Database Creation for the Legacy Collection of Hannastown

Summary

The rapid technological advances in digital computing of the preceding fifty years have allowed

for an ever increasing complex analysis of archaeological assemblages. For those working with

legacy collections curated before the advent of personal computing, the task of digitizing and

formatting data into a usable form while also insuring against the same obsolescence that is

being corrected can be daunting.

The Applied Archaeology program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania takes a multi-faceted

approach to this task with its work with the Hanna’s Town collection, totaling over one million

artifacts. By examining the needs of the modern researcher, the shortcomings of prior

digitization efforts, and future technological trends, a list of best practices was created. From this

list of best practices, a database and custom entry form were created in Microsoft Access; and

procedures for entry, storing, and archiving data were developed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Hanna’s Town: Answering New Questions About Pennsylvania’s Frontier Using Old Collection   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 24