Heritage Stewardship in the Digital Age

Summary

Digital access to all levels of archaeological data, from the raw data to synthesized reports and summaries, can support public interest in cultural heritage. High quality internet resources easily provide access to more information on local sites that they are already interested in, and can also make them aware of heritage issues that they never considered. The Center for Digital Antiquity makes a variety of archaeological and historical information available to researchers and the general public and also interacts with people to answer their questions and promote interest in archaeology. The catalyst for this dialogue is tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record), an online repository for archaeological data that makes images, documents and other types of information freely accessible. This paper looks at tDAR’s impact on raising public awareness of archaeological data, explores collections in tDAR that seek to address ethical issues regarding cultural heritage while making accurate information more accessible, and examines ways in which using an existing platform such as tDAR can make it easier for people in the heritage sector to promote interest in and the preservation of cultural heritage.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Public Engagement and Education: Developing Heritage Stewardship

Keywords