This grant permits the Center for American Archaeology (CAA) to improve the accessibility and condition of approximately one- quarter million documents, photographs and maps produced and acquired by them during archaeological investigations conducted from 1958-1977. This large archive, housed at the CAA center in Kampsville, Illinois, is widely used by archaeologists who work in the region and it has never been properly archived. Therefore, materials can be difficult to find and are subject to deterioration through use. With the assistance of two professional archivists, an initial records survey will be conducted. Materials will be arranged and described by record type; indices and inventories will be produced. The condition of all records will be assessed and conservation measures carried out. Documents and maps will be copied onto microfilm and microfiche and these working copies will greatly extend the lifespan of original records. Over the last several decades, extensive archaeological research has been conducted in the upper midwestern U.S. and the CAA has played a prominent role in this. The prehistory of the region covers a span of ca. 12,000 years and shows how human societies adapted at different levels of technology to a changing post- glacial environment. Within this area, early experiments in plant domestication took place and Native American chiefdoms arose. For these reasons, the excellent CAA data base is of interest to large numbers of archaeologists. Because of storage and conservation conditions, however, the archive is difficult to use and in danger of further deterioration. This NSF award will remedy these conditions. This project is important because it will preserve important scientific data - much of it collected with U.S. government funds - and make it available to the scientific community.