Computerization of the Caribbean Archaeological Collections of the Peabody Museum of Natural History

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With National Science Foundation support, the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University will computerize the records which relate to its Caribbean archaeological collections. These materials are now described under ca. 135,000 catalogue entries in handwritten bound ledgers and this makes it extremely difficult for researchers to locate either specific items or groups of materials. Over a two year period museum professionals will enter these data into a relational database system. As a result, the collections will be made easily available to archaeologists who wish to work with them The Peabody's Caribbean archaeological collections are unparalled. The material is the result of sixty years of systematic scientific research in the islands of the West Indies and the coastal mainland of Venezuela and the Guianas. It was excavated through research conducted under the auspices of the Caribbean Anthropological program which was founded in 1933. These data allow researchers not only to establish chronologies but also to trace migration and diffusion. The materials can also be used to reconstruct environment, cultural process and social dynamics. They therefore constitute a valuable scientific data base. This project is important because at the present time this information is extremely difficult to use. With NSF support it will be made readily available for scientific research.