end of a range
> whose other end is not known; as opposite to expressing a precise
> singular/punctual date.
>
>
>
> Given the fact that ArchivesSpace currently uses 2 distinct date models
> for accessions, resources/archival objects and digital objects vs agents
> (see
> https://www.mail-archive.com/archivesspace_users_group@lyralists.lyrasis.org/msg05341.html
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.proofpoint.com%2Fv2%2Furl%3Fu%3Dhttps-3A__www.mail-2Darchive.com_archivesspace-5Fusers-5Fgroup-40lyralists.lyrasis.org_msg05341.html%26d%3DDwMGaQ%26c%3DWO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ%26r%3Dwwc_Z_TbmWbPFh7My2zRxmrGgCNO-71Fwzlmd8YZVUY%26m%3DhwhUWCl8DmiVBAr8KCWWuvqIpF5qGU38NpEyKdpmIIC_b1sDZ08xKIYeni9Jn1Sz%26s%3DcH9UvNvbKkbEcG88o6pqGcf3-0l_7L5sIV0c3bplsR8%26e%3D&data=05%7C01%7Ckmc35%40psu.edu%7C41415742bb1344a9c63b08daad32e962%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638012731654163667%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=m7TjWVJkrdOrGrS5Fuz8nkD067qwgpZ4IJlE9tEa%2Bxk%3D&reserved=0>),
> I’ll outline the observations and options I’m seeing.
>
>
>
> [1] Accessions, resources, archival objects, digital objects:
>
>    - “Single” date only offers a single date field, labeled “Begin”
>    - “Inclusive” date offers both a “Begin” and “End” date field, only
>    one of which is required
>
> Would this be a good strategy:
>
>    - “singular/punctual” dates: “single” date, one value as “Begin” date
>    - date range: “inclusive” date, start and end dates as “Begin” and
>    “End” dates, respectively
>    - open-ended date range: “inclusive” date, with known date as either
>    “Begin” or “End” date
>
> ?
>
> This leads me to the question whether in practice “single” dates are used
> at all for anything except accession dates, creation dates of digital
> objects, or as dates for only the lowest-level archival objects?
>
>
>
> [2] Agents:
>
>    - “Single” date only offers a single date field, which can be labeled
>    as either “Begin” or “End”
>    - “Inclusive” date offers both a “Begin” and “End” date field, of
>    which “Begin” is mandatory
>
> Would this be a good strategy:
>
>    - “singular/punctual” dates: “single” date, one value as either
>    “Begin” or “End” date
>
> Note: in EAC output, the begin/end qualification is dismissed: both are
> exported without distinction as e.g.
> <date localType="existence" standardDate="2022-10-08">2022-10-08</date>
>
>    - date range: “inclusive” date, start and end dates as “Begin” and
>    “End” dates, respectively
>
>
>    - open-ended date range: ?
>    è problem if only end date is known, since begin date is mandatory
>
> In other words: how would one differentiate between, e.g.:
>
>    - birth date of a living person (1990 - )
>    - birth date of a deceased person, whose death date is unknown (1800 -
>    ?)
>    - death date of a person whose birth date is unknown (? - 1950)
>
> ?
>
>
>
> The documentation in the ArchivesSpace Help Center merely documents the
> different fields, but I couldn’t find much guidance on how to use them in
> practice. The DACS, EAD, and EAC documentation is rather sparse as well
> regarding open-ended date ranges. Therefore, any guidance on this matter
> would be much appreciated!
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> Ron
>
>
>
> *Ron Van den Branden | functioneel analist - applicatiebeheerder
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Smith College Special Collections

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