Adrian/Julia: Are these issues available online somewhere? I didn't find 
them on the Society for California Archaeology website.

Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc. has developed a discard strategy for high 
volume artifact classes that is discussed in a paper on their website. 
Here's the link.
http://crai-ky.com/education/reports/discarding.html

It's a controversial subject (and that is an understatement). The subject 
surfaces fairly often in Kentucky but there is no consensus about it. As a 
museum curator as well as an archaeologist, I don't have any problem with 
discarding or not collecting or just collecting a sample of common, 
nondiagnostic, high-volume artifact classes, but I think the decision to do 
so ought to be part of the research design for each project--subject to 
modification if need be as the project progresses. Some artifact classes 
could be routinely subject to a fairly high discard rate but there may be 
cases when their discard would not be recommended. I'm reminded of what 
Alexander Dumas said, "All generalizations are dangerous, even this one." 
On the other hand, if we keep everything we bring in from the field even 
when it is apparent that its informational value is virtually nil or our 
sample is way more than is needed to draw useful/insightful conclusions, 
then the future of museum space and resources looks bleak indeed. I am a 
big fan of "observed (and quantified/measured/whatever if warranted) but 
not collected" for some categories. Careful sampling gets my vote, too. And 
I have discarded stuff too (but what I throw out is noted and included 
among my analytical notes).

Like any policy, a blanket discard policy can be abused. A more complicated 
one may prevent discard where it is not justifiable but may not be used 
because it is too confusing. Or misused with the best of intentions. But 
ignoring the problem just accelerates the inevitable. And this isn't just 
about historic artifacts although they get all the heat. How many tens of 
thousands pieces of lithic debitage do we need to keep? Or all that fire 
cracked rock?

Back to lurker land.

At 02:53 PM 10/27/2006, you wrote:
>Adrian Praetzellis and Julia Costello
>
>2002  "Don't Keep Everything: Artifact Discard Policy" Society for
>California Archaeology Newsletter 36(3):30-33.
>
>2003     "Don't Keep Everything: Response to Greenwood and Hale" Society for
>California Archaeology Newsletter 37(1):14-15.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Mark Branstner" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, October 27, 2006 11:04 AM
>Subject: Re: curation of hazardous materials
>
>
> > Rob,
> >
> > I know its a day late and a dollar short, but the better question
> > might be:  "Why did you bring it out of the field in the first
> > place?"   If you had left it on site, there would be no disposal
> > problem ...  Count it, weigh it, pitch it.  And now that its back in
> > the lab, "What is the purpose of curating this material?"  Frankly,
> > now that its back in the lab, "count it, weigh it, and pitch it"
> > would still be my advice.
> >
> > Which raises a bigger question (at least in my mind) ...  Has there
> > been any recent discussion on HISTARCH or elsewhere relative to the
> > curation/non-curation of historic archaeological materials?  I guess
> > I am most concerned about the high-volume, but (potentially) less
> > significant artifacts (e.g., nails, bricks, unidentifiable ferrous
> > lumps, window glass, twentieth century bottle glass, etc.).
> >
> > Anybody like to talk about these as curation policies or issues, or
> > point me towards such a discussion?
> >
> > --
> >
> > Mark C. Branstner
> > Historic Archaeologist
> >
> > Illinois Transportation
> > Archaeological Research Program
> > 209 Nuclear Physics Lab, MC-571
> > 23 East Stadium Drive
> > Champaign, IL 61820
> >
> > Phone: 217.244.0892
> > Fax: 217.244.7458
> > Cell: 517.927.4556
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> > "There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth,
> > without either virtue or talents ... The artificial aristocracy is a
> > mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to
> > prevent its ascendancy."
> >
> > - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

Nancy O'Malley
Assistant Director
William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology
1020A Export St.
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Ky. 40506
Tele: 859-257-1944
FAX: 859-323-1968
Email: [log in to unmask]