CHECKLIST OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARCHIVING TASKS AND ROLES WITHIN AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT#
The following chart sets out archiving tasks which occur as the project progresses through its main stages. These are generic tasks lifted from the best practice section of the Guide and in this form they can be used as a quick archiving checklist for those who are not overly familiar with the archiving process.
More detailed templates will eventually be found online which will describe the activities and tasks specific to each country, region or state and which will align better with country, regional or state agreed practice.
The checklist in the Guide also offers a general idea of who would normally undertake these tasks, emphasising the point that everyone involved in an archaeological project will have an impact on how the archive is created, compiled, cared for or curated. ‘Every person involved in an archaeological project has a duty of care towards the archive and must make sure that it is created and compiled to recognised standards, using consistent methods, and it is not at unnecessary risk of damage or loss’ (the STANDARD for archaeological archiving Chapter 4 Paragraph 2).
The personnel identified in the checklist represent an ideal situation which serves a purpose as a best practice example. In the country, regional or state specific checklists which will follow the Guide, the title of the person (such as curator, conservator-restorer etc) who will normally undertake each task in this country or state will be specified, thus tailoring the checklist to actual procedure in each area.
The fully completed forms for each country, state or canton can be found here.
Those countries who wish to join the ARCHES programme and include their own archiving checklist in our online Guide can find blank templates for completion in the QUESTIONNAIRES part of this website.
1. Definitions of Roles of Project Personnel#
The titles given to archaeological project personnel are endlessly variable, so it is important, before describing the particular responsibilities of individual team members, to establish common terminology. This is a list of the job types identified in the following checklist, with a brief description of their role, which it is hoped will enable each ARCHES partner to match the checklist with their own practices.
Archive Manager: The person responsible for ensuring the project archive is fully compiled and for transferring it to the archive repository.
Conservator-Restorer: A specialist in the conservation or restoration of archaeological objects.
Digital Information Manager: The person within an archaeological project team who is responsible for managing the creation and preservation and accessibility of digital data.
Facilities Manager: The person responsible for managing the premises in which archaeological projects are undertaken, especially during the stages after data-collection in the field.
Finds Manager: The person responsible, during an archaeological project, for managing the materials (finds) collected, including cleaning, marking/labelling, packing, recording, storage and specialist liaison.
Project Initiator: The person who has identified the need for an archaeological project to be undertaken, will monitor the project outcomes but does not necessarily manage the project team.
Project Manager: The leader of the project team during an archaeological project, with responsibility for ensuring the aims are met.
Project Team: All personnel working on an archaeological project.
Repository Curator: The person responsible for ensuring the preservation and accessibility of archaeological archives after they have been transferred to a repository for long-term care.
Specialist: Any person engaged in the collection or analysis of specialised information during the course of an archaeological project, for instance a specialist in pollen or pottery.
2. Archiving checklist chart#
Planning#
| Guidance Section | Action | Archive Tasks | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
The structure and character of the future archive | The structure and character of the future archive, including the expected final content of the archive and how it will be managed, should be agreed on and understood by all concerned | Set the standards for the creation and format of project documentation, as well as the media to be used and the procedures to be followed in order to ensure a consistent record | *Project Initiator * Project Manager |
| Define the archiving procedures for the identification, recording, and management of the material assemblage. | * Project Manager | ||
| Detail the manuals to be used, and any packaging, care or movement requirements | * Project Manager * Finds Manager *Conservator-restorer | ||
| Incorporate national/regional/local /repository standards for archaeological archives and collections management | * Project Manager * Archive Manager * Repository curator | ||
| Selection for archive | A selection and retention strategy should be devised and agreed at the project planning stage, which should not only set out the selective activity that will take place in the field, but should also set out what will be selected or retained for archiving as the project progresses | Draw up a selection or retention strategy with input from all the relevant members of the project team, including specialists and the curator of the repository or repositories into which the final archive will be received | * Project Initiator * Project Manager * Finds Manager * Repository curator * Specialists |
| The security of the archive and disaster management planning | Security or disaster management strategies should be devised that safeguard the archive from damage and loss | Prepare an archive security or disaster management plan that sets out the standards which will be adhered to in order that the documentary and material archive will be created, collected and stored to ensure against damage, cross contamination, loss or theft | * Project Manager * Archive Manager * Facilities Manager * Finds Manager *Conservator-restorer |
| Tasks and resources | It should be ensured that the needs of the archiving process are included in establishing the resources and planning the tasks and timetable for the project | Archiving activities and tasks should be programmed and timetabled and important archiving milestones should be programmed in | * Project Manager * Archive Manager |
| Allocate sufficient resource to archiving tasks in order to ensure that the project archive is ordered, internally consistent, accessible, stable, secure and properly cared for until it is safely deposited in a recognised or trusted repository | * Project Manager * Archive Manager |