NEAR EASTERN STUDIES 292: Digital Documentation and Representation of Museum Collections - Egyptian Archaeology at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum

This course is aimed at teaching how to plan, organize, and conduct a project of digital documentation of a museum collection. The training will focus on how to classify, describe, and digitally document archaeological and museum collections for improved access and long-term preservation. The course will cover the full digitization process for historic documents - texts, photographs, and graphic materials, as well digital imaging of archaeological artifacts. 

Digital collections can serve a variety of purposes:
- baseline information essential for managing cultural resources;
- contextual information necessary for understanding archaeological museum objects;
- research materials for use by museum staff, researchers in history and archaeology, and other scholars;
- information for museum-based educational activities, such as exhibits, curriculum development, publications, and websites.

The adoption of more efficient tools to digitally document archaeological and museum collections along with the creation of appropriate metadata and documentation standards, ensure that archaeological information is accessible and preserved in the long term. Participants to this course will be exposed to state-of-the-art imaging and data management techniques while learning practical and effective protocols that can be applied to a wide variety of museum materials.