9th April 2010, 11:33 AM
Two points:
1) I still think there is plenty of scope for works of synthesis being conducted by archaeologists using commercially-produced "grey literature" as a principal source of information. Academics are the best-placed people to do this, as no developer is going to pay for it, and no curator will demand it.
2) Opening up archaeological information can work both ways. County archaeologists can ensure that all reports produced in their curatorial areas are made more widely available, e.g. by ensuring that WSIs stipulate that reports are submitted to OASIS. But the academic world hasn't yet moved into the digital age of freely-available information. It would be wonderful if I could access journal articles freely when researching a desk-based assessment. Freeing up information would then allow cross-fertilization - commercial and research projects would better inform one another. Freeing up peer-reviewed articles would also help counteract the fringe archaeology that dominates a lot of the internet, although I'm not sure how free access could work from an economic or copyright point of view.
1) I still think there is plenty of scope for works of synthesis being conducted by archaeologists using commercially-produced "grey literature" as a principal source of information. Academics are the best-placed people to do this, as no developer is going to pay for it, and no curator will demand it.
2) Opening up archaeological information can work both ways. County archaeologists can ensure that all reports produced in their curatorial areas are made more widely available, e.g. by ensuring that WSIs stipulate that reports are submitted to OASIS. But the academic world hasn't yet moved into the digital age of freely-available information. It would be wonderful if I could access journal articles freely when researching a desk-based assessment. Freeing up information would then allow cross-fertilization - commercial and research projects would better inform one another. Freeing up peer-reviewed articles would also help counteract the fringe archaeology that dominates a lot of the internet, although I'm not sure how free access could work from an economic or copyright point of view.
?He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself?
Chinese Proverb
Chinese Proverb