Documenting Your Collections
Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

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Accession Date (Source)

Definition:

Observation:

• This field is used in conjunction with the Acquisition Mode and Source fields.
  Example

  A projectile shaft bequeathed by Lucie Richards on May 22, 1982

  	Object Name	projectile shaft
  	Acquisition Mode	bequest
  	Accession Date	1982-05-22
  	Source	Richards, Lucie

Entry rules:

1. Enter the date in the form YYYY dash MM dash DD, in numbers only (Y for "year," M for "month," D for "day").
   Example

   A ring found during excavations by Larry Chan on February 13, 1991

   	Object Name	ring
   	Acquisition Mode	excavation
   	Accession Date	1991-02-13
   	Source	Chan, Larry

2. If only the year of acquisition is known, enter it in the form YYYY (Y for "year").
   Example

   A projectile point that has been in your collections since 1956

   	Object Name	projectile point
   	Acquisition Mode	unknown
   	Accession Date	1956
   	Source	unknown

3. If you are unsure whether your information is correct, include a space and a question mark after the date.
   Example

   Twenty-one potsherds from the same pottery were given to your institution by Brother Hubert Lantern. The date of the gift may have been 1956.

   	Object Name	potsherd
   	Quantity	21
   	Material	clay
   	Acquisition Mode	gift
   	Accession Date	1956 ?
   	Source	Lantern, Hubert, Brother

4. If you know that an object was in your collections on a specific date, but you have no information on the accession date, enter the date indicated in your files, followed by a space and the abbreviation "P" for "prior to."
   Example

   A necklace for which there is a date of assessment of its condition (Current Condition Date field), but no accession data.

   	Object Name	necklace
   	Current Condition	good
   	Current Condition Date	1959-04-19
   	Acquisition Mode	unknown
   	Accession Date	1959-04-19 P
   	Source	unknown

5. If you are unable to determine the accession date despite your research, enter "unknown".
   Example

   A cup is part of your collections, but there is no information on its accession date or acquisition mode.

   	Object Name	cup
   	Acquisition Mode	unknown
   	Accession Date	unknown
   	Source	unknown

6. This field may not contain more than one entry.