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The term “collections” refers to materials recovered by archaeological surveys, tests or excavations and any supporting documentation, including, but not limited to, maps, field notes, records, catalogs, photographic media and properly completed site forms (IMACS, ASI Site Inventory Forms). ESAR Curation Policy and Procedures are directed toward providing optimal housing, conservation, documentation, and accessibility of collections in its care. In order to provide the best possible care, all collections submitted to ESAR must conform to the standards presented in the following pages. Curation Agreement A curation agreement is necessary before a collection can be deposited with ESAR. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) detailing curatorial services and responsibilities, as well as the Depositor's responsibilities, is required prior to the acceptance of a collection. This Agreement should be arranged during the planning phase of a Depositor's project and signed by the Depositor's authorized representatives and the authorized representatives of the ESAR. Curation of federal collections is conducted in accordance with the provisions of 36 CFR 79. In some circumstances a repository may accept a collection as a gift which transfers titles of the collection to the host institution managing the repository. Only those collections which meet the accessioning policy of the host institution will be considered as potential gifts. Transfer of titles must be finalized prior to, or concurrently with, submission of the collection to the repository. At the onset of any contract or project the Depositor will provide ESAR with the following information: (1) the location and scope of the project; (2) name and address of managing parties involved (principal investigator, institution, organization, agency, contractor, etc.); (3) name and address of owners of the project collection; and (4) the anticipated nature and volume of the collection, noting if conservation problems are expected. In addition to this advance notice, it is necessary to notify the Collections Manager thirty (30) days prior to the delivery of a collection to the curation center. It is the responsibility of the owner of a collection to ensure the archaeological materials are cleaned, sorted, labeled, catalogued, documented, conserved, and packaged, in accordance with ESAR standards. The repositories will accept only those collections which have received this initial processing. A repository may agree to accept a substandard collection under a service contract which will cover the direct and indirect costs incurred in bringing the collection up to acceptable standards. This policy statement provides guidance on general standards for collections. Each repository had specific requirements which reflect differences in details of the physical plant, staffing, and host institution operating rules. Documentation Smithsonian Site Numbers Only collections that have received a Smithsonian site number designation will be accepted for curation. For southeastern Idaho, Smithsonian site numbers are assigned by the State Historic Preservation Office, Idaho State Historical Society, Boise (208/334‑2682). Contact should be made with that agency for information on the appropriate procedures to be followed in order to obtain Smithsonian site numbers. Site Forms As soon as possible after the pertinent site information is collected and a Smithsonian site number is assigned, it is the Depositor's responsibility to send properly completed site forms (IMACS or ASI Site Inventory Forms) to ESAR and the State Historic Preservation Office in Boise. IMACS site forms and Users Guides can be obtained from the IMACS Administrative Office at the University of Utah (801- 581‑8663) or though their website at http://www.anthro.utah.edu/imacs.html. If the Depositor is subcontracting under a Federal Agency (i.e., Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, etc.), IMACS site forms and Users Guides may be obtained from that agency. Each IMACS site form must be completely filled out, following the IMACS Users Guide. A photocopy of the appropriate USGS 7.5' (or 15' where no 7.5' is available) topographic quadrangle showing the area in which the site lies must accompany each site form. The location of each site must be plotted accurately on the map. ASI Site Inventory Forms may be downloaded here (ASI Site Inventory Form, ASI Survey Report Form). These and additional forms or guidelines may be obtained through the Idaho State Historical Society website at http://www.idahohistory.net/shpo.html#anchor1564988 under ‘Federal Historic Preservation Project Review’.
Catalogue of Materials All materials accepted for curation must be accompanied by a hard copy of the collection catalogue. If available, an electronic copy is also desirable. In addition to listing catalogue number and object name and description, the catalogue should also contain entries for material type, condition, measurements for individually catalogued items or counts for lot items grouped under one catalogue number (such as a bag of debitage from the same provenience). Each site must have its own catalogue, preferably of acid-free or 100% rag paper with entries made in a #2 lead pencil or permanent ink. If the catalogue is typed or printed by a computer a carbon based ribbon/cartridge should be used. The Survey requires no particular cataloguing system, but each item sample and lot in the collection must have its horizontal and vertical proveniences either listed in the catalogue or directly reflected in the catalogue number. If portions of a collection have received special conservation treatment, the catalogue should be annotated to describe the treatment accorded each item; alternatively, an appendix to the catalogue may be prepared listing each item treated by catalogue number with a description of the conservation treatment applied. When using successive Arabic numerals for cataloguing, there should be no duplication of numbers, no gaps left in the sequence, and letter designations should be added to the number. Grouping material for bulk or "lot" cataloguing is normally considered part of the artifact analysis and professional judgment should be used. Diagnostic artifacts (such as projectile points, ground stone, rim and base sherds, and bone tools, bottle necks, bottle bases with maker's marks, and similar identifiable items) should be given individual catalogue numbers. This will permit their individual identification in the repository's collection database. A group of similar items of the same material from the same provenience which have no important distinguishing characteristics and are not individually diagnostic (such as unused flakes, unidentifiable bone fragments, and unidentifiable metal fragments) may be given a single "lot" catalogue number. If working at a previously documented site please contact the appropriate repository for information on the previous catalogue sequence in order to avoid generating duplicate catalogue systems for the site. Reports and other Documentation In addition, archaeological materials submitted for curation must be accompanied by all documentation produced during the report. If a collection is produced by a project resulting in a published report, a hard copy of that report must accompany the collection or be submitted when it is available. If available, an electronic copy is also desirable. If there is no final report, a description of the project must be submitted with the collection. This description should include a list of personnel and institutions/companies involved, dates of field and laboratory work, a map and detailed description of the project area and site location, purpose of the project, methods used, and project results. When a collection is the result of work made possible by permit, grant, or contract, a copy of such document must be included among the collections records.
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ESAR Curation policy and procedures |
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Earl H. Swanson archaeological Repository |
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Archaeological survey of Idaho, Eastern adjunct |
