Securing a Future for Maritime Archaeological Archives
Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology, 2009. (updated 2010) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000056. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
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Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology
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National Oceanography Centre
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UK
Tel: 023 8059 3290
Fax: 023 8059 3052
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 947
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000056
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
There is a critical lack of long-term, accessible and secure homes for maritime archaeological archives (the artefacts, samples and documentary and digital records from the many investigations undertaken in the marine zone around the UK). There is an acknowledged lack of capacity in our museums and archives to curate maritime archaeological archives and a lack of clarity over roles and responsibility for archives from the marine zone. This project has provided baseline information on the scale and extent of the problem.
The Securing a Future for Maritime Archaeological Archives project gathered data in three key areas to establish:
- Current geographical remits of museums and archives in the offshore zone
- The extent of the current situation regarding maritime archives
- Gauge future demand for maritime archaeological archive capacity
The results have provided baseline data which can be used by agencies, organisations and institutions to assess the most appropriate way to deliver increased support for those creating and curating archaeological archives. It will also help inform the development of future archive management capacity on a national level to ensure important collections have a publicly accessible home and are properly curated for current and future generations of researchers, school children and members of the public interested in their maritime heritage.
The project was undertaken in three phases:
- Element One - Mapping Maritime Collection Areas
- Element Two - Review of Maritime Archaeological Archives and Access
- Element Three - Analysing Present and Assessing Future Archive Creation
This is a collaborative project was undertaken in support of the aims of the Archaeological Archives Forum (AAF) which formally adopted the issue of maritime archives as part of its forward plan. The membership of the Archaeological Archives Forum were supportive of this initiative, which was reflected in project funding provided by English Heritage (EH), Historic Scotland (HS), Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), the Society of Museum Archaeologists (SMA) and the Archaeology Data Service (ADS).
