Page 290 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

XIII. Curation of project archives
Activities directed at underwater cultural heritage will produce documentation of observations, usually also samples and finds. Together, these collections of records and finds constitute the project archives. As heritage is a public interest, both documentation and find material are to be considered public as well. It is the responsibility of the project and its director to make sure that the archives can fulfil their public role after the project’s termination. They should be kept together and not be dispersed. Moreover, it is important that the archives, both documentation and finds, are accessible for future research as this will allow reassessment of the evidence in the light of new techniques, additional contextual information or data gained from other sites. No material should be excluded from the archive as it may be important in the future. All these requirements are the same for underwater cultural heritage and for archaeological sites on land. Considerable experience exists with the management of archaeological collections. International standards have been developed and these should be adhered to. The curation of project archives is regulated by Rule 32, Rule 33 and Rule 34.
General considerations on project archives
Rule 32. Arrangements for curation of the
project archives shall be agreed to before any activity commences, and shall be set out in the project design.
The methodology for archiving project documentation and the structure of the archives must be set out in the project design. The project design needs to contain a schematic blueprint of what archives it will produce. Moreover, appropriate storage locations, curation, and the envisaged degree of public availability need to be determined prior to commencing fieldwork.
289
13
Curation of project archives