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<p class="MsoNormal">We are cleaning up entries in a legacy database so that our data can be imported into a properly configured collections database. Exact dates will be imported in a text string mm/dd/yyyy. But how to render a vague date referring only
to season, such as ‘Spring 1984’, or if only the year was recorded? Is it better to record as missing data, record as an erroneous but exact date such as 01/01/1984, or place at the midpoint of the season? Whatever we do we will have a ‘verbatim’ field that
preserves the original entry, but we want to have a version of collection date that is useful and searchable. Thanks for any assistance!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eric T. Schultz<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Coordinator, Joint BS-MS Degree in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Director, Vertebrate Biodiversity Collections<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Chair, General Education Oversight Committee<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">University of Connecticut<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Storrs, CT 06269-3043<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:eric.schultz@uconn.edu">eric.schultz@uconn.edu</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">860.486.4692<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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