Moving a Monster, Part One: Preserving Illinois’ Cultural History in Perpetuity

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 2022, the Illinois State Archaeological Survey’s Curation Section undertook the monumental task of moving its ~24,000 ft3 Illinois Department of Transportation collections to a larger, modified-to-suit facility. These collections include some of the most significant projects carried out in Illinois. This paper addresses our methods for assessing the state of collections and the considerations, logistics, and challenges of identifying immediate needs to accomplish this task efficiently. Preparations included, but were not limited to: box-level assessments; location control; environmental monitoring across four buildings; identifying an appropriate new facility and upgrading that space with HVAC, fire protection, an alarm system, and high-density shelving units; hiring movers; and physically preparing the collections for moving day. The insights gained in this endeavor illustrate the complexity of moving large collections to better equip other institutions with methods to improve their own collections management plans.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41489.0