It is widely accepted that not all the records and materials collected or created during the course of an archaeological project require preservation in perpetuity. These records and materials constitute the working project archive, which will be subject to selection, in order to establish what will be retained for long-term curation.
The aim of selection is to ensure that all the elements retained from the working project archive for inclusion in the archaeological archive are appropriate to establish the significance of the project and support future research, outreach, engagement, display and learning activities. Selection should be focused on choosing what is to be retained to support these future needs, rather than deciding what can be dispersed.
A selection strategy details the project-specific selection process, agreed by all stakeholders, that will be applied to a working project archive prior to its transfer into curatorial care as the archaeological archive.
The benefits of a selection strategy
The implementation of a project-specific selection strategy will
- ensure that the archaeological archive is fit for purpose and contains well organised records and materials that have the potential for re-use, further research, and/or other curatorial use that will add to our archaeological understanding
- facilitate better knowledge of the archaeological archive's contents
- establish the relevance of the archaeological archive, and therefore increase the opportunities for promotion of, and engagement with, the archaeological archive
- better enable the full and equitable consideration of the importance and potential of all materials
- enable a better understanding of, and preparation for, the preservation requirements of the working project archive prior to the transfer of the archaeological archive to a repository
- help ensure that all relevant procedures and guidance have been considered and followed at all stages of a project
- promote better collaboration between contracting units, collecting institutions, specialists, researchers, planning archaeologists and other stakeholders
- improve the active management of the working project archive, including onsite collection, and the dispersal of de-selected material
- support the adequate allocation of funds and staffing from the outset of a project
- improve the efficient use of available storage space and resources
Document quick-links
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