Archaeological Collections, General Information
Who owns the collections in the Laboratory of Archaeology?
Archaeological collections in the care of the Laboratory of Archaeology (LOA) are stored in the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) building but are not part of the museum collections. The LOA does not own most of the materials it curates, rather it acts as a repository for collections held in trust for the province of British Columbia and First Nations groups. Day-to-day management of the collections is carried out by the Curatorial Research Assistant (LOA).
How was this material collected?
The Laboratory of Archaeology collections are largely the result of research investigations carried out by present and past archaeological faculty and graduate students. Almost all of the materials added since 1962 were obtained under provincial archaeological permits. Some collections resulted from Professor Charles Borden's research carried out prior to existence of the permit system (i.e., 1961).
How is material added to the collections?
The Laboratory of Archaeology is not a general repository for archaeological material (unlike the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria) and LOA's collection storage facilities have been essentially full for a number of years. However, the Laboratory may agree to curate new collections obtained by 1) current faculty and graduate students and 2) archaeologists under the following conditions:
- new materials are from sites which are best represented in collections currently under the care of the Laboratory and are not more fully represented in the collections in other institutions, and
- there is room to store these new materials, and
- this is the wish, officially expressed in the form of a Band Council Resolution or its equivalent, of interested First Nations groups and of the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM).
- new materials are recovered under permits from the provincial archaeology branch and applicable First Nations.
What materials are in the collections in the Laboratory of Archaeology?
If the above conditions are met, LOA will accept: artifacts, archaeological site records, specimen catalogues, field notes, and photographic records.
The Laboratory will not accept new collections of human skeletal remains unless all of the above conditions have been met and Band Council Resolutions are received from all interested First Nations groups requesting that the Laboratory act as the temporary repository for the collection.
Are the collections policies and procedures in the LOA subject to extra-university legislation and policy?
All cultural materials and human remains obtained by faculty, students and researchers associated with the LOA are treated in conformity with all relevant federal and provincial legislation governing such material. The Laboratory adheres to the U.B.C. Research Ethics Policy.
How can I find out about specific collections?
Requests for information about materials in the LOA collection should be addressed to the Director, Laboratory of Archaeology, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of British Columbia, 6303 N.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V6T 1Z1.