Volume 14, Number 3, Sept 1992, p.5, illustration

Hot off the Press: A Handling Guide for Anthropology Collections

Two years ago, WAAC recognized that an unusual opportunity was at hand: a booklet about handling artifacts in anthropology and natural history museums needed a publisher. This guidebook had been produced informally for volunteers, students, and researchers at the Arizona State Museum, but it was so useful that copies were constantly sought by other institutions.

WAAC member Nancy Odegaard had written the booklet, which was illustrated by Grace Katterman, conservation technician. The volume's popularity was due to its directness, its humor, and the reinforcement provided by the cartoon-like drawings.

Nancy offered the manuscript to WAAC for publication in the WAAC Newsletter, but the WAAC Board ultimately decided to publish it separately. In 1990, the Board began a revision process to make the text appropriate for anthropology museums in general, rather than just for the Arizona State Museum. Editing by Elizabeth Welsh was reviewed by Lesley Bone, Elisabeth Cornu, Eric F. Hansen, Chris Stavroudis, Patricia Leavengood, and Nancy Odegaard. Lark London and Chris Stavroudis then developed a new design for the booklet. In 1991, when the guide was sought for a program in Central America sponsored partially by the Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian volunteer Alberto Lanzat-Garcia translated the text to Spanish, a translation which was revised by Ada and Rosanna Zubiate.

• A Guide to Handling Anthropological Museum Collections
  
  -and-
• Guia para el manejo de colecciones antropologicas de museos

written by Nancy Odegaard and illustrated by Grace Katterman, were published this summer. They are paperbound, printed on acid- free stock.

WAAC members have been sent a copy of the English-language version as a membership benefit.

To order, send payment (payable to WAAC) and ship-to address to:

Single copies are $8.95 postpaid; for orders of 10 or more, the cost is $6.60 per copy postpaid. (For shipping outside the U.S., contact Nancy for costs.)

Archetype Books is also supplying the guide through their catalogue. Write: Archetype Books, 12-14 Hall Square, Denbigh, Clwyd, LL16 3NU, UK. Tel. (0745) (Int'l 44 745) 815006, Fax (0745) 813484.

WAAC is grateful to Nancy Odegaard and Grace Katterman for permitting WAAC to publish and sell their book, for which they receive no payment or royalties. WAAC also thanks those volunteers who contributed many hours to prepare the book for publication.