OTHER HELPFUL LINKS:

Louisiana Regional & Station Archaeologists

Contracting Archaeologists List

Native American Contacts

Louisiana's Comprehensive Archaeological Plan

Louisiana Cultural Economy

Louisiana Division of Archaeology Curation Facility

Responsibilities

Perpetual care of archaeological collections derived from state-owned lands and donated from private lands is a responsibility of the Louisiana Division of Archaeology as mandated in R.S. 41:1604. Acceptance of a collection for long-term curation by the Division of Archaeology depends upon the condition of the artifacts (i.e., Are the artifacts conserved, cataloged, and labeled according to the standards provided herein?) and the completeness, quality, and condition of the associated records (i.e., Are all the requested records included with the collection? Are these records legible and labeled per the guidelines?).

All artifacts recovered (surface or excavation) from state lands must be submitted to the Division or a state approved Deputy Custodian for long-term curation. That is, archaeologists who received a Cultural Resources Investigation Permit to work on state lands are not permitted to retain specimens for their own collections. Artifacts recovered from private property through projects funded by state administered grant monies officially belong to the property owner, although the Division is willing, in most cases, to curate these artifacts. Collections resulting from projects mandated by the Section 106 process are the responsibility of the individual or local, state, or federal entity seeking compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended; therefore, the archaeologist must follow the guidelines provided in 36 CFR Part 79 (Federal Register, Vol. 55, No. 177) or state guidelines as defined herein. See R.S. 41:1604 regarding the disposition of state-approved collections made from state lands. The discovery, excavation, analysis, exhibit, study, and disposition of archaeological human remains are dictated by the Louisiana Unmarked Human Burial Sites Preservation Act (R.S. 8:671-681).

Contact Information

For information on guidelines and procedures, contact the Collections Manager at 225-342-4475. Send correspondence to Curation, Division of Archaeology, P. O. Box 44247, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802.

For deliveries, send collections to LDOA Curation/CRT, Galvez Building, Room B-023, 602 N. Fifth Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802.