[DCRM-L] Undecipherable dates in DCRM(G)

Thu Mar 8 10:51:10 MST 2018

Oooo! Excellent example of the tension created when the eye-readable date
field is also a transcription field. You have to choose between presenting
accurate information about the item’s creation, and representing accurate
information about the object as it presents itself.

“Text” in DCRM is just short-hand for “written information” (as opposed to
pictorial information, or language spoken aloud), not for letters versus
numbers, so no need to worry there.

Can you tell from the size and shape of the illegible date that it
literally says “2012”? If so, I think you could use “2012” unbracketed,
with a note like “Date illegible, but size and shape conforms to legal
deposit date of 2012.” No need for square brackets: you know for-sure
that’s what it says, thanks to external confirmation, and you say so in a
note.

If the date might actually have been written “5 Oct. ’12” or “05/10/2012”
(for example), then you’d need to indicate that the date takes on the piece
is illegible, but the legal deposit date is 2012.

I think an appropriate solution can be found in *DCRM(G) 4D2.2 Disguised
dates*. Chronograms are used as an example, but the rule applies to any
time a date appears “in disguised form” – the artist disguised it by
penning it in a place where it wouldn’t be legible. So, you’d have “[2012]”
in the date field, and a note saying something like “Date based on legal
deposit information; illegible on item” or, if detail is important, “… date
penned by artist in lower left completely obscured by printed image.”

You’d get the same result by following *DCRM(G) 4D3. Date of publication,
distribution, production, etc., supplied from other sources*. But what you
gain by looking to the “Disguised dates” instruction is confirmation that
you don’t need to write “[illegible, i.e. 2012]” (to make the point that a
date really DOES appear on the item) because otherwise, the chronogram
example would be something like “[chronogram representing 1705]” instead of
“[1705]” plus a note.

Long story short: DCRM(G) says “[2012]” plus a note. Whether or not this is
a desirable outcome is another topic.

Erin.

________

Erin C. Blake, Ph.D.  |  Head of Collection Information Services  |  Folger
Shakespeare Library  |  201 E. Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC, 20003  |
eblake at folger.edu  |  office tel. +1 202-675-0323

On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 3:51 PM L'Écuyer-Coelho Marie-Chantal <
MC.Coelho at banq.qc.ca> wrote:

> [image: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec]
>
> Hi all!
>
>
>
> I am describing a collograph in black and grey. The artist penned the date
> in an area printed in tones of grey, so it is completely undecipherable.
>
> Since I have the date on the legal deposit form accompanying the print, I
> recorded the date in square bracket ([Québec, Québec], [2012]) and wrote a
> note to indicate that the date appears, in fact, on the print but is
> illegible. Is that the right solution???
>
> I checked in DCRM(G) under 0G6.2 but the instruction deals with
> undecipherable text, not numbers … Otherwise I could have perhaps recorded
> ([Québec, Québec], [?] OR [Québec, Québec], [illegible]) and then add a
> note to provide the date…
>
>
>
> Do you have any advice?
>
>
>
> Many thanks :)
>
> <https://maps.google.com/?q=2275,+rue+Holt+%0D%0A+Montr%C3%A9al+(Qu%C3%A9bec)+H2G+3H1&entry=gmail&source=g>
>
>
>
> *Marie-Chantal L'Ecuyer-Coelho*
>
> Bibliothécaire responsable, métadonnées et traitement documentaire des
> collections iconographiques
>
> Direction du traitement documentaire des collections patrimoniales
>
> Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
>
>
>
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> Montréal (Québec) H2G 3H1
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>
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