SLOCAS Collections (Repository) Facility Policies
Information on our RepositoryIntroduction
The San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society’s Research and Collections Facility (the Facility) functions to house and preserve historic-period and prehistoric archaeological materials primarily from the local San Luis Obispo County-Central Coast region. Our collections generally fall into two catagories:
1. Archaeological materials from local, state, and federal organizations held in our repository for perpetual curation. These collections are usually not available for research, unless specified.
2. Archaeological and archival materials donated to SLOCAS that are available for research. A Deed of Gift is required.
The Facility requires that all collections held in our repository for perptual curation meet the guidelines prior to acceptance.
The San Luis Obispo County Archaeological Society (SLOCAS) operates the Facility. SLOCAS, founded in
1971, is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization staffed exclusively by volunteer professionals and open by
appointment only. In addition to operating the only collections facility in the county, SLOCAS has a long history
of public service in the area, such as: educational programs, museum displays, adobe restoration, and periodic
publication of a high-quality series of reports and papers.
Policies and Guidelines for Perpetual Curation of Collections (Repository)
The Policies and Guidelines for the Perpetual Curation of Collections provide guidance for:
- obtaining a Perpetual Curation of Collections agreement and accession number from the Facility
- preparing collections for submittal to the Facility
- submitting collections to the Facility
- calculating fees for perpetual curation at the Facility
- hand-delivering collections to the Facility. The submitter must contact SLOCAS at least two weeks prior to the submission date to make an appointment
Does your collections facility accept collections that need conservation treatments?
Unfortunately, our facility cannot accept any materials that require ongoing conservation treatments or similar processes, such as chemical applications. SLOCAS will not accept any collection that has been treated with pesticides or other potentially dangerous chemicals.
Information on Human Remains and Sacred Materials
The Facility does not accept collections that contain human remains, funerary objects, items that are known or believed to be sacred, or materials that may be defined as items of cultural patrimony pursuant to Public Law 101-601 and 43 CFR Part 10, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) (25 U.S.C. Sec.3001 et seq.). Some examples of artifact types that are eligible for repatriation under NAGPRA, in addition to any human remains, are: crystals, pipes and pipe fragments, certain beads, whistles, etc.