Reorganization and Computerization of the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeological Collections

在国家科学基金会的支持下，詹姆斯·布拉德利博士将开始重组菲利普斯学院一部分的R.S.皮博迪博物馆的考古收藏。尽管该博物馆拥有重要的科学收藏品，但由于编目和存储问题，这些藏品很难使用。在这个长期项目的第一阶段，布拉德利博士和他的同事们将把重点放在新英格兰考古发掘中发现的材料上。他们将检查单个藏品的物理位置，并将其与手写的目录条目进行比较。核查后，资料将输入计算机化数据库。在必要时，对象本身将被重新包装，以加强保存并便于访问。R.S.皮博迪博物馆成立于1901年，除了作为一个存储库，在实地研究中发挥了极其积极的作用。其中大部分都是当地的，因此新英格兰地区的藏品特别强大和广泛。它们记录了该地区数千年的史前历史，使考古学家不仅可以重建文化史，还可以研究环境变化和人与环境相互作用等问题。博物馆的考古藏品是重要的科学数据库，应在研究中发挥核心作用。然而，如果储存和编目不当，它们就极难使用。这就是菲利普斯皮博迪博物馆的情况，布拉德利博士的项目很重要，因为它将有助于纠正这种情况。

9307572 Bradley With National Science Foundation support, Dr. James Bradley will begin the task of reorganizing the archaeological collections of the R.S. Peabody Museum which is a part of Phillips Academy. Although the museum holds important scientific collections, these are difficult to use because of cataloging and storage problems. In this first phase of a long term project Dr. Bradley and his colleagues will focus on materials recovered from archaeological excavations in New England. They will check the physical locations of individual collections and compare them against handwritten catalog entries. After verification, information will be entered into a computerized data base. Objects themselves will, where necessary, be repacked both to enhance preservation and permit easy access. The R.S. Peabody Museum was established in 1901 and in addition to serving as a repository, has played an extremely active role in field research. Much of this was local and therefore the New England collections are particularly strong and extensive. They document thousands of years of prehistory in this region and permit archaeologists not only to reconstruct culture history but to look at issues such as environmental change and human- environment interactions. Archaeological collections in museums constitute an important scientific data base and should play a central role in research. However when they are improperly stored and catalogued they are extremely difficult to use. Such is the case at the Phillips Peabody Museum and Dr. Bradley's project is important because it will help to remedy this situation.