The Washington State Curation
Summit held its quarterly meeting at the
Welcome
and Agenda Overview: Marilyn Malatare and Steven Denton.
Cultural
Resources Databases: Stephenie Kramer and Paula Johnson.
Collections
Database Workgroup
Group
Discussion: Curation Guidelines
Marilyn Malatare welcomed
attendees on behalf of the Yakama Nation and the
Steven Denton also briefly
summarized his presentation to the Washington Museum Association Board of
Directors on January 30th and their request that a plenary session
be conducted at their annual meeting, scheduled for
Paula Johnson worked on a project at the
Mark DeLeon inquired whether KCARD II mimics the OAHP
database. Stephenie Kramer responded that
OAHP’s database lacks the curation information found
in KCARD II. A discussion followed identifying other fields to include future databases.
Mary Collins expressed concern over unnecessary testing of sites due to the
scattered nature of resources and the need to make people aware of the
information currently available. Maureen Zehender
agreed that inaccessibility of information may lead to unnecessary site testing
by contractors.
Peter Lape, point-of-contact for this work group,
stated that OAHP has agreed to provide the workspace and management for a position
to create the database. The work group is currently working on identifying
funding sources.
Mark De Leon discussed the federal budgeting process.
Usually a product is needed when requesting funding, and a centralized database
fulfills this requirement. Within the US Bureau of Reclamation there is
currently a strong mandate to manage museum collections, making contributing to
this project easier to justify. Three funding options exist: 1) cost sharing
agreements; 2) direct purchase; 3) contracts. DeLeon’s
feeling was that cost sharing agreements would be the best option, as a
multiparty cost share is possible. A work plan identifying associated costs and
administrative assistance is required to pursue funding.
Cindy Farr stated that State Parks has had difficulty obtaining
funding for curation for several years and that for this plan to be successful,
support from local legislators is necessary. Association of Washington
Archaeologists and the Washington Museum Association may be useful in lobbying
the state congress. Possible contacts could include Rep. Helen Sommers (D – 36th District), Ralph Munro (retired
Secretary of State), and Mary Thompson (?). Jackie Cook stated that the
Washington State Historical Society has $3-4 Million in annual grants. Cook
suggested we begin to think about these projects differently and start talking
to legislators about them. As this group takes form, the ability to obtain
funding through competitive grants will improve.
Laura Phillips, point-of-contract for this work group,
explained the development of the draft guidelines. As the
General comments were made regarding the guidelines.
It was mentioned that as these guidelines will be voluntary, they need to be
easy to use, and accessible as a quick reference. Images of suggested processes
and sample products were also suggested to make the document more accessible. A
definition of “repository” that outlines what services are typically provided
was also suggested. Jackie Cook specifically requested that tribal repositories
be identified in the language. It was also felt that 3 user groups exist:
museums that already have guidelines; museums that do not have guidelines;
contractors that are preparing collections. The guidelines must be applicable
to all 3 user groups. Mention was also made that the guidelines are extensive
and seem expensive to implement. A question was then raised whether or not they
represented the minimum or maximum standard. The group agreed that the
guidelines should represent the minimum standard.
Laura Phillips explained that the guidelines address
the ownership issue at the outset, as it is an important issue and small
museums frequently are unaware of the complexities surrounding ownership of
archaeological collections. Mary Collins stated that clarification of ownership
is important for extant and new collections, since it frequently changes from
agency to agency or from federal to state, etc, over time. It was felt that ownership
information must to be centralized and included in the Collections Database, as
well.
A Deed of Gift is necessary to transfer title from the
property owner to the institution receiving the collection when collections are
from private property. Mary Collins suggested if the property owner declines to
donate the collection, the CRM firm should still donate all records. It was
felt that a higher level of documentation should be required in this case,
possibly including photographs of all objects. Paula Johnson suggested
inclusion of a standardized form in the guidelines to clearly document that a
private land owner is declining to donate a collection. It was also suggested
that a document explaining relevant issues would be useful to distribute to
landowners.
The following issues were also mentioned: the need for
flexibility in database structure; the necessity for information on how to
select a repository, perhaps including what types of questions to ask a
potential repository or a list of repositories in Washington State that meet 36
CFR Part 79; and standardizing language to correlate with 36 CFR Part 79. Mary
Collins suggested that a technical working group be established to work on
specific issues such as what fields are appropriate in the database.
The group discussed the numbering system at some
length. Many felt that the numbers
suggested in the guidelines were too long and would be difficult to adhere to
smaller artifacts. Collins stated that
she allowed researchers to use whatever numbering system they like, and then
later renumbers all the artifacts. The group also discussed using judgment when
a numbering system may interfere with analysis such as blood residue or
chemical analysis.
Finally, the group discussed if and how to
appropriately cull collections. It was
suggested a section be added to the guidelines to address this. Shane Scott
stated that this is an ethical decision that the tribes may have difficulty
with. Many felt that culling needs to be considered on a case by case situation
and cannot be adequately addressed in the curation guidelines.
Laura Phillips mentioned that an agenda item needs to
be added for education, as the group doesn’t seem to reach the full spectrum of
institutions impacted by this topic, especially smaller museums. The group
created a new work group to address education and outreach. Jackie Cook, the
group point-of-contact, Laura Phillips and Paula Johnson form this group. The
group is charged with informing the various communities impacted by this issue
of the work group and developing a strategy to inform legislators.
Assigned action items:
·
Curation Database
work group to formulate a work plan to implement the Collections Database
project and present plan at next meeting.
·
Mary Collins to
informally spread the word at the upcoming Northwest Congress of American
Indians Conference.
·
David Powell to
inform Bambi Kraus with the National THPO.
·
Jackie Cook to
inform Gary Shalleyo at the Heritage Resource
Commission.