The CDSDS and the School of Information have a long-term cooperative agreement with the United States Park Service Western Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC) through a series of grants for archiving and conservation work which fund University of Arizona staff working at WACC. The WACC cooperative agreement allows some of our graduating students to be hired by the university and get up to two years of professional experience under the supervision of a professional archivist.
This post-graduation experience is essential, because to become a Certified Archivist a person needs to complete a Master’s degree plus three additional courses in archival studies such as those offered at the University of Arizona. They must then complete one or two years of on-the-job professional training and then pass a certification examination. The UArizona staff work as a cohort to prepare for the Academy of Certified Archivists certification examination. After the two years of employment, the UArizona archivists move on, creating space for the next graduates to get professional experience.
WACC is dedicated to the preservation and study of museum collections within the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. The Museum Services Program at WACC provides expertise in professional conservation, museum, archival, and library management assistance to park staff and partners. Staff at WACC curates 14.5 million objects and archives on behalf of over 70 parks, preserving this valuable part of America's heritage and making it accessible for research.
Western Archeological and Conservation Center Staff
National Park Service Projects
Master Cooperative Agreement P17AC00671
Project Title: Make Records from NPS Units Available
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3042160
Sponsor Award ID: P17AC00671/P21AC10847-01
Amount: $166,064
Start Date: June 1, 2021
End Date: December 31, 2024
Description:
Petroglyph is a National Monument in New Mexico (https://www.nps.gov/petr/index.htm ). This project aims to provide hands-on opportunities for postgraduate students in archives, library, and digital information studies. It involves processing, cataloging, and preserving 304 linear feet of records, primarily related to cultural and natural resource management. The tasks include pest mitigation, file-level inventories, re-boxing records for preservation, and preparing 111 linear feet of records for digitization. Additionally, postgraduate students will gain experience in creating finding aids and preparing documentation for legacy archives accessions. The project will enhance student employability by equipping them with practical skills in managing diverse types of archival records.
Project Title: Appraise Valles Caldera Trust Electronic Records
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3041280
Sponsor Award ID: P17AC00671/P21AC10802-02
Amount: $11,211
Start Date: June 1, 2021
End Date: December 31, 2023
Description:
Valles Caldera is a National Preserve in New Mexico (https://www.nps.gov/vall/learn/index.htm). This project aims to appraise and organize the legacy digital records of the Valles Caldera (VALL) Trust. Postgraduate students will work with NPS archivists to survey and appraise digital files from a backup provided by the NPS, including various file types such as shape files, JPEGs, TIFFs, Word documents, Access databases, and Excel spreadsheets. The project involves preparing a survey appraisal report that details the file types, hierarchical arrangement, and labeling schema. Postgraduate students will also assist in developing and testing a workflow for appraising, organizing, and standardizing the labeling of these digital records. The project will culminate in the implementation of the workflow on a sample of digital records to test its feasibility and efficiency. This hands-on experience will help postgraduate students develop skills in digital records management and appraisal.
Project Title: Increase Public Availability of Archives
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3032990
Sponsor Award ID: P17AC00671/P14AC00921/P19AC00745
Amount: $267,882
Start Date: August 1, 2019
End Date: June 30, 2022
Description:
Alaska consists of five distinct regions: Inside Passage, Southcentral, Interior, Arctic, and Southwest (https://www.nps.gov/anch/planyourvisit/regions-in-alaska.htm ). This project provides postgraduate students with extensive experience in processing and digitizing archival records. The initiative includes cataloging 385 boxes of records, improving preservation through re-boxing and labeling, and digitizing 28,000 items. Postgraduate students will develop finding aids, conduct background research, and ensure records are well-organized and accessible. This project emphasizes applying archival principles and digitization standards, equipping postgraduate students with skills in both physical and digital records management.
Project Title: Increase Public Availability of Pacific West National Historic Landmark Archives
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3033040
Sponsor Award ID: P17AC00671/P19AC00739
Amount: $38,320
Start Date: August 1, 2019
End Date: June 30, 2022
Description:
National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are historic properties that illustrate the heritage of the United States (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/index.htm ). In this project, the University of Arizona School of Information and WACC focus on preparing and describing National Historic Landmark records for scanning by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Postgraduate students will process 170 boxes of paper records, improve their preservation, and prepare detailed finding aids. The project also involves reuniting separated records and conducting comprehensive file-level inventories. This hands-on experience aims to enhance the accessibility and preservation of important cultural resource information, providing postgraduate students with valuable skills in archival processing and preservation.
Master Cooperative Agreement P22AM00585
Project Title: Library Integration and Cataloging
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3037350
Sponsor Award ID: P20AC00817
Amount: $10,984
Start Date: June 30, 2020
End Date: June 30, 2024
Description:
Salinas Pueblo Missions is a National Monument in New Mexico (https://www.nps.gov/sapu/index.htm ). The project will expand its cataloging efforts for the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. This project will now include cataloging 3,825 volumes, encompassing 100 new references and 100 journal articles not available on JSTOR. Additionally, up to 4,000 journal articles recently transferred from museum archives will be reviewed to determine their availability on JSTOR. The project aims to complete the cataloging of collections. These enhancements aim to improve resource accessibility and support scholarly research.
Project Title: Processing and Cataloging Cultural Resource Archives
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3046690 (modify ARTICLE III)
Sponsor Award ID: P22AC01089
Amount: $55,538
Start Date: June 14, 2022
End Date: June 30, 2024
Description:
Chamizal is a National Memorial in Texas (https://www.nps.gov/cham/index.htm ). Dinosaur is a National Monument in CO, UT (https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm ). Glacier is a National Park in Montana (https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm ). Tonto is a National Monument in Arizona (https://www.nps.gov/tont/index.htm ). In this project, the University of Arizona School of Information and WACC will increase the scope of archival processing, cataloging, and storage upgrades. The processing target has 290 linear feet of records (approximately 464,000 items), cataloging to 294 linear feet (approximately 470,400 items), and storage upgrades to 284 linear feet (approximately 454,400 items). This project includes records from Chamizal National Memorial, Dinosaur National Monument, Glacier National Park, Tonto National Monument, and the former Southwest Regional Office. The enhanced objectives will ensure more comprehensive archival management and preservation, supporting both historical research and administrative functions.
Project Title: Final Processing and Cataloging Resource Records from Several NPS Units
Funding Agency: National Park Service
Project Number: 3056240 (modify ARTICLE II Article IV)
Sponsor Award ID: P24AC00997
Amount: $69,161.00
Start Date: June 21, 2024
End Date: October 31, 2026
Description: This project focuses on increasing the processing, cataloging, and metadata embedding efforts for multiple parks' archival collections. The processing will encompass 277 linear feet (approximately 443,200 items), with an increase in cataloging to 232 linear feet (approximately 371,200 items). Additionally, 6,000 catalog records will be compared to resolve inconsistencies. The project also aims to improve storage by re-boxing 162.3 linear feet of records. To enhance discoverability, metadata will be embedded in an estimated 15,000 electronic archival documents, including audio-visual files and archaeological field records. These adjustments will enhance the accessibility and organization of archival materials, supporting better research outcomes and resource management.