almanac
Enable an agent to recognise an almanac, assess the applicability and reliability of its dated reference content, and select an appropriate edition for consultation or reuse.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to recognise an almanac, assess the applicability and reliability of its dated reference content, and select an appropriate edition for consultation or reuse.
An almanac is a reference publication, traditionally issued annually, that assembles calendar-related information such as astronomical events, tides or seasonal guidance, often alongside statistics and other facts for a specified year, region or subject.
It can be Select an issue and section matching a requested date, place and subject.; Retrieve a dated entry or table value with its headings, units, footnotes and source location.; Distinguish observed information from calculations, forecasts and traditional advice.; Compare successive issues while identifying changes in definitions, coverage and methods.; Locate corrections and identify superseded entries before using their values.; Assess whether a proposed quotation, extraction or redistribution has a supported reuse basis..
Distinguishing features
Contains a compiled body of reference information tied to a named year, calendar cycle or recurring reporting period; a year in the title alone is insufficient.
Provides reference content beyond the arrangement of dates or space for personal appointments, distinguishing it from a bare calendar or planner.
Supports consultation by date, table, place or subject rather than relying primarily on a continuous narrative.
May combine calendar information with practical material or annual facts and statistics; no single subject, such as weather or agriculture, is mandatory.
Requires assessment of its organising purpose and contents when distinguishing an almanac from a yearbook, since the labels may overlap.
Scope
+ Identification of calendar-oriented and annual reference-compendium senses of almanac
+ Coverage periods, publication dates, editions and relationships between successive issues
+ Calendar entries, astronomical tables, forecasts, statistics and practical information where present
+ Geographic applicability, time conventions, units and explanatory keys
+ Editorial provenance, corrections, evidential status and conditions for content reuse
- Calculation of astronomical events or production of weather forecasts
- The underlying calendar system as an independent concept
- General newspaper, encyclopedia, directory or journal models
- Physical conservation and ownership of an individual printed copy
- The full institutional model of an almanac publisher
- Operational decisions in farming, navigation or other fields that consult the almanac
Characteristics
- Almanac orientation
- calendar-oriented; annual reference compendium; mixed; unresolved Establishes which sense is being modelled without assuming every almanac contains the same subjects.
- Coverage period
- start and end dates with calendar system, or explicitly named cycle Determines when the compiled information purports to apply.
- Publication timing
- publication date relative to coverage period and individual data reference dates Separates advance guidance from retrospective reporting and later republication.
- Edition lineage
- issue of; revises; translates; reprints; succeeds; digitises Prevents substitution of a different year's issue, translation or corrected edition.
- Geographic applicability
- named territory, locality, coordinates or reference station, with section-specific exceptions Some entries depend on location even when the publication has a broader audience.
- Time basis
- stated calendar, time scale or zone, daylight-saving treatment and day-boundary convention; unspecified Allows dated events and tabulated times to be interpreted correctly.
- Entry evidence type
- observation; calculation; forecast; official schedule; reported statistic; traditional advice; editorial synthesis; unknown Prevents different kinds of statements from being treated as equally established facts.
- Correction status
- not checked; no corrections located; correction issued; corrected version verified; conflicting versions Makes the agent's verification state explicit without equating silence with accuracy.
- Reuse basis
- explicit permission or licence; assessed public-domain status; restricted; unresolved, scoped to component and jurisdiction Determines whether an agent may quote, extract, redistribute or adapt particular content.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Almanac identity and editions Identifies the almanac's organising purpose and the particular issue or version being consulted.
A familiar title can conceal different years, regional editions, translations and reproductions.
Reference form
Establishes which almanac sense applies and where adjacent publication forms overlap.
Almanac organising purpose
Record whether the contents function as calendar-oriented reference material, an annual compendium or a mixture; do not classify solely from the title.
- What in the contents and editorial description makes this publication an almanac? definition
- Where does its function overlap with a yearbook, calendar or directory, and which distinction matters for use? boundary
Issue and version lineage
Separates the continuing work, individual issue, content expression, publication format and consulted copy.
Consulted edition identity
Record the issue year, edition statement, language, regional variant and reproduction history needed to identify the consulted content.
- Which title, issue designation and available identifiers identify this almanac and its consulted edition? provenance
- Is this a revised text, translation, unchanged reprint or digitisation, and which earlier version does it derive from? boundary
Temporal and local applicability Establishes when and where the almanac's entries can be interpreted and used.
An issue year does not by itself establish the dates, locations or clock conventions of every entry.
Coverage and data dates
Distinguishes the advertised coverage period from publication timing and the dates of underlying information.
Dated content applicability
Record the coverage interval and entry-level reference dates where these differ from the issue designation.
- What period does this issue cover, and when was it published? measurement
- Which sections report earlier observations or statistics, and which describe events expected during the coverage period? boundary
Location and time conventions
Captures the spatial and temporal assumptions behind calendar entries and time-dependent tables.
Entry reference frame
Record the locality, calendar and time conventions needed to interpret an entry, including any published adjustment instructions.
- To which locality or reference coordinates do the tabulated events apply, and what calendar and time basis are stated? measurement
- What adjustments does the almanac authorise for another location or clock convention, and when is a different table required? action
Reference content and retrieval Describes the actual mix of almanac sections and the conventions needed to retrieve their contents faithfully.
Almanacs vary in subject coverage, and detached table values can lose their meaning.
Section repertoire
Records the reference subjects actually present without imposing a standard contents list.
Present content families
Identify calendar, astronomical, meteorological, statistical, civic or practical sections only where the issue contains them.
- Which reference sections are present, and which dates, places or subjects organise each section? definition
- Which material is reference content, and which is advertising, commentary or supplementary entertainment? boundary
Table and entry semantics
Preserves headings, keys and qualifiers during lookup and extraction.
Interpretable reference extraction
Associate retrieved values with their row and column meanings, units, symbols, footnotes and stable source locations.
- Which headings, abbreviations, units and footnotes are required to interpret this entry? definition
- How can an agent cite or extract this entry while retaining its qualifiers and checking any transcription against the consulted edition? action
Evidence and editorial reliability Distinguishes the origins and epistemic status of entries and records corrections or methodological changes.
An almanac can place calculated events, reported statistics, predictions and traditional guidance beside one another.
Entry evidence
Connects individual statements or tables to their stated producers, sources and methods.
Claim type and support
Record whether content is observed, calculated, forecast, scheduled or advisory and what support the almanac supplies.
- What evidence type does this entry represent, and does the publication clearly label that status? definition
- Who supplied the information, and which source, method or uncertainty statement can actually be traced? provenance
Corrections and comparability
Tracks amendments and conditions for comparing information across issues.
Corrected and comparable values
Record applicable errata and changes to definitions, units, geographic coverage or compilation methods.
- Which errata or replacement tables affect this entry, and has the consulted version incorporated them? provenance
- Can values from successive issues be compared directly, or do changed definitions, coverage or methods require qualification? action
Consultation and reuse Connects edition selection and content permissions to the agent's intended use.
A suitable historical reference may be unsuitable for present guidance, and reuse conditions may differ across its components.
Fitness for request
Assesses whether the selected issue and entry answer the user's particular question.
Use-specific selection
Distinguish studying what an issue reported from relying on its content for an action at another time or place.
- Does the request concern what this issue said, what actually happened, or guidance for a proposed action? boundary
- Does the selected entry match the requested date, location and purpose, or is another issue or corroborating source needed? action
Component reuse basis
Records the basis for reusing text, tables, illustrations and digital reproductions.
Scoped content permissions
Associate rights evidence with the relevant content component, edition and intended reuse rather than assigning one unsupported status to the entire almanac.
- What rights statements or other evidence apply to the selected text, table, illustration or reproduction? provenance
- Does that evidence support the intended quotation, extraction, adaptation or redistribution, and what attribution is required? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- This describes the reference-publication sense; no registry definition was supplied to resolve broader literary uses.
- Annual publication and astronomical content are traditional characteristics, not universal requirements.
- Identifier assignment and the bibliographic treatment of an annual volume depend on the publication; no specific title or edition has been checked.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Astronomical almanac
- Nautical almanac
- Farmers' almanac
- General reference almanac
- Subject-specific almanac
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- ISBN - 13 digits, beginning with 978 or 979 - May identify a particular edition and publication format; it does not identify every edition or an individual copy.
- ISSN - Eight characters conventionally written XXXX-XXXX; the final check character may be X - May identify an ongoing almanac serial; individual annual volumes may also carry ISBNs.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- ISO 2108, issued by the International Organization for Standardization, specifies the International Standard Book Number system.
- ISO 3297, issued by the International Organization for Standardization, specifies the International Standard Serial Number system.
- IFLA Library Reference Model, issued by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, distinguishes work, expression, manifestation and item for bibliographic description.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Looking up calendar dates, holidays and astronomical events.
- Obtaining celestial navigation data from nautical almanacs.
- Consulting seasonal information and traditional guidance for gardening or farming.
- Retrieving compact collections of statistics and factual summaries.
- Studying historical calendars, popular knowledge and publishing practices.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Using data for the wrong year, location, time zone or calendar.
- Treating traditional weather predictions or planting advice as established scientific forecasts.
- Relying on outdated statistics without checking their reference dates.
- Using navigation data without accounting for its stated time scale, reference system or required corrections.
- Confusing an ongoing title, an annual volume, a revised edition and a particular physical or digital copy.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Calendar systems, public holidays and religious observances vary by intended readership.
- Sunrise, sunset, tides and seasonal guidance depend on location; seasonal guidance also differs between hemispheres.
- Some publishing traditions use 'almanac' for annual literary or cultural collections as well as factual reference works.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Yearbook - A yearbook typically records a year's activities or developments; an almanac typically organizes reference information for use during a designated year, though titles overlap.
- Calendar - A calendar primarily represents dates and their arrangement; an almanac adds a substantive body of reference information.
- Ephemeris - An ephemeris tabulates positions or other properties of celestial bodies over time; an almanac may incorporate ephemerides alongside other information.
- Encyclopedia - An encyclopedia primarily explains subjects through articles; an almanac emphasizes compact facts, tables and calendar-related information.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of almanac this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend both calendar-oriented almanacs and annual statistical compendia, and how should their overlap with yearbooks be represented?
- How should a continuously updated digital publication qualify as an almanac when it lacks stable annual issues?
- Which bibliographic treatment best distinguishes the continuing almanac, annual issue and revised edition in the surrounding Vercy catalogue?
- Which specialist almanac types require additional content-specific applicability checks beyond the shared model?
- Does an existing world model already own this concept or its publication-level structure, requiring a link or extension instead of a separate publication?