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Handling The “Curation Crisis:” Database Management For Archaeological Collections, Karen Thomson

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Archaeological collecting practices have created a predicament for museums and archaeological repositories that today is commonly referred to as the “curation crisis.” As new excavations continue to be organized each year, accumulated collections find themselves haphazardly stored in museums with few plans for their long-term management, care and preservation. While the existence of a “curation crisis” has been widely accepted in the United States since the 1970s, there is little agreement as to a solution that can be accomplished in a practical, affordable, and effective manner. As a consequence, it may take a long time for the crisis to be …