Table 1) Controlling Costs of Collections Management

Issues:
1) Incompatible databases - even among federal agencies - add to cost of collections management.
2) Failure to build costs of collections management into projects generating collections shifts burden of
    costs to the curation facility.
3) Lack of enforcement of 36 CFR Part 79 and 36 CFR 2.5 - no cataloging deadlines set, no real
    consequences to ignoring requirements.
4) Lack of universally-accepted collections management standards and cost ranges for long-term care.
5) Lack of consensus on what "curation costs" include - e.g. education/research?
6) Need to budget (for certain funding types, e.g.: federal highways) for collections management costs
    before you even know what will be recovered and what conservation needs might be.

Recommendations:
1) Develop universal standards for acceptable collections management.
2) Develop per cubic foot curation costs for both artifacts and archives (by geographic region, collection
    type, etc.) to guide collections managers.
3) Work to revise 36 CFR Part 79 and 2.5 to include cataloging deadlines and consequences for failure to
    comply through legal fines, unequivocal denial of future permit applications, withdrawal of federal
     funding, billing for federal funding already granted.
4) Advocate curation/collections management through partnerships at professionally managed central
    repositories - (state, regional, etc.). Designate federal repositories and base-fund their operational and
    staff costs.
5) Remove barriers to accurately estimate curation/collections management - e.g. - with FHWA funding,
    collections managers should not be forced to estimate funding needs for archaeological materials that
    are in the ground!
6) Consider putting more funding into documentation and less into object preservation, especially in the
    case of objects meant to deteriorate (e.g.: certain American Indian artifacts).
7) Create a national "Yellow Pages" of museum supplies and vendors - both hard copy and on WWW -
    combine AAM directory with NPS "Tools of the Trade" and other lists which may exist.
8) Raise $2,500 limit on federal procurement actions to $25,000.
 
 

Table 2) Professional Responsibilities

Issues:
1) Lack of management and accountability and insufficient funds.
2) Trying to improve accuracy of survey results as to SOC.
3) Importance of trying to fully process collections prior to transfer to museum.
4) Transferred collections often lack the context that should accompany the collection (such as oral
    history tapes, photos, etc.).
5) Individuals with primary collection responsibilities, but no training to do so (money and staff).
6) Dilemma regarding recommendation vs. Native American position (even if directly contrary).
7) Careful to combine advocacy role with responsibility to specific discipline - (tribal role dictating
    significance of a specific item perhaps to exclusion of archaeologist's view).
8) Archaeologists may be unaware of potential conflicts with tribes, etc.
9) Archaeologists evaluate collection on scientific basis - what its value is, educationally, etc.

Recommendations:
1) If archaeologist is working with a tribe, should solicit multiple views, not just the view of the
    designated tribal leader. Resultant issues:
    - takes time, time equals money
    - professionals sometimes restricted in what they can say on these topics
    Archaeologists must be trained and aware regarding the importance of dealing with multiple folks in
    the tribe. Convince tribal administration of allowing archaeologists to talk to multiple folks.
2) Create an awareness of importance of museum program that goes throughout a bureau.
3) Consider transferring collections to institutions which will take proper care of them.
4) Need a beg stick to force organizations to comply with Departmental Manual etc.
5) Or capture public interest so that there will be pressure on the institution to do it right.
6) Increase funding (for staff, expertise, training, etc.).
7) Enforce long range plans for museum property from DOI down through bureaus.
 
 

Table 3: Accreditation

Issues:
1) Federal/State systems compatibility - inappropriate standards (see recommendations)

Recommendations:
1) Some flexibility to accommodate each case -, i.e., regional climates are different so required
    environment controls will too.
    - Collection needs differ so conservation capabilities will too.

Comments:
We had a rather weak discussion of accreditation because we were all non-feds looking for federal agency information on accreditation.

Table 4) Records and Information

Issues:
1) Storage of records
2) Management of records
3) Diversity of records
4) Utilization of records to gain information
5) Constant need to systems
6) Incompatibility of databases and systems
7) Development of systems to cross-reference each other
8) Training in how to utilize/generate records from ground up
9) Sharing of records
10) Need to process information
11) Security/accessibility of records

Recommendations:
1) Need to rationalize/justify spending time/money on information and management systems.
2) Need to create safe environments for storage of records (paper and hard-copy) and back-ups of
    records.
3) Need to implement measures to protect security of data.
4) Build cost for upgrading electronic systems into operation budgets.
 
 

Table 5) Native American Consultation (Paulette Heirnum)

Issues:
1) Congressional government thinks money not needed because of gaming.
2) Website content (who will determine?, authority?), i.e.: American Strategy
3) Misinterpretation of information (historical).
4) Hard to translate consultations (emotional, historical event) into recorded information, privacy issues.
5) Youth involvement with retaining culture in perpetuity.
6) Turnover in museum staff and tribal contacts.
7) Difficulty in knowing who to go to, to consult, NMAI has decided to work with tribal councils-,
    frequently younger, less knowledgeable people are in active tribal government - they may not be the
    best people.
8) Archaeologists are too aggressive in recovering items from excavations.
9) Tribes not asked to participate in activities that affect them outside, especially at museums etc.
10) Casinos produce money - need to include travel money for consultation and professional fee for
       expert information.
I1)  Limited tribal support to encourage tribal education and training to assume related jobs.

Recommendations:
1) Site visits by authorities - education, council meetings.
2) Native American input needed; generate through consultation, early input for website content.
3) Education of staff working with tribes.
4) "Consultation contract" needed to determine correct information and inform tribes what disseminated
    (how will information be used, confidentiality, items flagged, who will use it), educate tribes on
    importance of recording information.
5) Standard form for collecting during consultations.
6) Include youth in consultations? Mentoring possibilities
7) Write it down!!! Keep better, detailed records.
8) Establish protocol with tribes:
    - pre-dig project design before digs
    - tribal consultation early in planning
    - include native people in archaelogical training
    - expand native involvement
    - mentoring: internships or closer ties with archaeology departments at local universities
9) Need to sensitize American archaeologists; DOT consultations need to happen early, need notification
    early on.
10) Attitudes of U.S. archaeologists vs. those of foreign archaeologists.
11) DOT projects do not include Indians early enough in planning (projects frequently go across
       reservation lands).
12) Opening and closing prayers.
13) Continue farming tradition, many who know farming are no longer alive/active - need to re-train,
       re-interest workers and resume this tradition.
14) Internship possibilities in museums.
15) Can be difficult to recruit Indian youth in archaeology because it is in conflict with what elders teach.
 
 

Table 6) Native American Access to Collections

Issues:
1) Tribal access to collections - who controls?
2) Public access to federal collections in tribal museums or tribal objects in public museums.
3) Loans to tribes.
4) Access to care for specimens in traditional manner.

Recommendations:
1) If repatriated, tribe has full control.
2) In other cases, the federal agency or museum needs to talk to the native community to implement their
    desires as practicable, but public collections are subject ultimately to FOIA.
3) Funding for visits needs to be improved both for the tribes' travel and staffing at the museum.
4) Federal agencies need to fund, as part of curation services cost, the cost of visitors access.
5) Work with tribes to insure safety of collection and funding of loan costs.
6) Publish access policy on WWW.