To those of you interested in curation strategies:
 
     Doreen Cooper said I could send this on to you, as she's been off line
     for a while and didn't see the initial query.
 
     Cathy Spude
 
 
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Subject: Re[2]: Curation of historic artifacts
Author:  Cathy Spude at NP-SWRO
Date:    1/22/98 8:38 AM
 
 
 
Thanks, Doreen. That sounds very similar to the policy we had come up with.
Independent invention proves that the decisions are sound.
 
Do you want to pass this on to the HISTARCH list serve in response to the
current thread on curation?
 
Cathy
 
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Subject: Re:Curation of historic artifacts
Author:  Doreen Cooper at NP-KLGO
Date:    1/20/98 4:27 PM
 
 
I don't really know what you are talking about, so probably it did not.  But, we
have our own guidelines about what to keep and what to not keep.  To some
extent, that section of our lab manual is a little vague because I don't want
lab assistants just deciding to toss things without a lab supervisor's prior
approval.  Also, the museum staff has their guidelines when they deaccession,
etc.  Anyway, here are our standards:
 
Discarding Artifacts
 
At KLGO, some artifacts are discarded after cataloging.  The decision to discard
artifacts is a very serious one, and that decision is made by the Project
Archeologist.  If the Project Archeologist is going to be away for an extended
time, then that decision should be made by the Cultural Resource Management
Specialist.  This decision cannot be made by the Museum Specialist.
 
Generally, common artifact types that are discarded after cataloging are nails,
windowpane glass, coal, and some building materials such as brick and wood
fragments.  Non-diagnostic tin can fragments are also often discarded, as are
unidentifiable ferrous lumps.  A representative sample of each type is always
kept for curation.
 
As archeologists we have to know how many of each type were recovered from a
provenience, but the Museum Specialist needs to know how many of each type are
actually being accessioned into the collection.  When artifacts are discarded
after being cataloged, you have to record how many were kept.  To do this,
master forms have a line for "Kept".  If not present, then write how many were
kept at the bottom of the Descriptions block.  On the computer entry program,
this number will be put into the fourth Description field, along with any
description of the artifact's condition.
 
Now that I look this over, there is more that should have been said.  For one
thing, when we are digging in a disturbed provenience, there is less of a
tendency to keep things.  Often I also discard non-diagnostic bottle glass
sherds, or ceramic spalls, etc.  But if it is an intact provenience, such as a
privy, I tend to retain much more, even the nails and window glass, at least a
sample, but sometimes not from each level.  I almost never keep nail fragments.
In a sheet trash deposit, I also keep less.  However, for each unit there is at
least one flotation sample where everything is kept.
 
Let me know if you have any other queries.