Collections Stewardship Recognizing that the Peabody Institute’s collaborative learning offerings at Andover and beyond are anchored in our significant collections we have begun an ambitious project to improve both physical and intellectual control over our holdings. This includes cataloging of the collections, online access, opportunities for scholars and researchers, and a focus on the Institute’s work duty program. [3] Linda S. Cordell Memorial Research Award [1] Research, Scholar Visits, and Loans
In fiscal year 2019-20, the Peabody hosted 1 research visit and responded to 27 inquiries regarding our collections. These numbers are down from previous years likely due to COVID-19 health closures. About a quarter of the research inquiries were related to collections amassed by Ross Moffett and Fred Carty. Moffett was a professional artist and amateur archaeologist who was interested in the archaeology of Cape Cod. His collection was drawing interest as scholars and museums were exploring ways to discuss and frame the impact of the Pilgrims arrival to the region 400 years ago. Carty was a prolific archaeologist in the greater Boston area whose work is an important reference for cultural resource management professionals. The remaining inquires ranged from requests of images of copper nuggets from the Great Lakes to assistance identifying handwriting on unidentified artifact tags to the involvement of the Peabody in supporting the Andover Press in the early twentieth century.
[2] Work Duty 2019-2020
Work duty at the Peabody is a major point of interaction with the institution. During fiscal year 2019-20, 16 students performed their work duty with the Peabody collections department. Collectively, the students provided approximately 200 hours of work over the school year, depending on their assigned duties. Their primary tasks included inventorying artifacts for re-boxing, proctoring study hours, and preparing objects for use in classes.
The Cordell Award Endowment was established in 2013 in honor of the late Linda S. Cordell, eminent archaeologist of the American Southwest and member of the Peabody Advisory Committee (PAC). Linda was Senior Scholar at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, recipient of the A.V. Kidder Medal for eminence in American Archaeology, and a valued member of the Peabody Advisory Committee. The award recipients in 2019-20 were Dr. Gabriel Hrynick and Dr. Arthur Anderson. Drs. Hrynick and Anderson are faculty at the University of New Brunswick and University of New England, respectively. Much of their fieldwork and research are focused in far Down East, Maine on Cobscook Bay, Washington County and they are particularly interested in the collections from the Northeastern Archaeological Survey (NAS) from the late 1940s to the middle 1950s. In addition to better understanding the NAS collection, Drs. Hrynick and Anderson are looking to identify artifacts from the very earliest period of European Interaction with Maine and the Maritime Provinces. Their current project is funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Due to COVID-19 health concerns, the Cordell Fellowship for Drs. Hrynick and Anderson will be postponed to 2021. For more on the Linda S. Cordell Memorial Research Award see our blog.
[4] Volunteers 2019-2020
Volunteers help collections staff with a variety of collections project from inventorying the collection to pest management to preparing artifacts for classes. Projects include continued pest management treatment, assisting with the full inventory of the collection, and processing archives. Volunteer activity is crucial to our success!
