diff --git a/app/adapters/adapter.rb b/app/adapters/adapter.rb
index bb615c31..899b9935 100644
--- a/app/adapters/adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/adapter.rb
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ def map_simple(model_field, public_field)
   # Register a one-to-one mapping of a date field.
   # @param [Symbol] model_field
   # @param [Symbol] public_field
-  # @param [String] date_format The Date format to use.
-  def map_date(model_field, public_field, date_format)
+  # @param [String] date_format The Date format to use ("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ").
+  def map_date(model_field, public_field, date_format = "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")
     map_from_public public_field do |value|
       {model_field => time_from_public(value)}
     end
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ def from_public(public)
 
   def time_from_public(time)
     if time.is_a? String
-      return time_from_string(time)
+      Time.zone.parse(time)
     else
-      return time
+      time
     end
   end
 
@@ -201,4 +201,4 @@ def to_bool(value)
   end
 
 
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/app/adapters/bag_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/bag_adapter.rb
index 5296c5df..383e6156 100644
--- a/app/adapters/bag_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/bag_adapter.rb
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
 
 class BagAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
 
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
-  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
+  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at
 
   map_simple :uuid, :uuid
   map_simple :local_id, :local_id
diff --git a/app/adapters/fixity_check_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/fixity_check_adapter.rb
index 5641587b..e47e7c66 100644
--- a/app/adapters/fixity_check_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/fixity_check_adapter.rb
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
 
 
 class FixityCheckAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
-  map_date :fixity_at,  :fixity_at,  Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
+  map_date :fixity_at,  :fixity_at
   map_simple      :fixity_check_id,   :fixity_check_id
   map_bool        :success,           :success
   map_belongs_to  :bag,               :bag,       sub_method: :uuid
diff --git a/app/adapters/ingest_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/ingest_adapter.rb
index 676c405d..092e462d 100644
--- a/app/adapters/ingest_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/ingest_adapter.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 
 class IngestAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
 
   map_simple      :ingest_id, :ingest_id
   map_belongs_to  :bag,       :bag,       sub_method: :uuid
diff --git a/app/adapters/member_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/member_adapter.rb
index bb00336a..5d439530 100644
--- a/app/adapters/member_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/member_adapter.rb
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 
 
 class MemberAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
-  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
+  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at
 
   map_simple :member_id, :member_id
   map_simple :name, :name
diff --git a/app/adapters/message_digest_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/message_digest_adapter.rb
index 97d6997c..305d704b 100644
--- a/app/adapters/message_digest_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/message_digest_adapter.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 
 class MessageDigestAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
   map_simple :value, :value
   map_belongs_to :bag,        :bag,       sub_method: :uuid
   map_belongs_to :node,       :node,      sub_method: :namespace
diff --git a/app/adapters/node_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/node_adapter.rb
index c35ee7f4..4e24f5e0 100644
--- a/app/adapters/node_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/node_adapter.rb
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
 
 
 class NodeAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
-  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
+  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at
 
   map_simple :name, :name
   map_simple :namespace, :namespace
diff --git a/app/adapters/replication_transfer_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/replication_transfer_adapter.rb
index 3331e7c2..2872d4df 100644
--- a/app/adapters/replication_transfer_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/replication_transfer_adapter.rb
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 # See LICENSE.md for details.
 
 class ReplicationTransferAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
-  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
+  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at
 
   map_simple :replication_id, :replication_id
   map_simple :fixity_nonce, :fixity_nonce
diff --git a/app/adapters/restore_transfer_adapter.rb b/app/adapters/restore_transfer_adapter.rb
index 5e9e41e1..58bf4748 100644
--- a/app/adapters/restore_transfer_adapter.rb
+++ b/app/adapters/restore_transfer_adapter.rb
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 
 
 class RestoreTransferAdapter < ::AbstractAdapter
-  map_date :created_at, :created_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
-  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at, Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn]
+  map_date :created_at, :created_at
+  map_date :updated_at, :updated_at
 
   map_simple  :restore_id, :restore_id
   map_bool    :accepted, :accepted
diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index abcd9ca1..1c1b7d01 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@ def convert_time_strings
     [:updated_at, :created_at].each do |key|
       if params.has_key?(key)
         begin
-          timestamp = params[key].gsub(/\.[0-9]*Z\Z/, "Z")
-          params[key] = time_from_string(timestamp)
+          params[key] = Time.zone.parse(params[key])
         rescue ArgumentError
           params[key] = nil
         end
diff --git a/config/initializers/time_formats.rb b/config/initializers/time_formats.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 22551e58..00000000
--- a/config/initializers/time_formats.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright (c) 2015 The Regents of the University of Michigan.
-# All Rights Reserved.
-# Licensed according to the terms of the Revised BSD License
-# See LICENSE.md for details.
-
-
-Time::DATE_FORMATS[:dpn] = "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ"
-
-def time_from_string(string_time)
-  Time.zone.parse(string_time.gsub(/\.[0-9]*Z\Z/, "Z"))
-end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 4847da25..974bba28 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -101,3 +101,7 @@
   Kernel.srand config.seed
 =end
 end
+
+def time_from_string(string_time)
+  Time.zone.parse(string_time)
+end