The anthropology museum at the University of Kansas is undertaking overall improvements in their archaeology collections. Their holdings have strengths in the Northern and Central Plains for both prehistoric and historic periods. These collections are among the best documented in the central Plains, and are remarkably coherent, stemming as they do from tightly focused research projects carried out between 1945 and 1965. In all, more than 1800 sites from the Plains and Plains/Prairie border are represented in the collections. This project will represent the completion of the upgrading of the collection begun in a small grant funded last year. Significant improvements have already been made and with this grant the collections will be available for researchers in the anthropological community. One of the major priorities facing museums in North America is the proper curation and management of archaeological collections. Through NSF support considerable progess can be made in correcting problems that have plagued museums and hindered research.
