That’s Probably Just a Rock, and That’s Okay: Questions from the Public

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The full-time education and outreach manager at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) responds to questions from the public through wild and wonderful emails, phone calls, and physical mail. An SAA annual meeting poster presentation from Maureen Malloy in 2013 analyzed inquiries received between 2001 and 2012, drawing conclusions about trends, audiences, and areas of interest. This paper follows that work with an analysis of inquiries received between 2013 and 2022. The enthusiasm from the public to learn about archaeology is encouraging, but this reflection on a decade of questions also finds lessons in addressing misinformation and multiple audience needs. This paper offers some consideration of the role of the archaeology “help desk” and how these conversations with the public about aliens and giants, career pathways, and educational materials can help guide SAA’s education and outreach program focus for the future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SHA 2023 General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow