The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology provides permanent curation for archaeological collections generated by contract archaeology projects conducted within Kentucky, student thesis or dissertation research, professional research projects, and other approved projects involving archaeological excavation.
Museum curation standards must be met before collections will be accepted. A one-time curation fee is applied to all non-federal contract archaeology projects. The current fee schedule is included in the Museum’s curation guidelines linked below. Curation fees are waived for student projects. For all other project types, please contact the Museum directly.
Effective July 1, 2020, the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology lifted its moratorium on the accession of new materials for permanent curation. The Museum’s requirements for collections preparation are outlined in the Standards for the Preparation of Archaeological Specimens and Documents for Curation at the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology. This document has been updated and is available below, along with the required curation forms.
Collections from projects concluded after January 1, 2020 are subject to these guidelines. Applying the current standards to earlier projects is appreciated when possible; however, the Museum recognizes that budgetary and project constraints may affect older collections. The current fee schedule remains in effect but is subject to revision at the discretion of the Museum.
Please contact the Curator, Lisa Guerre, with any inquiries and to coordinate transfer of custody of collections.
To curate collections with the Webb Museum:
- Standards for the Preparation of Archaeological Specimens and Documents for Curation at the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology (PDF)
- Curation Forms (.zip)
- Historic Artifact Discard Policy (established by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office) (PDF)