2022-10-12 BB: E. Kansa, Sharing and Caring with Archaeological Information

Sharing and Caring with Archaeological Information
ARF Brownbag | October 12 | 12:10-1 p.m. | 101 2251 College (Archaeological Research Facility)
Speaker: Eric Kansa, Technology Director, Open Context
Sponsor: Archaeological Research Facility
Abstract: Communication, information sharing, and collaboration are (or at least should be) central concerns in the practice of archaeology. Information issues lie at the heart of method and theory questions, professional ethics, career advancement paths, and engagement with wider communities.
This talk explores the significance of some of these information issues through the lens of digital data. Archaeological information can be curated as highly contextual and socially-embedded information, or alternatively (or even simultaneously) as fungible, open, abstracted and remixable data. Because archaeological data have complex technical, professional, social, economic, cultural, legal and policy entanglements we need to cultivate information practices that better meet the challenges of this landscape. Through wider collaboration that helps shape our editorial and curatorial policies, software, and data modeling, we have tried to learn and navigate these issues with our own work with Open Context, online since late 2006. This discussion draws from this experience to identify some good information practices that can improve archaeology.