New Forum puts archaeological archives in the picture
Submitted by Andy B on Wednesday, 07 August 2002 Page Views: 888
Other Archaeology- National Initiative to Tap Wealth of Information. English Heritage has announced the foundation of a new Archaeological Archives Forum which aims to open up generations of invaluable research to a wider public.English Heritage is among a number of heritage organisations joining forces in the Forum to tackle the job of making archaeological archives, with their wealth of finds, photographs and information, easier to access.
Kathy Perrin, responsible for archaeological archives policy in English Heritage’s Archaeology Department and Secretary of the Forum, said: “Archaeological archives are amongst our greatest assets but their wealth is too often untapped and their potential unexplored. Stuck away in basements or remote storerooms, they can be inaccessible or even thought of as a nuisance. Once written up in academic publications or client reports the mass of material and information they represent seldom sees the light of day. The Forum hopes to change this by creating new standards of access and deposition. We want the archives to be a source of exciting interactive learning and research for everyone, from schoolchildren to professors.”
High on the Forum’s agenda are the provision of archaeological resource centres, digital access and archiving and training in post excavation archiving. The Museum of London has provided a blueprint with the opening in February of its London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) in Mortimer Wheeler House.
The Forum, which held its inaugural meeting in May, is the result of an initiative by English Heritage following the publication of its report Archaeological Archives; Access Documentation and Deposition: A Way Forward, written by Kathy Perrin.
The Forum currently comprises representatives of: The Archaeology Data Service, The Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers, The Council for British Archaeology, English Heritage, The Institute of Field Archaeologists, The Institute of Field Archaeologists Finds Group, The Museums Documentation Association, The Society of Antiquaries of London, The Society of Museum Archaeologists, The Standing Conference of Archaeological Unit Managers and Resource. Work is underway to involve representatives from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the new Forum’s activities.
The Forum Chair is Hedley Swain, Head of Department of Early London History and Collections at the Museum of London and the Vice-Chair is David Morgan-Evans, General Secretary of The Society of Antiquaries of London. Further information can be found on the Forum Web page hosted by The Council for British Archaeology web site at www.britarch.ac.uk/archives/
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