Sustainable Archaeology

Last updated
Sustainable Archaeology
AbbreviationSA
Formation2009
PurposeDigital Archaeological Research Facility and Repository
Location
Region served
Canada
Parent organization
 University of Western Ontario and McMaster University
Website http://sustainablearchaeology.org/

Sustainable Archaeology (SA) is a digital archaeological research facility and collections repository that advances a sustainable form of practice and research archaeology in Ontario. Sustainable Archaeology is an inter-institutional collaborative research facility between the University of Western Ontario (Western) and McMaster University.

Contents

Sustainable Archaeology's research facilities are located in London, Ontario, and Hamilton, Ontario.

Sustainable Archaeology is funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Ontario Research Fund (ORF).

Sustainable Archaeology consolidates archaeological collections from across Ontario digitally into the Informational Platform, a web-based database and research interface, bringing together thousands of collections generated through research and commercial or cultural resource management (CRM) archaeology in Ontario. Collections are held in-trust by Sustainable Archaeology for the people of Ontario. [1] The consolidation of data and collections facilitates collaborative research between divergent fields of archaeological study, and access to both recent and previously excavated archaeological materials. Artifacts, field records, contextual datasets, and reporting are converted into digital information and 3D images and integrated into the Informational Platform, a web-based research oriented database system.

Background

Since the 1970s, provincial legislation in Ontario has mandated that lands projected for development must first be assessed for evidence of cultural heritage, including archaeological sites. [2] As a result, the number of archaeological sites identified and excavated in the province, and the amount of data and collections amassed, has grown steadily over the past several decades. [3] Today, 80-90% of archaeological practice in Ontario is conducted as commercial-based fieldwork, undertaken on behalf of the public and private sector by cultural resource management (CRM) companies. [4] The collection of archaeological artifacts from licensed excavations has exceeded storage capabilities in Ontario. Collections have remained largely inaccessible to researchers, students, and local and Descendant communities. [5] This "crisis" in curation reflects broader trends in the management of archaeological collections internationally. [6]

Project Development

In 2009 Dr. Neal Ferris of the University of Western Ontario was awarded a $9.8 million grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. [7] [8] The grant was awarded for the collaborative initiative between University of Western Ontario under Dr. Ferris as the Principal Investigator, and McMaster University, under Principal Investigator Dr. Aubrey Cannon to establish a research and digital data cooperative and physical repository for collections. Construction of the Western facility in London, Ontario began in the fall of 2010. The London facility is located off-campus, adjacent to the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. The McMaster facility was constructed off-campus in a renovated space at McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, Ontario.

Construction at the Western facility was completed in the fall of 2011. Renovations at the McMaster facility at McMaster Innovation Park were completed in 2012.

Mission statement

Sustainable Archaeology operates under the following mission statement:

"Sustainable Archaeology is dedicated to advancing a transformative practice of archaeology that integrates the many forms of the discipline – commercial, academic, avocational – by consolidating the extensively recovered archaeological record from Ontario and converting that material and contextual data into broadly accessible digital information, to allow for ongoing and innovative research that engages with this compiled and rich archaeological heritage left by the countless previous generations of those who loved, lived, and died in this place, and by all those today who draw connections, meaning, value, and identity from the human heritage of this place." [1]

Informational Platform

The Sustainable Archaeology Informational Platform is a web-based research oriented database system that incorporates a range of diverse data sets, including direct access to raw artifact data. The database serves as means of digital curation for site reports, maps and site plans, geospatial data, photographs, and other datasets generated by archaeological studies and excavations in Ontario, and linked to collections held physically at the two facilities. [5] The Informational Platform incorporates value added studies completed at the Sustainable Archaeology facilities, including macro and microscopic analyses, and digital imaging. [5] The Informational Platform is informed by both archaeological and descendant community cultural values. [9]

Sustainable Archaeology at the University of Western Ontario

Laboratories and specialist equipment at Sustainable Archaeology at the University of Western Ontario focuses on digital imaging, and the construction of virtual environments.

Ancient Images Laboratory and 3D Scanning

The Ancient Images Laboratory is equipped with a Nikon Metrology microtomography (microCT) scanner, a Faxitron digital x-ray, a 3D Systems Projet 660 Pro3D printer, and artifact photography stations. [10] The microCT and digital x-ray are used to conduct non-invasive studies of a range of archaeological and bioarchaeological materials, to facilitate the study of internal structures and features. Sustainable Archaeology's 3D scanning equipment consists of five 3D scanners: a Konica Minolta Vivid 9i, and four structured-light 3D scanners from 3D3 Solutions. Imaging data and 3D scans produced at Sustainable Archaeology are integrated into the database and research platform, and are used to re-construct virtual archaeological environments. [11]

Geophysical Unit

Sustainable Archaeology's geophysical equipment includes a GSSI 400Mhz ground penetrating radar (GPR), a Geoscan RM15-D resistance meter, and a Bartington Grad601 Fluxgate magnetic gradiometer.

Collections Repository

The Western facility's repository has a capacity for over 54,000 boxes of archaeological material. It is equipped with high density mobile shelving units that maximize storage capacity. Preventive conservation methods are utilized, including temperature and humidity monitoring, to maintain a stable environment and to ensure long-term viability of collections. Collections are housed in archival quality, acid-free, non-off-gassing polyethylene bags and vials, within corrugated polypropylene "bankers" style boxes. [12] [13] A radio frequency identification system (RFID) is utilized to track the location of boxes both within and between the Western and McMaster facilities in real time. 2-dimensional data matrix (DM) barcodes are utilized for a variety of tracking purposes, including cataloging artifacts, as well as identifying artifact storage boxes, and shelf locations within the repositories. [14]

Sustainable Archaeology's repositories at both Western and McMaster model practices for the management of archaeological collections established by international archaeological repositories, particularly in the United States. [15] Practices for artifact care and handling, including cleaning and packaging for long term storage practiced by Sustainable Archaeology reflect conservation and management strategies for developed by international repositories and artifact conservation bodies. [16] [17]

Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster

Laboratories and specialist equipment at Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster University focus on materials analysis, including petrographic, biogeochemical, zooarchaeological and geoarchaeological studies. [18]

Processing Laboratory

The Processing Laboratory incorporates equipment for the processing of archaeological materials for cataloguing, accessioning and analytical purposes. Analytical methods employed include sectioning and polishing of hard biological tissues, including animal bones, teeth and shell, and of non-organic materials, such as ceramics and lithics, as well as micro-drilling and milling to facilitate light stable isotope and trace elemental analysis. [19] Equipment in the processing laboratory includes a manual grinder polisher (Buehler Metaserv 250), vacuum mounting (Buehler Cast N' Vac 1000), Buehler IsoMet 1000 Precision Saw and a Minimo high precision rotary tool for cutting samples such as bone, ceramic, antler, or shell.

Microscopy and Analytical Lab

The Microscopy and Analytical Lab is equipped with microscopes that produce high-resolution digital images, facilitating the analysis of micro-artifacts. Equipment includes a Zeiss V8 8:1 zoom range stereomicroscope, a Zeiss V8 apochromatically corrected stereomicroscope, a Minimo high precision rotary tool mounted onto a microscope for high resolution microdrilling and micromilling, a Zeiss V8 stereomicroscope with polarized LED ringlights, and Zeiss Axiozoom V16 high resolution manual microscope with motorized zoom. [20]

Collections Repository

The McMaster repository has a capacity for 35,000 boxes of archaeological material. The McMaster facility is equipped with high density mobile shelving, temperature and humidity monitoring, archival-grade collections storage materials, and RFID tracking capabilities.

International Partnerships

Sustainable Archaeology is partnered with the Archaeology Data Service (ADS), based at the University of York.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater archaeology</span> Archaeological techniques practiced at underwater sites

Underwater archaeology is archaeology practiced underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology, it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras.

In library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal process to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable in the long term. It involves planning, resource allocation, and application of preservation methods and technologies, and combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and "born-digital" content, regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated content over time.

An institutional repository (IR) is an archive for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of an institution, particularly a research institution. Academics also utilize their IRs for archiving published works to increase their visibility and collaboration with other academics However, most of these outputs produced by universities are not effectively accessed and shared by researchers and other stakeholders As a result academics should be involved in the implementation and development of an IR project so that they can learn the benefits and purpose of building an IR.

The Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC) is a digital archive of records of some of the many small cultures and languages of the world. They digitise reel-to-reel field tapes, have a mass data store and use international standards for metadata description. PARADISEC is part of the worldwide community of language archives. PARADISEC's main motivation is to ensure that unique recordings of small languages are preserved for the future, and that researchers consider the future accessibility of their materials for other researchers, community members, or anyone who has an interest in such materials.

The University of California operates the largest academic library system in the world. It manages more than 40.8 million print volumes in 100 libraries on ten campuses. The purpose of these libraries is to assist research and instruction on the University of California campuses. While each campus library is separate, they share facilities for storage, computerized indexing, digital libraries and management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural heritage</span> Physical artifact or intangible attribute of a society inherited from past generations

Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by society.

The California Digital Library (CDL) was founded by the University of California in 1997. Under the leadership of then UC President Richard C. Atkinson, the CDL's original mission was to forge a better system for scholarly information management and improved support for teaching and research. In collaboration with the ten University of California Libraries and other partners, CDL assembled one of the world's largest digital research libraries. CDL facilitates the licensing of online materials and develops shared services used throughout the UC system. Building on the foundations of the Melvyl Catalog, CDL has developed one of the largest online library catalogs in the country and works in partnership with the UC campuses to bring the treasures of California's libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations to the world. CDL continues to explore how services such as digital curation, scholarly publishing, archiving and preservation support research throughout the information lifecycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Maryland Libraries</span> Academic library in Maryland, United States

The University of Maryland Libraries is the largest university library in the Washington D.C.–Baltimore area. The university's library system includes eight libraries: six are located on the College Park campus, while the Severn Library, an off-site storage facility, is located just outside campus, and the Priddy Library is located on the University System of Maryland satellite campus in Shady Grove.

The University of British Columbia Library is the library system of the University of British Columbia (UBC). The library is one of the 124 members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). In 2017, UBC Library ranked 29th among members of the ARL for the number of volumes in library, making it the third largest Canadian academic library after the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. However, UBC Library ranked 23rd for the titles held and second in Canada, and had a materials expenditures of $13.8 million, placing it 44th.

The Systemic Infrastructure Initiative was announced by the Government of Australia in January 2001 as part of Backing Australia's Ability – An Innovation Action Plan for the Future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Western Australia Library</span> Library at the University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia (UWA) Library is a library system consisting of five library sites on and near the campus. The libraries are known to support a wide range or services and facilities, including teaching. learning, research and IT support, and learning spaces.

The Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is the largest research library in the state of Hawaii. The Library serves as a key resource for the flagship Manoa campus as well as the other University of Hawaiʻi system campuses.

Expenditures by Canadian universities on scientific research and development accounted for about 40% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2006.

Digital curation is the selection, preservation, maintenance, collection, and archiving of digital assets. Digital curation establishes, maintains, and adds value to repositories of digital data for present and future use. This is often accomplished by archivists, librarians, scientists, historians, and scholars. Enterprises are starting to use digital curation to improve the quality of information and data within their operational and strategic processes. Successful digital curation will mitigate digital obsolescence, keeping the information accessible to users indefinitely. Digital curation includes digital asset management, data curation, digital preservation, and electronic records management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital library</span> Online database of digital objects stored in electronic media formats and accessible via computers

A digital library is an online database of digital objects that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital documents, or other digital media formats or a library accessible through the internet. Objects can consist of digitized content like print or photographs, as well as originally produced digital content like word processor files or social media posts. In addition to storing content, digital libraries provide means for organizing, searching, and retrieving the content contained in the collection. Digital libraries can vary immensely in size and scope, and can be maintained by individuals or organizations. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. These information retrieval systems are able to exchange information with each other through interoperability and sustainability.

The Archaeology Data Service (ADS) is an open access digital archive for archaeological research outputs. It is located in The King's Manor, at the University of York. Originally intended to curate digital outputs from archaeological researchers based in the UK's Higher Education sector, the ADS also holds archive material created under the auspices of national and local government as well as in the commercial archaeology sector. The ADS carries out research, most of which focuses on resource discovery, cross-searching and interoperability with other relevant archives in the UK, Europe and the United States of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Ontario Archaeology</span> Archaeology museum in Ontario, Canada

The Museum of Ontario Archaeology is a museum located in northwest London, Ontario, Canada. It is dedicated to the study and public interpretation of over 11,000 years of human history in Ontario. It is adjacent to a reconstruction of the Lawson Site, a 16th-century pre-contact Attawandaron People's village. The museum offers permanent and temporary gallery space, a theatre, a classroom and children's activity space, along with tours of the reconstructed village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNC School of Information and Library Science</span>

The UNC School of Information and Library Science(SILS) is a professional school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offering a bachelor's degree in information science, master's degrees in library science and information science, a professional science master's degree in digital curation, and a doctoral degree in information and library science as well as an undergraduate minor, graduate certificate programs, and a post-masters certificate.

McMaster University Library is the academic library system for the faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, Science, as well as the Michael DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. McMaster also has a Health Sciences Library administered by the Faculty of Health Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Repository of Ireland</span>

The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) is a digital repository for Ireland's humanities, social science and cultural heritage data. It was designed as an open access infrastructure that allows for interactive use and sustained growth. Three institutions, Royal Irish Academy (RIA), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and Maynooth, currently manage the repository and implement its policies, guidelines and training. The Department of Education and Skills has primarily funded DRI since 2016 through the Higher Education Authority and the Irish Research Council. As of 2018, DRI is home to over 28,000 items.

References

  1. 1 2 Sustainable Archaeology Collections Procedures and Standards. Document on file at Sustainable Archaeology. 2011.
  2. ↑ Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. "Land Use Planning and Development" Accessed 31 October 2012
  3. ↑ Ferris, Neal and Aubrey Cannon, "Capacities for a Sustainable Archaeology", Paper presented at the Ontario Archaeological Society Annual Meeting, Waterloo, Ontario, 17 October 2009. Accessed 30 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Sustainable Archaeology. http://sustainablearchaeology.org/. Accessed 30 October 2012
  5. 1 2 3 Ferris and Cannon, "Capacities for a Sustainable Archaeology"
  6. ↑ Sullivan, Lynne P. and S. Terry Childs. Curating Archaeological Collections: From the Field to the Repository. Oxford: AltaMira Press, 2003
  7. ↑ Ministry of Research and Innovation."Funding Announcement: Projects Funded in London", 7 December 2009. Accessed 30 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Canadian Foundation for Innovation. "Government of Canada Invests in Research Infrastructure", 18 June 2009. Accessed 30 October 2012
  9. ↑ Westby, Kira. "Summary of a Workshop on Sustainable Archaeology: Collections and Information Management in Ontario". Arch Notes 16(5): 10-12, 2011. Accessed 30 October 2012
  10. ↑ Sustainable Archaeology: Facility. http://www.sustainablearchaeology.org/facility-equipment.html
  11. ↑ Communications Staff. "Back to the Future: students digitize archaeological artifacts in 3-D". Western News, 9 August 2012. Accessed 2 November 2012
  12. ↑ Westby, "Summary of a Workshop on Sustainable Archaeology: Collections and Information Management in Ontario"
  13. ↑ Brady, Colleen, Molly Gleeson, Melba Myers, Claire Peachey, Betty Seifert, Howard Wellman, Emily Williams, Lisa Young. "Collections Storage and Curation". Society for Historical Archaeology, 2006. Accessed 1 November 2012.
  14. ↑ Bathurst, Rhonda and Kira Westby. "Digital Tools for Archaeological Collections and Inventory". Poster presented at the Society for American Archaeology Annual Conference, April 2013. Accessed March 25, 2014
  15. ↑ "Childs, S. Terry and Eileen Corcoran. "Managing Archeological Collections: Technical Assistance". Washington, DC.: Archeology and Ethnography Program, National Park Service. Accessed 1 November 2012.
  16. ↑ Murdock, Cynthia and Jessica S. Johnson. "Appendix I: Curatiorial Care of Archaeological Objects" in Museum Handbook Part I: Museum Collections, National Park Service, 2001.
  17. ↑ Griset, Suzanne, Arthur W. Vokes and Catherine Sarther. "Requirements for the Preparation of Archaeological Project Collections for Submission to the Arizona State Museum". Tucson: Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, 2004.
  18. ↑ McMaster University. "Centre for Sustainable Archaeology". Accessed 30 October 2012
  19. ↑ McMaster University. "Centre for Sustainable Archaeology".
  20. ↑ McMaster University. "Centre for Sustainable Archaeology"
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.