"A Horrible Quantity of Stuff": The Untapped Potential of Northeast Region NPS Collections

Summary

All archeological material found on National Park lands must be curated and cared for in perpetuity, though often very little funding is designated for this purpose. This has led to an enormous backlog of artifacts and records in almost every park. For the last 15 years, the Northeast Museum Services Center has been providing cataloging services to National Park Service units in the Northeast Region. In that time, we have recovered an incredible amount of data about the NHPA-generated archeology of our parks. Staff from the Center’s archeology lab frequently give public talks, maintain a blog about archeological collections and general museum management, and encourage research on park collections. It is the continuing mission of the NMSC Archeology Lab to promote research of existing collections, many of which have never been thoroughly studied, and to provide access to these collections.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Successful Collection Management: Using Existing Collections for Research, Education, Public Outreach, and Innovation   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 789