3

EDITORIAL RULES, CONTINUED

3.7

Events

Included in this chapter

• Event Type
• Preferred Flag for Event
• Sequence Number
• Event Place
• Dates for Event

3.7.1

Event Type

3.7.1.1

Definition
Terminology referring to pertinent events in the history of the work, particularly used for exhibitions in which the work was displayed. An event must always be accompanied by a place and/or a date.

3.7.1.2

Values
Values are controlled by the Events List. Each event entry in the controlled Event List comprises a numeric code and a term.

3.7.1.3

Discussion
The Events fields are intended to index only a short list of important events for the work, not to provide a complete set of events having to do with the work. Creation and certain other events are recorded in fields specifically dedicated to that topic. An event recorded in this Event field must always be accompanied by a place and/or a date.

3.7.1.4

RULES for Event Type

3.7.1.4.1

Minimum requirements for Event Type
List an event when necessary. Caveat: Index only those important events described below. Do not use the Event fields to record creation information, associative relationships, or other information appropriately indexed in dedicated fields.

• Link to the Event Type appropriate to the activity or event as defined below.

3.7.1.4.2

Definitions of Event Types
Apply Event Type terms according to the definitions below.

• Redundant links must have different places and dates. In CONA, the same Event Type may be used multiple times for the same work. An example is if a work was included in multiple important exhibitions. However, the geographic location and/or dates must be different, to distinguish one exhibition from another.

  »List of Event Types:

Event Types is an extensible list subject to frequent updates. A list of current event types appears below.

• Location
  In ULAN, Events are used to record the locus of activity of people and the location of corporate bodies. Do not record location in the Event field in CONA. In CONA, this information is recorded in a dedicated Location field.

3.7.1.4.4

Adding new Event Type terms
If you feel that another Event Type is needed, consult with your supervisor.

3.7.2

Preferred Flag for Event

3.7.2.1

Definition
Flag indicating whether or not the Event Type is preferred among the list of events in this subject record.

3.7.2.2

Values
The flags are controlled by a pick list in VCS: P - Preferred, N - Non-Preferred

3.7.2.3

Discussion
If there is one or more Event Types, a preferred Event Type must be flagged.

3.7.2.4

RULES
The first Event Type is automatically flagged "preferred" by the system. If this is not correct, change the Preferred Flag accordingly.

3.7.3

Sequence Number

3.7.3.1

Definition
The Display Order number (or Sort Order number), indicating the sequence of the Event Type in relation to the other Events of a subject record.

3.7.3.2

Values
System generated, but the numbers may be changed by the editor. Values begin with 1 and are numbered sequentially; there is no upper limit imposed by the system.

3.7.3.3

RULES

• If there is more than one Event Type, number them in sequence. Do not skip numbers.
  
  
• The Event Type in sequence number 1 must be the Preferred Event Type.
  
  
• Arrange the Events in order of importance from a researcher's point of view. If chronology is an issue, place Current Events before Historical ones.
  

3.7.4

Event Place

3.7.4.1

Definition
The geographic location applicable to the Event Type.

3.7.4.2

Values
Terminology for the place is drawn from TGN.

3.7.4.3

RULES

3.7.4.3.1

Minimum requirements
If appropriate based on the definitions of the Event Types above, and if known from an authoritative source, record the place name appropriate for the Event Type.

• Avoid multiple links to the same place. It is generally unnecessary to link multiple events to the same place. If you feel you need to do so, consult with your supervisor. Event fields are for indexing only; complex discussions of activites should be noted in the Descriptive Note.
  

3.7.4.3.2

Uncertain places
If sources disagree about the place, prefer the most recent authoritative source. If you cannot resolve the question regarding the place, omit the place.

3.7.4.3.3

Historical names
If the artist was active (or another Event Type applies) in a city for which the name has since changed, link to the historical city names are not in TGN.

• Exception: Note that the names of historical nations are generally separate records in TGN. Link to the historical TGN place when possible (e.g., link to historical Flanders rather than to Belgium for a Medieval are work).

3.7.4.3.4

Adding new Places not already in TGN
Most necessary place names for Events should already be in TGN. If you feel you need to add a new Place, try looking for a synonym. If you still feel you must add the place, add it to TGN and then link to it in CONA.

• Caveat: Note that there are many homographs in place names. In some cases, a city and its province may have the same name. Be absolutely certain that you link to the correct place.
  

3.7.5

Dates for Events

3.7.5.1

Definition
Dates delimiting the time period when the event or activity took place, or when the state, status, or situation existed.

3.7.5.2

Fields

• 1. Display Date: A free-text field to express nuances of the date to the user; it is indexed by the two indexing fields representing the Start and End Dates implied in the free-text date.
  
  
• 2. Start Date: The exact or estimated earliest year implied in the Display Date.
  
  
• 3. End Date: The exact of estimated latest year implied in the Display Date.

3.7.5.3

Values
Display Date is a free-text field; values may be any ASCII character; no special characters or diacritics are allowed; diacritics must be expressed according to the codes in Appendix A.

• Start Date and End Date must contain valid years, validated by VCS.
  

3.7.5.4

Sources
The dates should be determined using the same standard reference sources that supply other information about the Event.

3.7.5.5

Discussion
The Display Date for the Event Type usually refers to a date range, however, it may sometimes contain notes that do not explicitly make reference to a date.

3.7.5.6

RULES

• Include dates as indicated for the definitions of various Event Types above.
  
  
• If you enter data in any of the three date fields, you must enter data in ALL three of the date fields.
  

3.7.5.6.1

Explaining the Event
Use the Display Date to explain an Event, as necessary.

• When used to explain or provide context, Display Date notes should still implicitly refer to a date or datable condition or event, because you are required to include a Start Date and End Date with every Display Date.
  
  
• Use Display Date to name the exhibition or other proper name associated with the event.
  
  
• Example
• Display Date: 1889, Salon des Ind$00ependents of 1889
  Start Date: 1889 End Date: 1889
  
  
• If the proper name refers to a related entity that is a corporate body, it may be recorded with Related People in the Creation area of the record.
  
  
• Display dates are indexed with Start Date and End Date, asillustrated above. Start and End Dates are controlled by special formatting; dates BCE are represented by negative numbers.

3.7.5.6.3

Display Date

• State only what is known
  If a precise span of dates is known, state it. Where ambiguity exists, use natural word order to clearly state what is known (and only what is known; do not surmise). Follow the style of existing display dates.
  
  
• Example
• Event Type: competition
  Place: Rome (Roma province, Lazio, Italy)
  Display Date: ca. 1675-1677
  Start Date: 1665 End Date: 1677
  

• Be objective
  Express all information in a neutral tone. Do not write from a subjective or biased point of view, even if your source expresses a fact in a subjective way. See the discussion of this topic in chapter 3.4 Descriptive Note.
  
  
• Punctuation
  Do not use full sentences; do not end the display date with a period or any other punctuation. If the Display Date could be ambiguous because it contains more than one phrase, separate the phrases with a semi-colon for clarity.
  
  
• Capitalization and abbreviation
  Do not capitalize words other than proper nouns or period names. Avoid abbreviations, except ca. (for circa), the numbers in century or dynasty designations (e.g., 17th century), and BCE and CE.
  
  
• Calendar in Display Date
  Display Dates should generally be listed by reference to years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar produced by extending the Gregorian calendar to dates preceding its official introduction.
  
  
• Span of years
  If a precisely delimited span of dates is applicable, list the beginning year of the span first, followed by the end of the span, with the years separated by a hyphen. Include all digits for both years in a span; for example, with four-digit years, do not abbreviate the second year (e.g., 1921-1924, not 1921-24).
  
  
  • Caveat: Do not state specific dates in the Display Date if there is broadly defined information, ambiguity, or uncertainty. For example, instead of 1500-1599, use 16th century if that is what is meant.
    
    

• BCE in Display Dates
  Dates before the year 1 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar should be indicated as Before Common Era, which should be abbreviated BCE. Dates BCE should be indexed with negative numbers in Start and End Dates (see below).
  
  
• Uncertain dates
  If a date is uncertain, use a broad or vague designation, in accordance with common art historical practice.
  
  
• Acceptable scope of information in the Display Date
  Ideally, the display date should refer, explicitly or implicitly, to a time period or date associated with the Event Type. In some cases, Display Date may be used to record unusual or important information about the Event (such as the name of a prize or award). However, dates should be implicit because if you record a Display Date, Start and End Dates are required.

3.7.5.6.4

Start Date and End Date

• Delimiting the span
  Record years that delimit the span of time when the Event happened, as referenced in the Display Date. If the years are uncertain (as when a qualifier such as ca. is used in the Event display date), calculate approximate years to be used for Start and End Dates for indexing. These indexing dates should represent the broadest possible span of time represented by the display date; it is better to delimit the span too broadly than too narrowly.
  
  
  • Start Date must represent a year earlier than the End Date. In rare cases, the start date and end date may be the same year.

• Do not use punctuation
  Express years without commas or other punctuation. An exception is the hyphen, which is used to express negative numbers (dates BCE).
  
  
• Gregorian calendar
  Dates must be expressed in the proleptic Gregorian calendar, which is the Gregorian calendar projected back in time before it came into existence.
  
  
• Lifelong Events
  For an Event that describes a role or characteristic that lasted until the end of the artist's life (e.g., citizenship), use the Death Date as the End Date.
  
  
• Month and day
  If a specific month and day are referenced in the Display Date, index with the year in Start and End Dates. For the display date, the preferred syntax is day, month, year with no punctuation. The alternative syntax - month, day, comma, year - is found in many legacy records. Do not bother editing records that already contain this syntax, except in order to make the record consistent when you are editing the record.
  
  
• Dates BCE
  Express dates BCE by negative numbers, using a hyphen before the number. Do not use commas or any other punctuation.
  
  
• Estimating Start and End Dates
  Use available information to estimate Start and End Dates. In many cases, the years will be approximate. When in doubt, it is better to estimate too broad a span rather than too narrow a span. See the Date Authority in Appendix B for approximate dates of historic events and entities.

Last updated 21 September 2010
Document is subject to frequent revisions