n. (bulk date, sing.)the time period of the majority of the content in a set of archival recordsAPPM2 1989, 15Optionally, add to the inclusive dates of collections or record series, the bulk dates (i.e., the dates for which the materials bulk largest or are most significant), if known. Inclusive dates always take precedence over bulk dates and bulk dates are never entered without inclusive dates.Bradsher 1989, 71The preferences of the archival repository may dictate whether the dates reported always refer only to the accumulation period of the bulk of the records in the series (i.e. bulk dates) or whether they stretch beyond the bulk of the records when necessary to include chronological outliers (i.e. inclusive dates).EAD 2002, 253The TYPE attribute may be used to indicate whether the <unitdate> represents inclusive dates or bulk (predominant) dates.Schmidt 2011a, 13The beginning of the finding aid includes the name of the archival repository, the title of the archival collection, finding aid creation information, and a date range for the materials in the archive. “Bulk dates” refers to the date range where most of the materials in the collection originate.Hamill 2013, 43Bulk dates are the earliest and latest dates for the majority of the material being described.Carmicheal 2019, 39If the collection covers one date range, but a large percentage of the records cover a narrower period within that date range (if they “bulk up” in one period), indicate that with bulk dates.DACS 2019, 21Optionally, where the dates pertaining to the majority of the documents in the unit being described differ significantly from the inclusive dates, provide predominant or bulk dates. Specify them as such, preceded by the word predominant or bulk. Never provide predominant or bulk dates without also providing inclusive dates.EAD 2019, 441Use @unitdatetype to indicate if <unitdate> represents inclusive dates or bulk (predominant) dates.Hamill 2021, 32Bulk dates are the earliest and most recent dates for the majority of the records.
Notes
Bulk dates are used especially when they differ significantly from inclusive dates. Bulk date information usually consists of a date range rather than a single date, so this term appears almost exclusively in the plural form. However, instances do exist when the bulk of the content belongs to a single year.
