Hello FSJ Followers!
Are you ready for some exciting updates? What’s a better way to dig in to 2019 than with some new ideas and developments, am I right?
Let’s start from the beginning… Over the past few months the Fort St. Joseph Project (or the Project) has been reflecting on the curation practices used for the Fort St. Joseph collections that are currently held at the Niles History Center. Curation is the process of organizing, preserving, and making accessible all the materials that we’ve collected and the records we’ve created through our archaeological investigations. Many of the artifacts in the collection have been recovered during excavation at the Fort St. Joseph floodplain site and other nearby contemporary sites investigated over the past 20 years. Other artifacts stored in the collection are those recovered by local collectors long before the Project began. Our records include historic documents, field notes, reports, photographs, and publications.
Are you ready for some exciting updates? What’s a better way to dig in to 2019 than with some new ideas and developments, am I right?
Let’s start from the beginning… Over the past few months the Fort St. Joseph Project (or the Project) has been reflecting on the curation practices used for the Fort St. Joseph collections that are currently held at the Niles History Center. Curation is the process of organizing, preserving, and making accessible all the materials that we’ve collected and the records we’ve created through our archaeological investigations. Many of the artifacts in the collection have been recovered during excavation at the Fort St. Joseph floodplain site and other nearby contemporary sites investigated over the past 20 years. Other artifacts stored in the collection are those recovered by local collectors long before the Project began. Our records include historic documents, field notes, reports, photographs, and publications.
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| The Fort St. Joseph Museum. If you haven’t seen the displays on Fort St. Joseph, be sure to drop by Wednesday-Friday 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday 10 am to 3 pm. Photo by Crystal DeRoo. |
In order to improve our curation system, we decided that
we should investigate best practices observed at similar repositories with the
intended goal of enhancing our curation efforts. We would also like to identify
any proactive steps that may improve the organization, cataloging, and
digitization of artifacts. One important goal is to develop a greater awareness
of and access to the collection by interested scholars and the public. We live
in a fast-paced, digital world which calls for the collection’s accessibility
to reflect that.
Assistance from donors is beginning to make these aims a reality. One donor, who initially came to the Project with these types of developments in mind, worked with the Project to create the Fort St. Joseph Curation Fellowship! This is a 12-month appointment designed to study, develop, and implement policies and practices that will serve as a model for other small repositories that store important archaeological collections. This exciting venture is one that I am proud to say that I am a part of, as I have been selected for this opportunity!
For those who do not know me, I have been involved with the Project for just over four years. During my graduate studies at Western Michigan University, I was introduced to the Project and all of the wonderful people involved by my mentor and friend, Michael Nassaney. Fort St. Joseph was used as a case study for my master’s thesis, “Archaeological Evidence of Architectural Remains at Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), Niles, MI,” which explored architecture and how it is employed to express identity. My interest in this topic stemmed from research I performed while co-authoring (with Michael Nassaney) the Project’s third installment in its booklet series entitled “Sheltering New France.” I have also assisted with WMU’s field school at Fort St. Joseph as a teaching assistant and recently as the field director. I am indebted to the Project for the many professional and academic opportunities it has provided and continues to provide to me.
Assistance from donors is beginning to make these aims a reality. One donor, who initially came to the Project with these types of developments in mind, worked with the Project to create the Fort St. Joseph Curation Fellowship! This is a 12-month appointment designed to study, develop, and implement policies and practices that will serve as a model for other small repositories that store important archaeological collections. This exciting venture is one that I am proud to say that I am a part of, as I have been selected for this opportunity!
For those who do not know me, I have been involved with the Project for just over four years. During my graduate studies at Western Michigan University, I was introduced to the Project and all of the wonderful people involved by my mentor and friend, Michael Nassaney. Fort St. Joseph was used as a case study for my master’s thesis, “Archaeological Evidence of Architectural Remains at Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), Niles, MI,” which explored architecture and how it is employed to express identity. My interest in this topic stemmed from research I performed while co-authoring (with Michael Nassaney) the Project’s third installment in its booklet series entitled “Sheltering New France.” I have also assisted with WMU’s field school at Fort St. Joseph as a teaching assistant and recently as the field director. I am indebted to the Project for the many professional and academic opportunities it has provided and continues to provide to me.
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| From left to right, Ashley Barry, Brian Schutte, and I were conducting research on a few items found in the FSJ collection as part of a field school exercise. Photo by Crystal DeRoo. |
Currently, I am in the researching stage seeking out new
thoughts on collection management and information on similar repositories that
I may visit to help define some best practices that the Project can implement
on the collection. I will be dividing my time between this task and working as
an instructor at Jackson College. As always comments, ideas, and questions are
welcome! Feel free to email me as well at hartleyerikak@jccmi.edu.
Stay tuned for my regular
updates!
Erika (Loveland) Hartley
P.S. Some of you know me
as Erika Loveland. In August 2018, right after field school, I got married and
now go by Erika Hartley. Sorry for any confusion that this may cause!
