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![A Practical Guide for Prioritizing Archaeological Collections [Deeper Digs]](/images/default-source/default-library/untitled-design-(1)f8109f833a374a18b2430e2831d7d07d.tmb-seminar.png?Culture=en&sfvrsn=cc27d5e6_1)
A Practical Guide for Prioritizing Archaeological Collections [Deeper Digs]
When: February 20, 2025 2:00-4:00 PM ET
Duration: 2 hours
Certification: RPA-Certified
Pricing
Individual Registration: $99 for SAA members; $149 for non-members
Group Registration: $139 for SAA members; $189 for non-members
Danielle M. Benden, M.S., RPA, Driftless Pathways, LLC
Danielle M. Benden is owner of Driftless Pathways, LLC, a small museum consulting firm near Madison, WI. She designs new curatorial facilities and renovates existing ones; consults with museum personnel to improve collections care and management; facilitates consultation between Native Nations and other stakeholders on the development of interpretive content and exhibits; and provides professional development training in curation and collections management. Prior to starting Driftless Pathways, Ms. Benden served as the Senior Curator of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she taught museum courses, designed and managed collections facility upgrades, oversaw NAGPRA compliance, and carried out fieldwork in the Cahokian Hinterlands. She has published scholarly articles, book chapters, and reports, conducted preservation assessments of archaeological sites and collections, and enjoys educating the public about the past through presentations and archaeological tours.
Ms. Benden received her B.S. in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an M.S. in Museum and Field Studies (with an Archaeology emphasis) from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She has served on national committees and task forces including as chair of SAA’s Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation (2016-2019), co-chair of SAA’s Task Force on Data Access and Archiving (2015-2016), co-chair of the Archaeological Collections Consortium (2014-2016), and member of the SAA Archive Committee (2021-present). Her practical and professional experience puts her at the forefront of the national curation discussion.
Danielle M. Benden is owner of Driftless Pathways, LLC, a small museum consulting firm near Madison, WI. She designs new curatorial facilities and renovates existing ones; consults with museum personnel to improve collections care and management; facilitates consultation between Native Nations and other stakeholders on the development of interpretive content and exhibits; and provides professional development training in curation and collections management. Prior to starting Driftless Pathways, Ms. Benden served as the Senior Curator of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she taught museum courses, designed and managed collections facility upgrades, oversaw NAGPRA compliance, and carried out fieldwork in the Cahokian Hinterlands. She has published scholarly articles, book chapters, and reports, conducted preservation assessments of archaeological sites and collections, and enjoys educating the public about the past through presentations and archaeological tours.
Ms. Benden received her B.S. in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and an M.S. in Museum and Field Studies (with an Archaeology emphasis) from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She has served on national committees and task forces including as chair of SAA’s Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation (2016-2019), co-chair of SAA’s Task Force on Data Access and Archiving (2015-2016), co-chair of the Archaeological Collections Consortium (2014-2016), and member of the SAA Archive Committee (2021-present). Her practical and professional experience puts her at the forefront of the national curation discussion.
From large public museums to university anthropology departments, archaeological repositories exist for two main purposes: to preserve and care for collections and to facilitate collections access for a variety of purposes (e.g., public education, exhibition, research, compliance, traditional uses by descendant communities). But how can repository personnel prioritize which collections have the highest potential for
research, education, and exhibition or the most urgent needs like NAGPRA compliance requirements?
Assessing ‘significance’—or put another way, prioritizing collections— in consultation with stakeholders is a powerful tool that can facilitate the use of collections while ensuring that their preservation and compliance needs are accounted for. This two-hour seminar provides a how-to guide for assessing collections. The resulting data informs how repositories can best direct their often limited financial and human resources to collections with the most needs and highest priorities.
This seminar is for collections caretakers and their supervisors who work across sectors: at a tribal cultural center, a government repository, a CRM firm with a related curation facility or a university department, to name a few. Participants will receive a resource guide with practical information for implementing the assessment process.
research, education, and exhibition or the most urgent needs like NAGPRA compliance requirements?
Assessing ‘significance’—or put another way, prioritizing collections— in consultation with stakeholders is a powerful tool that can facilitate the use of collections while ensuring that their preservation and compliance needs are accounted for. This two-hour seminar provides a how-to guide for assessing collections. The resulting data informs how repositories can best direct their often limited financial and human resources to collections with the most needs and highest priorities.
This seminar is for collections caretakers and their supervisors who work across sectors: at a tribal cultural center, a government repository, a CRM firm with a related curation facility or a university department, to name a few. Participants will receive a resource guide with practical information for implementing the assessment process.
- Provide attendees with a framework for evaluating archaeological collections in the
repository. - Teach participants how to develop an assessment tool for the physical condition,
intellectual control, and compliance needs of collections. - Offer tips and resources for developing meaningful consultation with stakeholders to
prioritize collections in the repository.