Katharina Becker, Edmond O’Donovan

(Posted 22.05.07)

Margaret Gowen & Co Ltd conducted a pilot study on the feasibility of an archaeological archive for Dublin City. Commissioned by Dublin City Council, in partnership with the Heritage Council, the study explored the potential of and requirements for such an undertaking within Dublin City. The following article, published in Archaeology Ireland  Vol.21 No.1 2007, gives a brief description of the project and announces the beginning of a one-year trial period, in which archaeologists are invited to submit their archives to Dublin City Council. The full report can be downloaded at http://www.dublincity.ie/shaping_the_city/heritage/pilot_study_on_the
_development_of_an_archaeological_excavation_archive_for_dublin_city.asp.

From 2007, consultant archaeologists will have the opportunity to lodge their primary paper archives relating to sites in Dublin City with the City Library and Archives as part of a pilot scheme. This initiative has arisen as a result of a study commissioned by Dublin City Council, in partnership with the Heritage Council, as an action of the City Heritage Plan, to investigate the feasibility of establishing an archaeological archive for Dublin.

Introduction
The archaeological record is a non-renewable cultural resource and the current legal requirement and practice in development control reflects this by requiring the ‘preservation by record’ of archaeological sites where preservation in situ is not an option. This is achieved by the creation of an excavation archive, consisting of detailed written, photographic, drawn and digital records. These records facilitate researchers and will, in the future, allow for the re-examination of the primary site record in light of new evidence, approaches and techniques.
 

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