Abstract
Abstract
This theme issue has two primary goals: to illuminate the underdeveloped or faltering areas of the discipline as they relate to archaeological collections and to offer tangible paths forward to address the systemic problems identified as they impact the future of archaeology. Present-day archaeology is complicated due to its many sectors of practice: academia/faculty; cultural resource management; federal, state, and local government; tribal governments and communities; descendant communities; students; the general public; and different types of archaeological repositories. Given this complexity, it can be difficult to identify the expectations (and realities) of each sector, which, if better understood, would help illuminate the nuances of preservation, accountability, discoverability, and use of archaeological collections across the discipline. Without a solid understanding of these nuances, efforts to advance the discipline are undermined. This introduction provides an overview of the articles that address emerging and urgent issues and offer viable steps forward. These challenges include the interrelationships between ethics, collaboration, and training; the preservation and management of digital records and data; collections discovery and reuse; collections-based research; training in material culture; making collections knowable to constituencies outside archaeology; preparing for repatriation from a management perspective; and the intricacies of the archaeological digital data system.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Reference19 articles.
1. Making Archaeological Collections Available for Research: Recommendations for Repositories;King;Advances in Archaeological Practice,2019
2. The Relevance of Archaeology Curricula in Higher Education Today;Thomas;Revista do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia,2023
3. A Checklist for Sustainable Management of Archaeological Collections;Childs;Advances in Archaeological Practice,2017
4. Best Practices for No Collection Projects and In-Field Analysis in the United States;SAA Archaeological Record,2019