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 ring bequeathed by Lucie Reneau on May 22, 1982

  	Object Name	ring
  	Acquisition Mode	bequest
  	Accession Date	1982-05-22
  	Source	Reneau, 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 radio purchased from Lucien Saint-Pierre on February 13, 1991

   	Object Name	radio
   	Acquisition Mode	purchase
   	Accession Date	1991-02-13
   	Source	Saint-Pierre, Lucien

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

   A tricycle that has been in your collections since 1956.

   	Object Name	tricycle
   	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

   A lantern possibly purchased on November 1, 1956, from La Belle Époque enr., an antique dealer

   	Object Name	lantern
   	Acquisition Mode	purchase
   	Accession Date	1956-11-01 ?
   	Source	La Belle Époque enr.

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

   	Object Name	cachepot
   	Current Condition	excellent
   	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 pitcher is part of your collections, but there is no information on its accession date or acquisition mode.

   	Object Name	pitcher
   	Acquisition Mode	unknown
   	Accession Date	unknown
   	Source	unknown

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