Kelli,

Re-cataloging archaeological collections is always a daunting task and 
there are a few things to keep in mind as far as storage is concerned. I 
would strongly caution against any type of re-sorting of the 
archaeological materials unless done by a trained archaeologist who is 
familiar with lithic identification and classification.  Size grading 
may be useful for storage but is not necessarily representative of a 
specific stage in the reduction process.  I would sort through the bags 
and remove any chipped stone tools - stone that has signs of use wear, 
retouch, or formal shaping - and assign them numbers using the original 
inventory number with a capitalized letter at the end to identify it as 
newly separated from its original lot.  As you probably already know, 
whatever system you devise or changes you make, be sure to document them 
for future researchers, curators, and collection managers.  While we do 
not physically re-label artifacts we do record previous number, 
classifications, and provenience/association information in their 
catalog entries.

Jasper (chert, flint, etc.) will crush and chip - a feature called "bag 
wear" - if the right amount and frequency of physical force is applied 
to it.  Generally, bag wear is not a catastrophic threat,  it can be 
recognized during analysis and it can be minimized/mitigated in some 
relatively simple ways.  The first is not to over-pack your bags or 
boxes.  Like Pam suggested, if you have giant bags crammed full of 
flakes you may need to split them into smaller bags and label them 
accordingly, i.e. 1 of 2, 2 of 4, etc.  We use trays in our storage 
containers to make two levels within a box; that way we can put the  
larger/heavier bags in the bottom levels and the lighter, more fragile 
lithics, sherds, and bone in the top tray.

Another thing that will help is to minimize the amount of handling and 
moving of their storage containers.  Debitage will be relatively stable 
in boxes that aren't being moved around.  You don't need to treat it 
like fine crystal, but a little tenderness goes a long way in preserving 
your stone.  You could make/put foam padding in bags or boxes, but that 
is very time consuming and expensive.  Nested foam padding can also lead 
to destruction of artifacts if it is difficult to remove them for study.

Hopefully this isn't too redundant. If you would like any more 
information feel free to contact me. 

Chad


-- 
Chad W Landsman	
Laboratory and Collections Manager
Luther College
700 College Drive 
Decorah, IA 52101
(563) 387-2156

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