Protected Places: A Survey of Laws on Archaeological Site and Cave Location Confidentiality and Their Potential Impact on Library Reference Policies and Services

Librarians who work with maps and other forms of spatial information are often asked for information about the location of a place. These questions can range from the location of a village or farm where an ancestor lived to more cryptic questions, such as the location of the Garden of Eden based on its Biblical description. Most librarians will attempt to answer locational questions by directing users to resources such as gazetteers, atlases, maps and plat books. However, the locations of archaeological sites and caves are protected by Federal and state laws. This article provides a summary of Federal and state laws protecting archaeological sites and caves, the reasons for the laws, issues to consider when asked for locations of archaeological sites and caves, and additionally suggests a policy for dealing with users requesting information about archaeological sites and caves.

在地图及其他空间信息处理领域工作的图书管理员，常常被要求提供关于某地位置的信息。这些询问的范围可从祖先曾居住的村庄或农场的地理位置，到基于《圣经》描述的神秘问题，如伊甸园的位置。大多数图书管理员会通过指引用户查阅诸如地名录、地图集、地图和地形图等资源来尝试回答地理位置的询问。然而，考古遗址和洞穴的位置受到联邦和州法律的保护。本文概述了保护考古遗址和洞穴的联邦及州法律、制定这些法律的原因、在回应有关考古遗址和洞穴位置询问时需考虑的问题，并进一步提出了处理用户询问关于考古遗址和洞穴信息的相关政策。