500 Years of Experience at a Ten-Year Old Museum: Positives And Pitfalls of Avocational Cooperation

Summary

The Museum of the Coastal Bend in Victoria, Texas, has a large prehistoric collection, largely collected by avocational archaeologists. This is not unusual for a museum. What is perhaps more unusual is the extent to which ongoing research is conducted under the aegis of the museum.In an era of tight budgets, when many universities have had to cut back fieldwork, the museum’s field research program is expanding. The research program is active at multiple long-term sites, as well as providing ongoing analysis of the existing collection.This paper discusses both the positives and negative aspects of a professional/avocational/museum archaeological relationship, and makes suggestions for implementing such a program in other communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Community Education and Public Engagement   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-79,06