THE MISSION AND POLICIES OF THE LABORATORY OF ANTHROPOLOGY

MISSION
The Laboratory of Anthropology's (LOA) primary mission is to facilitate and perform archaeological research and to manage the Department of Anthropology's archaeological collections, equipment and laboratories. The Department's collections contain archaeological materials from sites of international and national significance. LOA seeks to both undertake and encourage research on these collections. These materials have been recovered and generated by cultural resource management projects, field schools, individual research projects, donations, and purchases. The archaeological materials include (a) provenanced specimens collected under scientific conditions from archaeological context and related paper, photographic, and digital documentation whose primary value lies in their research potential, (b) unprovenanced specimens, casts, replicas, and similar items which are maintained specifically as teaching aids, and (c) human skeletal remains.

North American Collections: Approximately 90% of the LOA collections derive from the state of Illinois or contiguous localities. These collections have been transferred to the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program and access to these collections should be requested from Dr. Laura Kozuch, ITARP Curator.

Foreign and Special Collections: LOA European, African and South American Collections are currently housed in Lincoln Hall on the UIUC campus. The LOA human skeletal collection is housed in special facilities at Davenport Hall.

The LOA maintains these materials in perpetuity for scholarly use and for the benefit of the citizenry of the state of Illinois in accordance with the professional, ethical, and legal standards of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), the American Association of Museums (AAM), and various applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The following policies are instituted in accordance with this mission.

POLICIES
I. Director, Curator, and Faculty Advisors. The Director of the LOA is a professional archaeologist appointed by the Head and charged with fulfilling the mission and carrying out the policies of the LOA. The Curator of the LOA is a museum professional directly responsible for the conservation and maintenance of LOA collections and equipment. Faculty Advisors may be appointed by the Head to consult with the LOA Director as stipulated in the Department of Anthropology By-Laws, Section VII.

II. Research Collections. The LOA research collections include those provenanced materials and related paper, photographic, and digital documentation of anthropological significance. LOA resources are devoted first and foremost to maintenance and conservation of the following categories of research materials in the Department's holdings:
A. Artifacts, botanical remains, faunal remains, and special samples. These require varying degrees of storage and maintenance under secure, climate-controlled conditions. Resources are directed first toward the conservation of specimens for future use.
B. Photographic collection. The prints, negatives, and slides require (a) conservation measures to delay the deterioration of these unstable materials and (b) conversion into a digital format (see D).
C. Document collection. Paper documents, field notes, site forms, reports, publications, maps, laboratory notes which require (a) conservation measures to delay the deterioration of these unstable materials and (b) conversion into a digital format (see D)
D. Digital records. Resources are directed towards maintenance of computer databases of LOA materials, conservation status, and registration records. Additional resources are directed towards the digitization of unstable photographic and paper documents and the development of an arcview master map file.
Access to these materials is provided to UIUC faculty, staff, students, or resident/visiting scholar for laboratory research projects that do not conflict with the long-term goals of LOA maintenance and conservation pending approval of a written proposal in accordance with the policies for Non-Departmental Use of Research Collections, Faculty/Student Use of Collections for Research, and/or Loans of Research Collections. Undergraduates under the supervision of a faculty sponsor can submit a research proposal for approval by the LOA Director to conduct senior honors or independent research projects as part of their undergraduate training in anthropology and scientific research and professional writing. Graduate students are encouraged to build LOA collections research into their Masters and doctoral research. Priority is given to those research projects that consider the maintenance and conservation priorities of the LOA. The procedures for the case-by-case use of research materials for educational purposes are outlined in the LOA Faculty/Student Use of Research Collections for Teaching policy.

III. Human Remains. The treatment of human remains are subject to the procedures outlined in the Policy For The Acquisition, Treatment, And Disposition Of Human Remains And Funerary Objects Of United States Origin By The Department Of Anthropology, University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign.

IV. Teaching Collection. The long-term classroom use of collections is a destructive process; consequently it is not generally suitable to employ research collections for such purposes. The LOA Teaching Collection is specifically created from unprovenanced archaeological materials, casts, and replicas to meet the needs of the educational program. The procedure for use of the teaching collection is outlined in the LOA Faculty/Student Use of Research Collections for Teaching policy.

V. Collections Acquisitions. Archaeological collections consistent with the research mission and policies of the LOA may be accepted by the Director (in consultation with the Faculty Advisors) pending approval by the Head and taking into account the LOA's curation parameters (i.e., collection significance and the adequacy of existing resources and space). Priority is given to materials from the state of Illinois with a high research potential for faculty, staff, students, or visiting scholars. The procedure for acquiring collections is outlined in the LOA Accessions policy.

VI. External Loans. External loans of LOA materials are possible only if on-site study is not feasible and if the external loan does not conflict with the long-term maintenance and conservation mission of the LOA. Visiting scholars may apply in writing to the Director for on-site access and consideration under the terms identified in the Research Collections section above and in the LOA Loans of Research Collections policy.

VII. Equipment. The Department of Anthropology's archaeological equipment and supplies are available for use by UIUC faculty, staff and students, pending approval by the Director according to the following ranked priorities: field school, faculty/staff research, graduate student research, undergraduate student research. The faculty member, staff member, or student proposing short-term loans of LOA equipment is responsible for the removal, upkeep, and return of all equipment in working order. The LOA Curator maintains records of the loan, evaluates the returned equipment, and recommends measures for the upkeep of LOA equipment, but does not remove, haul, return, or repair. The physical act and any costs of said removal, hauling, returning, or repairing is the responsibility of the faculty, staff, or student loanee. Procedures for use of equipment are outlined in the LOA Faculty/Student Use of Equipment policy.

VIII. Department-LOA Personnel Interaction Restrictions. LOA staff duties are limited to those research, maintenance, curatorial, and records-keeping responsibilities detailed above. All other faculty, staff, or student needs specific to particular laboratories, laboratory activities, non-LOA collections loans by faculty or students, or research projects are the responsibility of those faculty, staff, and students.

IX. Laboratory Use. The LOA maintains laboratory space, facilities, and equipment assigned to it by the Head of the Department of Anthropology. Decisions concerning that space and those facilities and equipment are at the discretion of the LOA Director (in consultation, at the Director's discretion, with the Faculty Advisors) in accordance with the policies for Faculty/Student Use of Equipment and Faculty/Student Use of Laboratory Facilities.

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Last Updated October 2005