Preserving the archaelogical record: An archives management program for archaeological documentation.

摘要

The research value of reposited archaeological collections is diminishing rapidly through the deterioration and loss of the associated collection documentation. Inadequate records management controls and a lack of knowledge of archival preservation techniques on the part of collection managers are the primary causal factors for this loss. Recent curation needs assessment studies conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service revealed the nature and extent of this problem and provided the foundation for developing and implementing a program for the management of this information.; A collection management program for archaeological documentation involves three phases. The first phase consists of identifying the various archaeological projects which have been conducted under the auspices of a given agency and then locating project reports for work performed. The lack of comprehensive report libraries and/or databases, the scarcity of report copies, and the various formats in which reports are issued make the identification and recovery of this information time consuming and difficult. The identification, location, and recovery of all original documentation associate with these projects, however, cannot be achieved until this step has been completed.; Phase two involves the application of archival preservation techniques which will ensure the long-term survival of these records. Information on these techniques, however, is not readily accessible to those responsible for the preservation of archaeological collections. Additionally, each documentation format has its own unique preservation requirements and these requirements must be adhered to if irreversible document damage is to be avoided.; An efficient archives management plan should not only preserve the collection documentation, but also facilitate its usage. The last phase of the management plan, therefore, consists of the arrangement and description of the assembled documentation collections. The need for continued association of the documents with the recovered artifacts, however, necessitates modification of traditional archival management systems. A newly developed system of arrangement and description accommodates this requirement.