Curating and Preserving Digital Archaeological Data: A Guide to Good Practice (Plains Conference)

Archaeologists generate large numbers of digital materials during the course of field, laboratory, and records investigations. Maps, photographs, data analysis, and reports are often produced digitally. Good curation of digital data means it can be discovered and accessed, and preserving these materials means they are accessible for future use. In many ways the managing, curating and preserving digital materials involves similar steps as those taken with physical artifacts, samples, and paper records. However, the digital materials are different and the process can appear daunting at first.

In this poster we outline some simple steps for managing and curating digital materials that can be integrated into existing or future project and that can be applied to digital materials from completed projects. We will also use real world examples from tDAR (the Digital Archaeological Record) to illustrate how people are preserving their digital materials for access and future use.