Thanks, Jane.

-----Original Message-----
From: Encoded Archival Description List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jane Stevenson
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2017 11:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ISO representation of open-ended date ranges?

Hi Michele,

The Archives Hub advise to contributors is to think about the user doing a date search - when would they want their description to come up? If a user searches for e.g. 'agriculture' and '1800-1900' might the description they are creating be relevant? If so, it should come up in that date search.  So whilst we might give examples we wouldn't give a rule of thumb for anything like that. 

But its interesting you use as an example 'Before 1900' - we've had many many many variations in dates, but never just a 'before' like that as far as I know - that's pretty open ended! I think people would be far more likely to put something like '18th century' as the display date and normalised dates of 1800/1900 (or 1801-1900 if you want to be a stickler!). 

We do have an 'ongoing' hack of 9999....well, I think its a hack - its not an ISO date anyway. 

cheers,
Jane


Jane Stevenson
Archives Hub Service Manager
[log in to unmask]
(Work days: Monday to Thursday)

Tel: 0161 413 7555
Web: archiveshub.jisc ac.uk
Skype:  janestevenson
Twitter: @archiveshub, @janestevenson

> 
> 
>> On 13 Mar 2017, at 20:59, Michele R Combs <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> 
>> What value would go in the @normal attribute for dates like the following:
>> 
>> "After 1592"
>> "Before 1900"
>> 
>> Do we just take our best guess at the other end of the range, e.g.
>> 
>> <unitdate normal="1592/1700">After 1592</unitdate> <unitdate 
>> normal="1800/1900">Before 1900</unitdate>
>> 
>> Or is there some rule of thumb?
>> 
>> Thanks --
>> 
>> Michele
>> +++++++++
>> Michele Combs | Lead Archivist
>> Special Collections Research Center
>> Syracuse University Libraries
>> 222 Waverly Ave
>> Syracuse, New York 13244
>> t 315.443-2081 | e [log in to unmask] | w scrc.syr.edu SYRACUSE 
>> UNIVERSITY syr.edu
>> 
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