‘Chicken Bones and Bags of Dirt’: Virginia’s Survey to Discover What’s Stored Where and Why

Summary

The Collections Management Committee of the Council of Virginia Archaeologists (COVA) recently published a statewide inventory of archaeological collections recording where archaeological collections in Virginia are housed, what resources are curated and how these materials are used by the repositories and the public. Our survey also began to gather data on which archaeological collections have the most potential for additional research and which have the greatest potential to expand our understanding of Virginia’s unique and rich past. This paper explores issues of ownership, inventory control, orphaned collections and change of institutional administrations that impact archaeological collections and presents some ideas for the future of our curated past.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Researching Historical Archaeological Collections: An Assessment of Current Techniques

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-75,02