Responsibilities
All artifacts recovered from state lands and state water bottoms must be curated with the Louisiana Division of Archaeology or a state approved Deputy Custodian (R.S. 41:1604). Artifacts recovered from private property through projects funded by state administered grant monies officially belong to the property owner. These collections can be donated to the State for curation by the Division. Collections (artifacts and/or associated records) resulting from projects mandated by the Section 106 process are the responsibility of the individual, local, state, or federal entity seeking compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (1966, as amended). For a fee, the Division will curate these collections upon request. The Division also curates collections for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Catalog Number Requests
Please contact the Collections Manager prior to cataloging your collection. Catalog numbers must be requested and reserved for all sites, including new sites.
Curation Fees
Collections generated from projects contracted after March 1, 2017 are subject to a curation fee of $400 per cubic foot/30 pounds (see Louisiana Archaeological Code Title 25:I). Please contact the Collections Manager to determine curation fees for projects contracted prior to March 1, 2017. When a collection is submitted for curation, it must be accompanied by a check made out to the Louisiana Division of Archaeology for $400 per cubic foot/30 pounds of material deposited.
There is a minimum curation fee of $400, even if the collection is less than 1 cubic foot/30 pounds.
U.S. Corps of Engineers collections will only be charged a processing fee of $200 per cubic foot/30 pounds. U.S. Corps of Engineers projects must be submitted separately from non-U.S. Corps of Engineers collections and be paid for on a separate check. There is a minimum curation fee of $200 for U.S. Corps of Engineers collections, even if the collection is less than 1 cubic foot/30 pounds.
Contact Information
For information on guidelines and procedures, contact Karla Oesch at 225-342-4475 or [email protected].
