The proposed system won't work because the abbreviation "[1800s]" is used both for 1800-1809 and for 1800-1899.
Do users of catalogue data really not understand the present system (180- for the former, and 18-- for the latter)? It seems a beautifully neat method to me. I would like to suggest that an attempt should be made to render any date that can currently be encoded in MARC, CCO, VRA, etc., bearing in mind the commendable intent of RDA to work with other standards. This is in support of Adam Schiff's comments along the same lines (6 January, thread [RDA-L] Comments on 2.7-2.9). The loss of the "between" dates would indeed be culpable, as they are available in e.g. CCO (in the form "ca. 1505-ca. 1510"). It would be good to have in 2.9.1.3 an example with a precise date as permitted under 1.6.2. e.g. [2005 February 21] There should also be such an example in 2.9.0.3 (as an option when the exact date is in the resource). There needs to be some way of representing the present formula "[17-5]" used when a digit of the date is missing, equivalent to MARC 008 "s17u5". Or is it there and I've missed it? Does that count as "date in the resource" or as "date not in the resource"? If the above are put into place, then "date unknown" ceases to be necessary. In years of cataloguing works from the 15th to the 21st century, I've never felt the need of it. The example given in the RDA draft is a resource "probably published in the late 1800s or early 1900s". Owing to the ambiguity of that formulation as between decades and centuries, as noted in the first sentence of this message, this could be represented as either "[between 18-- and 19--]" or "[between 180- and 190-]". But "date unknown" might mean it was published in 1550! However, if a form of words equivalent to "date unknown" is retained for use, the wording "no date", "date unstated", or "date not given" would be preferable, as "unknown" and "undated" have the problems stated in my earlier message of today. William Schupbach Wellcome Library, 210 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, England E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Catalogue: http://catalogue.wellcome.ac.uk/search/X [British registered charity no. 210183]
