The importance of the date of an article will depend on the research topic. If you are writing about teaching undergraduate students, Chickering and Gamson are two authors who are well known for their seven principles of good practice, so you can use this article. It is a bit old but it is a classic as the principles still apply to students today...
Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 39(7), 3–7. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED282491.pdf
If you are writing about the retention of staff in the occupational therapy profession, then this article that mentions “a current trend in career literature” and was written in 1993 will be a bit too old to use. Things have changed a lot in the occupational therapy profession since 1993...
