I am replying to Michael K. Trimble's request for information on
costing the long-term care of archaeological collections.  As a
conservator who deals with archaeological collections my real answer
is "it depends".  Costs really do depend on the collection that you
are housing.  It is a lot easier to house a bunch of lithics than it
is a pile of iron.  Determining these costs for an existing collection
will take a bit of work.  I recently completed a survey of the
archaeological collections belonging to the Ontario Heritage
Foundation (OHF) (a provincially funded group).  I assessed the
condition of the collections and made recommendations as to how they
should be packed, housed and organized.
 
I would urge Mr. Trimle to determine the extent, make up and condition
of the collections he is dealing with prior to comining up with any
real costs.  I am pleased to see that the costs of such an undertaking
are being considered.  Far too often this is not the case.  Good Luck.
 
Susan L. Maltby, Conservator
15 Rains Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M6G 3H4
(416) 537-3446
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