Identifying Important Dates for Documents and Webpages
Best Practices for Metadata for
Wisconsin State Agency Web Writers and Administrators

Shiela Pollock (Shiela.Pollock@dpi.wi.gov), (608) 224-5395
Abby Swanton (Abbigail.Swanton@dpi.wi.gov), (608) 224-6174
Reference and Loan Library, Dept. of Public Instruction

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DC.Date

Example: <meta name="DC.Date" scheme="ISO 8601" content="2009-06-24">

Definition: A date associated with the creation or availability of the resource. Each page may have more than one instance of DC.Date. At minimum, each page should have either a "created" or "modified" date.

How used: The DC.Date is displayed in the source view of the page. Advanced searching will allow users to set date parameters for searching and will retrieve pages included in the range. You may include more than one relevant date (created, modified, etc.) as long as each is explicitly tagged as such. Instructions for correct tagging of these specific dates are below.

Importance: This element will be used for setting search parameters, making this element very important. Also, the date is very important for archiving and long-term preservation of the document.

Format: ISO 8601 defines the standard for dates which is YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2009-06-24). If month or day is unknown then use zeros as placeholders (e.g. 2009-00-00).

How can I be more specific about the precise meaning of a date? How do I tag specific, relevant dates for a document?

You can add specific types of date tags to indicate the meaning of the date. For example:

• Created (the date the page was first published)
• Modified (when the page last underwent a substantive modification)
• ValidTo (the expiration date of the material)

Use this format to indicate the examples above:

• <meta name="DC.Date.Created" scheme="ISO 8601" content="2008-06-06">
• <meta name="DC.Date.Modified" scheme="ISO 8601" content="2009-06-24">
• <meta name="DC.Date.ValidTo" scheme="ISO 8601" content="2011-06-24">

You may add all these dates if you find them to be useful. The more you identify the type of date the more understandable (and findable via the search engine) the document will be. However, only the simplest, unqualified date is strongly recommended by the portal metadata team.

What is the correct Date Created for a paper document that I post to the website as a pdf?

In the case of a newly converted document, the Date Created represents when the document was actually first published, assuming that there have been no changes in the conversion process. The Date Created should not refer to when it was converted for publication to the web unless the conversion process substantively changed the content.

The "Modified" date should only be filled out when a substantive modification has occurred within the content of the Web page. Minor adjustments to font, color or formatting that does not affect content may be ignored with respect to this date. If you do not know the modified date when you are adding the tag, you should estimate it. If you cannot make an accurate estimate, it is best to omit this tag. Add the "modified" date tag next time the page is modified.

The ValidTo date should be filled out for an appropriate review time not to exceed 2 years from either the "Created" date, or last "Modified" date.

Last updated on 6/22/2009 10:05:11 AM