7th July 2011, 02:42 AM
i have been an archy for over 15 years and for the last few have been working in the wonderful world of archaeological archives. i could spend the next 15 years talking about the issues us archivists face on a daily basis, but you'll be pleased to know, im not going to!
but seriously, the issues concerning archaeological archives and their deposition, or not, have been building for years and now we have reached crisis point. there are many problems we face but i think that one of the most problematic is the museum depostion guidelines. these vary, enormously, from museum to museum. The first is the size of finds box - we currently hold approx 25 different sizes and have to order in others when required - these range from a half size Oxford, large London, small Swindon etc etc the list is endless. then what to put on the box - label or hand written, what to write, or print, red or black ink, blood of your first born etc etc. how to pack the box, by context, by type, by period etc etc. then onto the paper records. All to be in archival document cases - various sizes apply. Some want each section of the archive treasury tagged separately, some want each section in a folder within the box etc etc. Microfiche. ALL musuems still require a set of microfiche. the company we use has to source their fiche from abroad as no one else uses microfiche in this day and age! That is just a snippet of what we encounter and im not even going to start on the digital archive!
As archaeologists we have to follow, quite rightly, strict regulations and standards as we carry out each stage of our work. Museums, however, can create, issue and enforce their guidelines (no matter how absurd some of these may be - and trust me there are some incredible ones out there i have the grey hairs to prove it!) and we have no option but to adhere to them if we want to deposit the archive. Then, after we have jumped through all the hoops - at considerable cost- we then have to pay to deposit the archive which can vary from ?35 to ?100 per item.
But then comes the real rub, because once we have done everything according to the guidelines, set aside money for the depostion costs and the archive is ready, the museum then refuses to take the archive because they have no room!
ever felt a better use of your time would be banging your head against the nearest available wall? i do, daily! but, its my job, and crazy as it sounds i love it. There is no better challenge than wrestling an archive into submission and finally getting it out of the door so it is available to the wider audience and not in deep storage - however rare an event it is these days.
the upshot we have to find a solution to an ever growing problem. Archaeology is here to stay and we need to address this now. I dont have the answer, if only i did, but talking about how bad it is but not thrashing out a solution is no better than ignoring the problem altogether and hoping it would go away.
So, to this end i welcome any debate that keeps this issue to the fore and maybe if we all pull together we might just find a way through after all arent we all in this profession for the same reasons?
but seriously, the issues concerning archaeological archives and their deposition, or not, have been building for years and now we have reached crisis point. there are many problems we face but i think that one of the most problematic is the museum depostion guidelines. these vary, enormously, from museum to museum. The first is the size of finds box - we currently hold approx 25 different sizes and have to order in others when required - these range from a half size Oxford, large London, small Swindon etc etc the list is endless. then what to put on the box - label or hand written, what to write, or print, red or black ink, blood of your first born etc etc. how to pack the box, by context, by type, by period etc etc. then onto the paper records. All to be in archival document cases - various sizes apply. Some want each section of the archive treasury tagged separately, some want each section in a folder within the box etc etc. Microfiche. ALL musuems still require a set of microfiche. the company we use has to source their fiche from abroad as no one else uses microfiche in this day and age! That is just a snippet of what we encounter and im not even going to start on the digital archive!
As archaeologists we have to follow, quite rightly, strict regulations and standards as we carry out each stage of our work. Museums, however, can create, issue and enforce their guidelines (no matter how absurd some of these may be - and trust me there are some incredible ones out there i have the grey hairs to prove it!) and we have no option but to adhere to them if we want to deposit the archive. Then, after we have jumped through all the hoops - at considerable cost- we then have to pay to deposit the archive which can vary from ?35 to ?100 per item.
But then comes the real rub, because once we have done everything according to the guidelines, set aside money for the depostion costs and the archive is ready, the museum then refuses to take the archive because they have no room!
ever felt a better use of your time would be banging your head against the nearest available wall? i do, daily! but, its my job, and crazy as it sounds i love it. There is no better challenge than wrestling an archive into submission and finally getting it out of the door so it is available to the wider audience and not in deep storage - however rare an event it is these days.
the upshot we have to find a solution to an ever growing problem. Archaeology is here to stay and we need to address this now. I dont have the answer, if only i did, but talking about how bad it is but not thrashing out a solution is no better than ignoring the problem altogether and hoping it would go away.
So, to this end i welcome any debate that keeps this issue to the fore and maybe if we all pull together we might just find a way through after all arent we all in this profession for the same reasons?