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Page References

Incoming links Outgoing links
Applying the standards
Applying the standards

Version management

Difference between version and

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!!Applying the standards
[{TableOfContents title='Applying the standards'}]
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!!!Applying the standards
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You can download the complete questionnaire [here|Def_Applying the standards.pdf].
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!I. The Documentary Archive
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!!I. The Documentary Archive
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%%tabbedSection __1. Written en Printed Material__
!__1. Written en Printed Material__
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%%tabbedSection __2. Drawn Material__
!__2. Drawn Material__
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%%tabbedSection __3. Photographic Material__
!__3. Photographic Material__
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%%tabbedSection __4. Digital Material__
!__4. Digital Material__
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!II. The Material / Finds Archive
!!II. The Material / Finds Archive
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|Data-gathering|Pack finds to ensure that finds from different contexts are kept together, and to protect against loss or damage: a/ bulk finds of the same material type, from the same context, may be packed together in stable paper or polythene bags of suitable weight; b/ mark all bags on the outside with site and context identifiers and the material type, and include a polyethylene label marked with the same information. It may not be possible to mark some polythene bags, in which case they must contain two marked polyethylene labels; c/ use permanent ink on bags and labels; d/ bulk finds may be boxed together, but it is inadvisable to place heavy and delicate objects together in the same box; e/ sensitive finds must be packed individually in bags or boxes marked with the site identifier, context number and/or find number, and if appropriate the repository accession number; f/ sensitive finds must be supported, where appropriate, on inert plastic foam or acid-free tissue paper, designed to prevent movement within the box. It is not advisable to wrap objects in tissue because the act of unwrapping could cause damage; g/fragile finds, or those that are not marked or have a tie-on label, must be packed to be visible without removal from their container.|
|Data-gathering|Specimen finds, e.g. those used for analysis, must be packed in containers marked with site and context identifiers. A note detailing the removal of the specimen must be attached to or inserted into the container of finds from which the specimen was extracted.|
|Data-gathering|Human remains must be treated with respect, in accordance with national guidelines. Human skeletal remains must be marked. Apply protocols for the storage, management and examination of human remains that recognise their sensitivity.|
|Data-gathering|Conservation work, including cleaning sensitive finds, must be carried out by accredited conservators.|
|Data-gathering|All finds must be sorted and classified according to accepted systems of terminology, of both material types and object types.|
|Data-gathering|Primary recording must facilitate an understanding of the character and extent of the assemblage. Initial finds records must identify material and object types, and quantify each type as appropriate, preferably by two measures, normally weight and fragment count.|
|Data-gathering|Most metal objects must be recorded by x-radiography. Exceptions include: a/ lead alloys or copper alloys with a high lead content; b/ objects too thick to be x-rayed effectively; c/ objects, such as modern finds, for which x-rays will add no useful information; d/ finds of no archaeological significance, e.g. unstratified; e/ every example of a large homogenous assemblage, e.g. nails.|
|Data-gathering|All finds must, at all times, be stored in conditions that minimise the risks of damage, deterioration, loss or theft.|
|Data-gathering|Transfer of finds from one location to another must be undertaken with due care and attention, and must be fully documented.|
|Analysis and Report writing (The analysis and interpretation phases relevant to the material archive include specialist study, detailed conservation and scientific analysis)|Specialists, conservators, and scientific analysts must comply with current standards of object care, minimising the risk of damage, loss and theft.|
|Analysis and Report writing|Specialists must follow accepted standards for recording finds, both in terms of what is recorded and terminology.|
|Analysis and Report writing|Type series created during analysis must be submitted as part of the archive, accompanied by appropriate documentation.|
|Analysis and Report writing|Conservation work, including cleaning sensitive finds, must be carried out by qualified conservators.|
|Analysis and Report writing|Scientific analysis must be carried out by properly qualified practitioners.|
|Analysis and Report writing|When necessary to transport finds, e.g. to or from specialists, finds must be packed appropriately and carried by project staff or trustworthy carriers.|
|Analysis and Report writing|All records and reports relating to the specialist study of finds, conservation and scientific analysis, must be submitted with the archive.|
|Analysis and Report writing|Records and reports that are created with a computer will form part of the documentary digital archive.|
|Preparation for archive transfer|Finds must be ordered according to their material type, packing and storage requirements. Bulk finds, sensitive finds, human remains and samples should be kept separate.|
|Preparation for archive transfer|The material archive must be boxed in standard sized boxes as specified by the archive repository.|
|Curation|All finds must be stored in the dark.|
|Curation|Finds must be stored in conditions that are not susceptible to wide fluctuations in temperature or relative humidity (RH): a/bulk finds remain stable at low and high temperatures, and low and high relative humidity, but they must not be subjected to variations in either. Ideal storage is at low temperatures (around 15º C) and 35% to 70% RH; b/metals must be stored in a range of 15º to 24º C, and below 35% RH; c/ organic finds (leather, textile, wood, worked bone) must be dried out before deposition with the archive and stored at 18º to 22ºC and 45% to 55% RH|
!!''__Specialist Guidance__''
!__1. Human Remains__
||Current Guidance||Yes/No/Comment
|Projects excavating human remains that require a licence or directions from a government department may be set a time limit for analysis and may also be required to rebury. This must be understood by all parties involved with the project archive.|
|Human skeletal remains must be marked with site and context/skeleton identifiers in indelible ink.|
|Pack human remains so that it is possible to distinguish different individuals.|
|Excavated skeletal remains may be deposited with a repository as long as existing recognised standards for their treatment have been met.|
|Skeletal remains must be stored in stable conditions with 35% to 70% RH.|
|Treatment of soft tissue remains should be the subject of specialist advice.|
|Human remains must, at all times, be stored in secure stores that are accessible only to authorised staff. It is desirable for archive repositories to have dedicated storage areas.|
|Repositories with collections of human remains should develop a strategy for their care.|
!__2. Scientific Samples__
A wide variety of samples may be taken during the course of a project, and these may be subdivided into two groups.
||1. Samples taken on site for processing during the collection phase. These usually include samples of structures or deposits for dating or environmental analysis||Current Guidance||Yes/No/Comment
| |Project planning must establish sampling strategies, recognising the need for subsequent adjustment as appropriate.|
| |Some samples will be taken for analysis rather than retention with the archive, so there may be no requirement for preparing them for permanent storage. Other techniques may result in accumulation of large quantities of small fragments, which may themselves be sampled again in order to retain a representative quantity in the archive. An example of this might be industrial waste, such as hammer-scale, where the scientific value of full retention may not be justifiable. In such cases on-site sampling, or sampling after post-excavation analysis, may be appropriate, but should only occur following consultation with the relevant specialist.|
| |At the outset the requirements of the archive repository must be established. Some repositories are happy, where appropriate, for individual laboratories to retain any samples they have produced and/or analysed, while others specify which samples must be deposited with the archive. The aim must be to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility of samples.|
| |The sampling process must be fully documented, providing an understanding of how, why and in what conditions samples were recovered.|
| |Each sample must be given a unique identifier, which must be marked on the object and/or on all associated labels.|
| |Structures may be sampled to gather evidence of types of building material (bricks, clay, mortar, stone, timber) and these representative objects can be archived in the same way as the rest of the material archive.|
| |Samples taken for dating purposes may be destroyed during analysis, leaving no archival material. Dendrochronological cores are one exception, and some dating agencies will ask to retain samples for reference. There is no reason why repositories should require chronological samples to be submitted with the archive, but all data derived from them must be deposited.|
| |Environmental samples are usually broken down for sorting of the objects they contain (mainly plant and animal remains).|
| |Artefacts recovered from environmental samples must be marked (on the object or with labels) with the site, context and sample identifiers, and packed and stored as appropriate for the type of material and/or object.|
| |Some animal and plant remains (small bones, shell, insects, charcoal, seeds etc) are extracted during flotation and cannot be dried out. It is not desirable for any wet material to be submitted with the archive, but if it is not be possible or desirable to dry it out, wet material must be stored in air-tight containers of 70% IMS, preferably in the dark and refrigerated.|
| |Repositories must have a system for monitoring the condition of wet samples.|
| |Finds from the sorting of dry residues must be stored in bags marked with site, context and sample identifiers, containing a polyethylene label with the same information.|
| |Finds from the sorting of dry residues must be stored in conditions appropriate for the material type.|
| |Soil analysis may result in preparation of microscope slides (e.g. thin-sections). There is potential conflict here, as some laboratories will want to keep these for reference, while some repositories will ask for them to be included in the archive. An ideal solution is for a duplicate set of slides to be prepared for archive. If this is not possible then the preference must be for the material to be deposited wherever it is most likely to survive in perpetuity.|
| |Column samples may be stored for some time in drainpipes and kept dark and cool, but this does not guarantee permanent preservation, and analysis must be undertaken as soon as possible.|
| |Some on-site sampling (eg C-14), rarely results in any material archive for deposition, but all associated data must be copied into the archive.|
| |All archived samples must be boxed separately from bulk and sensitive material and stored in appropriate environmental conditions, dependent upon the material type.|
||2. Samples taken off-site to enhance further analysis. These usually include samples of individual objects for a variety of purposes||Current Guidance||Yes/No/Comment
| |Artefacts may be sampled for a variety of purposes, and using various techniques, many of which are destructive, and no material will survive for archiving. The sampling and analysis process must be fully documented, however, and all associated records must be submitted with the archive.|
| |Where samples can be archived, it is possible that some specialists will want to keep these for reference, while some repositories will ask for them to be included in the archive. This is especially true of techniques that result in microscope slides, e.g. thin-sectioning, pollen and diatom analysis. An ideal solution is for a duplicate set of slides or samples to be prepared for archive. If this is not possible then the preference must be for the material to be deposited wherever it is most likely to survive in perpetuity and be easily accessible for further study; in general that should be the archive repository.|
| |Environmental materials preserved by anoxic conditions (eg insect remains or macroscopic plant remains) must be stored in 70% IMS. A drop of glycerol may be added to prevent samples drying out if the IMS evaporates.|
| |Metallurgical samples are worthy of retention and have great potential for further study. They should be cleaned and de-greased. Copper-alloy and silver should be coated with an acrylic resin with a corrosion inhibitor, such as Incralac. Iron should be coated with an acrylic resin with no inhibitor, such as Paraloid B72. Samples should be packed securely, protecting surfaces, and stored dry (below 15% RH for iron, less than 35% RH for other metals).|
| |Microscope slides must be packed to prevent damage, in boxes designed for the purpose.|
| |All samples must be permanently marked or labelled, as appropriate, showing the project identifier, sample number, nature of the sample and other relevant information.|
| |All collections of retained samples must be fully documented, incorporating a description of collection methods and conditions, and cross-referencing of each sample with sample labels, the original artefact, other relevant records such as databases, photographs or drawings, and publications.|
!!III. Reports and Publications
||Current Guidance||Yes/No/Comment
|When first submitted, the archive must include a short summary report explaining the background to the project, when it was carried out, by whom, where the project was located, and the results of the work.|
|Copies of all published material relevant to the project must be submitted with the archive, or sent to the archive repository if the archive has been deposited before a publication appeared.|
|Restrictions on public access to sensitive material must be identified and discussed prior to archive deposition.|
|It is often informative to keep copies of draft reports or publications in the archive, and the archive repository should be consulted to determine whether this is required and which drafts are appropriate. The first draft is often the most relevant. Version control is as relevant here as it is with digital records, and it must be possible to identify each different draft. Do not submit unannotated duplicates with the archive.|
|Reports and publication text are normally written directly onto a computer, thus becoming part of the digital documentary archive. File naming protocols and version control must be exercised to ensure that different drafts can be identified.|
|All original drawings and photographs prepared for a report or publication must be submitted with the archive.|
|Copies of all born-digital material created for a report or publication must be submitted with the archive.|
This page (revision-20) was last changed on 11-Oct-2013 14:16 by TestTop