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Providing Information and Public Outreach Across Three U.S. State Archaeology Offices During the Age of Open Access

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Providing Information and Public Outreach Across Three U.S. State Archaeology Offices During the Age of Open Access Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 3-16-2018 Providing Information and Public Outreach Across Three U.S. State Archaeology Offices During the Age of Open Access Samuel Thomas Ayers Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, and the Scholarly Communication Commons Recommended Citation Ayers, Samuel Thomas, "Providing Information and Public Outreach Across Three U.S. State Archaeology Offices During the Age of Open Access" (2018). LSU Master's Theses. 4624. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/4624 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PROVIDING INFORMATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH ACROSS THREE U.S. STATE ARCHAEOLOGY OFFICES DURING THE AGE OF OPEN ACCESS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in The Department of Geography & Anthropology by Samuel Thomas Ayers B.A., B.A., Louisiana State University, 2014 May 2018 I dedicate this thesis to my Mawmaw, Barbara J. Disedare ('92, LSU). ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS How to begin a deserving—forget comprehensive—series of acknowledgements for all those who assist one along the arduous task of writing a thesis is quite possibly the hardest portion in the entire enterprise. Nevertheless, I will attempt to do some justice to the institutions and persons involved. I want to begin broadly by thanking Louisiana State University (LSU) for its investment in my academic career. As an undergraduate and now graduate student my intellectual horizon has been consistently challenged to expand. Without this great institution I dare say without my experiences at LSU I would not be the pensive individual I strive to be each and every day. I would like to thank my two major academic offices starting with the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS). The faculty in the School of Library and Information Science are truly at the forefront of their profession in their honest engagement with the digital realities of libraries, archives, and all information organizations. Without SLIS I would not have realized how the “dusty archives” is really quite more and that proper data management—even of ephemeral items— can empower communities and enlighten our understanding history. In addition, I want to thank the LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology for believing that a library and information science student, with no background in the department’s specializations, had what it took to become an anthropologist as well. Without the combined cooperation of both LSU SLIS and the LSU Department of Geography and Anthropology I would not have been able to complete this academic path and contribute this research to the emerging discipline of archaeological information science. Specifically, this research was funded in part by a Robert C. West-R.J. Russell Graduate Student Field Research Award from the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Louisiana State iii University. I am also obliged to the three state archaeology offices and all staff members with whom I spoke throughout the course of this research, especially during the field work portion. Though their identities remained confidential, quite literally, without their cooperation and assistance in answering my questions about state archaeology policy, this research would not have been possible to produce. Profound thanks are also due to my thesis advisor Dr. Rebecca Saunders whose constructive contributions and advice with this project is nearly indescribable. Lacking background in archaeology, and especially CRM, Dr. Saunders corroborated my unsure observations surrounding archaeological information access and helped me focus on the core issues at hand. As such, Dr. Saunders exemplifies all that is good in academia. The ability of an advisor to encourage a graduate student to be their best academic self cannot be understated and in this regard, Dr. Saunders is second to none. I also wish to thank my thesis committee members for their time and effort in assisting me in this process. Dr. Chicoine has been essential to my progress and understanding of the discipline of archaeology, its historical, theoretical, and applied growth over the last hundred years. Also, his pointed comments in my term papers always helped me steer clear of what he once described as chronically “surfical” writing. Additionally, my understanding of our present Information Age and how society engages with information could not have been possible without Dr. Benoit. His course projects in the School of Library and Information Science as well as his comments throughout this thesis have always forced me to consider how information organization matters with specific regard to how we make data accessible to real people in the real world. iv The graduate student community in the geography and anthropology department at LSU has been an invaluable source of fraternal support for me throughout my graduate studies. The collegial atmosphere (in the classroom and at State Bar, among other places) provided the most enriching experiences both professionally, socially, and academically. And I am glad to now count you among my friends: Michel François Pujazón, Marissa Vara, Jacob Warner, Alex Amaki, Kate Elder, Kobi Weaver, Emilee Hart, Kelsey Johnson, Kenny Sutherland, Eli Cruzado, and Rivers Berryhill. To my mother and father, Thomas and Tonya Ayers, I cannot begin to thank you enough for your unreserved confidence in me and my academic pursuits. Never once did you question my choices in subjects to study and majors to pursue. Never once was I influenced to go after something more “practical.” In a society which popularly reduces technocratic, material rationality and pragmatism with purposeful and worthwhile pursuits, your confidence in me to focus on interests and causes that move both the heart and mind is something I will forever cherish. J.R.R. Tolkien once said, “Faithless is he, who bids farewell when the road darkens.” I contrast this quote to the example of my faithful, darling wife Taylor Ayers to whom I am forever indebted. Quite often through graduate school and in the course of writing of this thesis the road indeed felt ominously dark and yet she persisted with me. She supported me when I had nothing left to give. And even when I did not believe, she did. I love you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER TWO: BEGINNINGS OF CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND THE ISSUES OF INFORMATION ACCESS: .............................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER THREE: PROGRESS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER FOUR: PUBLIC ARCHAEOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS IN OUTREACH ............. 44 CHAPTER FIVE: APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY, DIGITAL ARCHAEOLOGY, AND THEORIZING POLICY STANDARDIZATION .............................................................................. 58 CHAPTER SIX: PRESENTATION OF METHODS AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA .......... 64 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH AVENUES...................... 107 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 115 APPENDIX A: SCHEDULE OF QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEWS ......................................... 136 APPENDIX B: SAMPLE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT ............................................................... 138 APPENDIX C: INITIAL CONTACT LETTER .............................................................................. 146 APPENDIX D: IRB APPROVAL FORM ........................................................................................ 147 VITA ...................................................................................................................................................... 148 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AHPA Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act AIA American Institute of Archaeology ARPA Archaeological Resource Protection Act CDL California Digital Library CRM Cultural Resource Management FASTRA Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act IMLS Institute of Museum and Library Services LOD Linked Open Data MOA Memorandum of Agreement NADB National Archaeological Database NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NPS National Park Service NRHP National Register of Historic Places NTIS National Technological Information Service
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