Collections Management and Curation

ACRA works in partnership with other archaeological organizations to review collections and curation best practices, address challenges in the discipline, and develop new methods. As part of the Archaeological Collections Consortium (ACC), our committee works with representatives from the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA) to focus on the use, preservation, and management of archaeological collections. A key ACC goal is to develop and act upon a common platform of objectives that seek to benefit the discipline and ultimately the public for whom archaeological collections are curated in the public trust.

Latest Committee News:

Did you know there is an interactive Archaeological Curation Repository Map that offers quick and easy access to information about curation fees, contact information, and which repositories are accessible for research, as well as other pertinent data? If you have any questions or comments about this exciting new resource, please contact Kerry Gonzalez.

• Desktop Version: SHA Repository Map_Dashboard (arcgis.com)
• Mobile Version: SHA Repository Map_Dashboard Mobile (arcgis.com)

The ACRA Collections and Curation Committee is looking for new members! Please send your lab managers our way.

Previous Update and Resources

January 2019: The ACRA board has approved the report titled Best Practices for No-Collection Projects and In-field Analysis and the ACC has made it available for distribution. You can view the full report here.

February 2017: The ACC has developed a glossary defining common terms used in archaeological collections management, which you can download here.