Applying the standards#
This questionnaire aims at making a survey on the current guidance within the institutions in charge of archiving the archaeological documentation. The results of the survey made within the scope of the ARCHES project will be published on this website.
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this questionnaire or if you are interested in joining the EAC-Archaeological Archives Working Party (see ARCHES Background of the project), please send us a mail to the following address: [email protected]
I. The Documentary Archive#
The documentary archive consists of items such as:- correspondence, contracts, specifications, notes, records, indexes, catalogues, reports, maps, plans, section drawings, elevations, site photographs, object images, CAD files, databases, digital aerial photograph interpretations, excavation archives, geophysical and other survey data, GIS files, images, satellite imagery, spreadsheets, text files, analytical results and 3-D data.
These can be created on the following carrier media:
- Drawn, photographic, written and printed material on paper
- Drawn material on film
- Photographs on film, transparencies, x-radiographs, videotape and microfilm
- Digital material on hard drives or transfer media such as CD-ROMs, data-sticks or flash drives, DVDs, floppy discs, hard discs, and magnetic tape.
1. Written en Printed Material#
| Project Stage | Current Guidance | Yes/No/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | Correspondence, contracts, project proposals, project designs, reports and similar documents will normally have been created on, and printed from, a computer. It is difficult to set standards relating to this process, although it should be noted that printer paper and inks are not recognised as stable. Although it is desirable that such documents are submitted in hard copy, they also form part of the digital archive and can be curated as such. Any documents vital to the functioning of the archive as a reusable resource, and submitted in hard copy, must be printed or copied in a way that offers longevity. | |
| Planning | The agency involved in the execution phase must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of monitoring agents that they will work to procedures that ensure the production of a consistent record. This includes use of field manuals that make proper reference to the format of record sheets, plans, etc and the terminology to be applied in recording. | |
| Planning | It is recommended that project proposals, project designs etc refer to this document as an accepted approach for archive delivery. | |
| Planning | Intellectual property rights and copyright to all elements of the documentary archive must, if possible, be established at the beginning of a project. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | It is advisable that all primary records are made on paper of recognised archival quality, of neutral or mildly alkaline pH, and in media, either printed or hand-written, that are equally long lived. It is recognised, however, that this cannot always be achieved. Always use high quality paper for records intended for archiving. Photocopies have a short life-span and must not be used. Pro-forma should be printed, not photocopied, and completed using black ballpoint pen or permanent black ink. Recycled paper also has a short lifespan and is not recognised as permanent for archive purposes. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | All project records must be produced to a consistent format. It is recommended that pro-forma are used for recording primary data. There are no standards for the lay-out of record sheets, nor in every case for the information they require, but the following must apply: all record sheets must include the site identifier and/or similar location information reference to national standards, particularly in the specialist recording of finds information. Use these to ensure that the recognised level of information is recorded, e.g. in designing record sheets or databases. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Consistent terminology must be used throughout, so that the same term is applied to the same thing every time (e.g. do not record some metal objects as copper alloy and others as bronze). Include a definition of terms with the archive if necessary. In some instances local terminologies have been developed, and their use required, e.g. pottery type series. Records must be written legibly and using clear language/terminology. The date of completion of a record, and author, must be included. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | All archive material in the temporary care of project teams or specialists must be kept in the best conditions possible, ensuring protection against fading, damage, damp and loss. It is highly desirable that archives are retained in temporary storage for as short a time as possible. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | A security copy of written records may be required in the Project Proposal or by the archive repository. This may include microfilming or digitisation. Ensure that these requirements are understood at the outset of a project. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | All elements of the paper archive must be classified to identify their function. This is especially important for pro-forma, which must have an identifier and/or title (e.g. context record sheet). | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | There must be indexes for all parts of the paper archive. Some of these are compiled on pro-forma during data collection, e.g. running lists of context numbers, but others, such as lists of correspondence included in the archive, will be completed as part of the archive preparation process. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | The paper archive must be accompanied by an overall contents list. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | At all stages of management of the written archive, the use of non-metal fastenings, such as plastic paperclips is recommended. Do not use metal fastenings or bindings such as staples and ring-binders, or adhesive tape, when preparing the paper archive for long term storage. Documents of the same type should be bundled together, using the following criteria: fasten paper using plastic treasury tags or plastic paperclips / use a separate title page to mark groups of documents / do not use self-adhesive labels (or such things as stick-on notes / organise documents of the same type in a logical order (e.g. record sheets in context order; correspondence in chronological order / do not fold documents / store documents in acid-free, dust-proof, cardboard boxes, do not store documents vertically | |
| Curation | The paper archive must be stored in dark conditions. | |
| Curation | The ideal temperature is a fixed point in the range 13ºC to 19ºC. | |
| Curation | The ideal relative humidity is a fixed point in the range 45% to 60%. |
| Project Stage | Current Guidance | Yes/No/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Use the most stable drawing film available, or low-acid card or low-acid paper. Polyester-based film is recommended because it lasts longer than plastic film. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Original drawings on film must be made with a hard pencil, at least 4H - do not ink over original pencil drawings. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Use regular sizes of paper or film for drawings, no smaller than A4 and preferably no larger than A1. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Mark all drawing sheets with the project identifier, drawing number, title, scale, date of drawing, name of the person who drew it and, where appropriate, north sign and site grid and/or appropriate location information. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Include a key to all conventions used for particular elements, colours etc. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Do not use adhesive lettering on original drawings that convey site information as this will eventually fall away. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Publication drawings can be produced to less exacting standards, but they must always be properly marked and produced with stable materials. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | A security copy of written records may be required in the Project Proposal or by the archive repository. This may include microfilming or digitisation. Ensure that these requirements are understood at the outset of a project. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | The archive must include an index of all drawings, some of which are compiled during data collection, in the form of running lists of drawing numbers which must be maintained during analysis and in preparation of drawings for publication. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Pack drawings so they can be stored flat. Acid-free card folders are preferable for separating groups of drawings. Polyester covers can be used, but use tissue paper to separate the uppermost drawing from the polyester. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Do not use adhesive or tape of any kind. |
| Project Stage | Current Guidance | Yes/No/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Data-gathering, analysis, report-writing | Digital photographs are increasingly used for record photography but must only be used as a substitute for photographic film if there is a clearly established procedure for long-term preservation of the digital archive, and if proper measures for the collection and security of digital photographs are followed throughout the life of a project. | |
| Data-gathering, analysis, report-writing | Black and white film processed to recognised standards is the archival ideal, as it is recognised as suitable for long-term storage, but colour film is now an acceptable alternative. Use processing companies that develop film to high specifications, as commercial, automatic processing techniques do not meet archival standards and must not be used. | |
| Data-gathering, analysis, report-writing | Transparencies should be duplicated to allow the use of one set, while the other can be stored. This is most easily achieved by taking two original photographs rather than making copies later. Where appropriate, record photographs must include project and object identifiers, and a scale and direction of view indicator. | |
| Data-gathering, analysis, report-writing | Used films should be processed as soon as possible to counter the effects of film deterioration. | |
| Data-gathering, analysis, report-writing | Video is not recognised as a record medium of archival quality and must not be used as a primary record, although it can be used as an enhancement to recorded information. If submitted with an archive, it is advisable to transfer it to a DVD, where it will be incorporated into the digital archive and curated as such. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Photographs should be classified by type of media, with negatives, prints, transparencies, x-radiographs and others categorised separately, as some media have differing storage requirements. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | All photographs, or their holders, must be marked with the project identifier, object identifier (if appropriate), film number and frame number. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Mark negative holders, not negatives. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Mark prints on the back using a soft pencil, not ink. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Mark transparency mounts, not the film. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | The archive must include an index of all photographs, some compiled during data collection, in the form of running lists of frame numbers. These lists must be maintained at all times. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | A photographic index should record the category of film (or create separate indexes for each category), film number, frame number, title and/or subject, the date the picture was taken and who took it. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Silversafe-type paper envelopes are ideal storage media for negatives and x-radiographs, although the careful use of polyester packets or hangers may be more practicable. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Store prints in acid-free paper enclosures or polyester sleeves, and/or in archival print boxes. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Pack transparencies into polyester packets or hangers if they are to be stored in cabinets. Some repositories may take them stored in archival boxes. | |
| Curation | Prints should ideally be stored in archival boxes or dust-proof cabinets, at a fixed point within a temperature range of 13ºC to 19ºC, and a relative humidity of 40% to 60%. | |
| Curation | Negatives and transparencies should be stored in dust-proof cabinets, although archival boxes may also be appropriate. | |
| Curation | Colour film should ideally be stored in a temperature range of 0ºC to 2ºC. This is likely to be impracticable, not least because it is difficult to access them for consultation, and it creates acclimatisation problems. The recommended conditions are a fixed point in a temperature range of 5ºC to 10ºC, at a fixed point of relative humidity in the range 30% to 40%. This temperature range will still necessitate a period of acclimatisation prior to handling. | |
| Curation | Black and white film should ideally be stored at a fixed point of temperature no higher than 18 ºC, and preferably much cooler. The recommendation here is a fixed point in the range 15ºC to 19ºC, and a relative humidity between 30% and 40%. There may still be the need to acclimatise materials prior to handling if conditions of storage vary greatly from those of consultation. |
| Project Stage | Current Guidance | Yes/No/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | Project specifications and the project repository archive deposition standards must establish measures for managing creation of digital data. | |
| Planning | The archive repository must specify that copies of all digital material that can be subjected to further analysis or used for presentation are submitted with the archive. | |
| Planning | The archive repository must specify the types of media in which digital information must be submitted. | |
| Planning | The archive repository must specify the preferred file type for specific types of digital data. The project design must include a summary of the types of digital data that will be created or acquired during the project, and media on which they will be stored. | |
| Planning | The project design must specify file formats, as recommended by an approved digital archive repository, that will be used for both the secure archiving and the dissemination of data. | |
| Planning | Arrangements must be made to deposit either copies of the digital archive, or a catalogue, with a suitable specialist digital archive repository. The digital repository must be identified at the outset of a project. | |
| Planning | A clear copyright agreement must be established at the beginning of a project, which will enable the repository to make the digital archive available for future study and/or publication. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Data collection must be in accordance with defined internal or national standards for content and format, including use of consistent field names, terminologies etc. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Version control must be maintained, so that it is possible to identify the most up to date version of every file. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Digital files should be named to reflect their content, preferably incorporating the project identifier, and different versions should be numbered. Consistent file naming strategies should be used, and it is good practice not to use spaces, or non-standard characters such as commas, full stops etc. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | The digital archive creation process must be documented, so that its development throughout the course of the project can be understood. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | All data must be routinely backed up, because during a project digital data may be created on a variety of separate computer hard drives or on a network, and data may be acquired from a variety of other formats. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | Back-up and restore procedures must be tested regularly. | |
| Data-gathering, Analysis, Report writing | The analysis phase of a project is likely to result in a wide variety of databases, spreadsheets, CAD files etc, and the principles relating to Collection must apply. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | A digital archive index, in digital form, must be compiled and deposited with the archive copies of standards or conventions used in creating the content of digital data files, and in ordering the archive, must be kept with the digital archive. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | A digital archive is usually copied onto temporary storage media (e.g. discs) for transfer to an archaeological archive repository. Use high quality transfer media, or any other solution likely to reduce risk of data loss. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Digital files must be ordered into a comprehensible directory structure, with folders named to conventions that aid retrieval. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Pack transfer media to protect from dust and damage. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Transfer media must be marked or labelled clearly and permanently in a way that identifies the project and the contents of each disc, tape, etc and relates to the digital archive index. Adhesive labels must not be stuck directly onto CDs and DVDs, which must be marked with non-acidic, specialised marker pens. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Transfer media must be checked for viruses and clean before final packing. | |
| Preparation for archive transfer | Depositors of a digital archive are advised to retain their own copy, at least until it is certain that the archive has successfully been transferred to an approved digital archive repository. | |
| Curation | Archaeological archive repositories such as museums that are not specialist digital media archives should ensure that their digital archives are also stored in recognised trusted digital repositories. | |
| Curation | It is best practice to transfer the digital archive from transfer media (e.g. discs) to networked servers that are protected and regularly backed up. If this is not within the capabilities of the archive repository, then it is even more important to copy the digital archive to a trusted digital repository, where this procedure will be carried out. | |
| Curation | If digital storage media are retained, store them in fireproof and, where appropriate anti-magnetic, facilities, and keep back-up versions at a separate location. | |
| Curation | Repositories must have a data management system that ensures regular back-up and records how files are stored and labelled. | |
| Curation | The integrity of the digital archive must be monitored, and backup and restore procedures tested regularly. |
II. The Material / Finds Archive#
The material, or finds, archive is comprised of:
- artefacts, such as pottery, worked flint, glass, metalwork and textile
- environmental remains, such as animal bone and plant remains
- waste products, such as slag and other metalworking products
- human remains, which require specific treatment in accordance with relevant national or state standards and legislation
- material recovered from scientific sampling, which is often the product of laboratory analysis, e.g. environmental remains, thin-sections, microfossil slides, casts.
| Project Stage | Current Guidance | Yes/No/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | Agencies involved in the collection phase must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of monitoring agents, that they will work to procedures that ensure production of a consistent record. This includes the use of finds processing manuals that establish the format of record sheets, cleaning, marking etc and the terminology to be applied in classification. Such manuals should also make reference to relevant national standards. | |
| Planning | Collection, selection and retention policies must be agreed at the outset of a project, but with the understanding that these may be adjusted as the site is better understood. Those involved in such decisions would normally be personnel monitoring the project, site and finds staff involved in collection and analysis, and a representative of the archive repository. | |
| Planning | Specialists, including conservators, must be identified at the beginning of a project, and consulted as appropriate during the project. | |
| Data-gathering (This includes the recovery of finds, initial cleaning,classification and sorting, primary recording and initial packing) | Recovery must be undertaken to current standards of care, avoiding damage, cross-contamination of contexts, and loss or theft. | |
| Data-gathering | Recovery should be in accordance with collection and retention strategies agreed and documented at the outset of the project. | |
| Data-gathering | Finds must be cleaned to recognised standards, using methods described in nationally recognised documents, (e.g. First aid for finds). Bulk finds especially may be subject to over-cleaning, leading to the removal of residues etc, so it may be appropriate to assess cleaning requirements at the outset. | |
| Data-gathering | Finds intended for retention with the archive must be marked with site and/or context identifiers, as appropriate. Where the size or stability of individual objects precludes this, use tie-on, rot-proof labels or store them in marked containers that contain rot-proof labels carrying relevant information. |