As a primarily research institution, we place a significant emphasis on the documentation that accompanies new and existing collections. Without context, the research questions we are able to ask are greatly reduced.
The Department of Anthropology maintains roughly 1,000 linear feet of associated records, photographs, film, negatives, slides, etc. that pertain to all of the collections stored here.
The archives associated with our archaeological research collections are much greater in size and scope than for our other collections. These archives are organized by officially designated site numbers. Each site file is organized by project (arranged temporally), to provide a full picture of the activity performed at that site over time by UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students. These files include: field notes, excavation forms, maps, artifact drawings, analysis forms, correspondence, reports, and publications. Due to state and federal restrictions on reported site locations, access to these files is only provided after a vetted approval process.
Database
The Archives collection is currently almost exclusively on paper, although long-term plans include digitizing all of the documents, including field notes, images, analysis forms, and reports/publications.
The archives database for the UWAC is currently being populated, to provide a means to search our paper records, with the intent to digitize and link electronic documents to the database itself. As portions of the archives records are imported, our intent is to make unrestricted fields available online for public viewing/searching. Stay tuned for a link to this opportunity!