Policies and Guidelines

UWAC Collections Management Policy

Every museum collection should have a comprehensive document describing its policies and procedures. Our Collections Management Policy (CMP) is reviewed every five (5) years, or as needed if a significant change or new policy is added in the interim. These policies ensure our collections are managed according to the most current best practices and provide a clear vision for its use and growth for years to come.

Laws and Professional Ethical Codes

We highly value the importance of maintaining the most current best practices in the care and management of archaeological collections. Along with fully supporting and complying with local, state, and federal laws relating to museum and professional practices, we commit to the ethical guidelines set forth by the following professional organizations:

Curation Agreements and Repository Agreements

The UW-Madison Anthropology Department currently manages collections for the following federal agencies:

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-Alaska (Repository Agreement pending)
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-St. Paul District (Northern Mississippi Valley Division)
United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)-Region 3 (Repository Agreement pending)

We also serve as a regional repository in Wisconsin for CRM projects originating from southcentral and southwest Wisconsin. Requests for curation are assessed on a case-by-case basis, as our available storage space is extremely limited.

Curation agreements are only accepted on a project-by-project basis (we do not accept blanket annual curation agreement requests).
We currently do not accept postcontact site material.

Please contact the Museum Director for more information.