Veterans Curation Program in the Time of Corona

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since 2009, the Veterans Curation Program (VCP) has been at the forefront of the effort to address the build-up of at-risk archaeological and archival collections in storage facilities around the United States. The VCP has the added mission of working with veterans to provide vital job skills and assist in the transition from military to civilian life. In cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the VCP hires veterans as laboratory technicians to rehabilitate and rehouse USACE-owned collections to preserve these collections and increase their accessibility to potential researchers.

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic created a unique challenge for the VCP, as its mission relies on one-on-one interaction and in-person learning. The VCP responded with creative adaptations to its operational structure and methods to allow for continued processing of USACE collections and skills training using social distancing and remote work. These adaptations enabled the VCP to maintain its original mission, while providing an alternative to traditional archaeological and archival processing methods. Managers and technicians at the VCP’s San Mateo lab have participated in the adapted model, using creative methods of distanced presentation and digital processing to allow for safer collections work in the lab and at home.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32890