Publications and Bibliographies

Reviewed by Cathy Moore-Jansen, Wichita State University, January 1997

The National Archeological Database (NADB) Online System is administered by the Departmental Consulting Archeologist/Archeology and Ethnography Program of the National Park Service (NPS) and is maintained and operated by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Available 24 hours a day, NADB is accessed via modem (501-575-2021) or the Internet through a Web site (http://www.cast.uark.edu/other/nps/nadb) or direct telnetting (cast.uark.edu or 130.184.75.44; login: nadb). There is no charge to use the system. The NPS contact is Terry Childs, Team Leader for Resource Information Management, Archeology and Ethnography Program, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127, (202) 343-1141, terry_childs@nps.gov. The CAST contact is Robert Harris, NADB-Reports Online System's Coordinator, 12 Ozark Hall, University of Arka Ozark Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, (501) 575-3846, boss@cast.uark.edu.

Introduction

NADB is an archeological information management system intended to improve the exchange of archeological information among archeologists and resource managers and to facilitate informed decisions about the preservation and management of archeological resources. Drawn from local databases maintained primarily by State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO), NADB records are collected through the NADB-Network of regional and state data providers and linked in a master database. NADB Regional Coordinators at National Park Service Regional Offices maintain the regional databases; the Washington office maintains the master database. NADB is available through cooperative agreements among NPS, CAST, Southwestern Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Defense (Legacy Program), and Bureau of Land Management. The NADB Online System consists of three modules of archeological information that can be viewed or downloaded to a personal computer: NADB-Reports, NADB-NAGPRA, and NADB-MAPS.

Coverage

NADB-Reports is a bibliographic inventory of about 120,000 archeological reports, journal articles, and monographs related to United States archeology. Many of the reports have limited distribution and represent the grey literature of archeology. While report dates range from 1703 to 199es range from 1703 to 1994, the majority - around 84% - were produced in the 1970s and 1980s. As of January 1997, there are only 363 reports from 1993, one from 1994, and none from 1995 or 1996. When this module was first made available in the fall of 1992, the intent was to update it annually. The last update was in spring 1994; the next one is planned for spring 1997 when approximately 50,000 records will be added to the database.

NADB-NAGPRA consists of text files of information related to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (P.L. 101-601). First made available in 1993, this module provides the full-text of federal laws, Congressional reports, regulations, and guidance on the preparation of summaries and inventories. It also contains notices of intent to repatriate, notices of inventory completion, minutes and findings of the NAGPRA Review Committee meetings, and a list of NAGPRA tribal and federal contacts.

Developed in 1994, the NADB-Multiple Attribute Presentation Systems (MAPS) provides graphical displays of archeological and environmental resource information. This information originates from census information, remote sensing studies, and other collected data related to archeological site distribution, climate, tree-ring, pollen studies, vegetation, agriculture, and population. Some of the maps currently available are based on data aggregated by county that depicts archeological aepicts archeological and historical site counts and densities. Others are based on census of agriculture maps, population densities, and vegetation index maps. The latter are derived from Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data.

Record Structure and Retrieval Software

NADB-Reports is accessed either through the NADB Web site or by directly telnetting to the online system. When telnetting, the user must select a connection method and fill out a User ID Form by entering a user name, address, and four-digit ID number. The ID number is used each time the user telnets to NADB. The user address is not entered each time unless there is a change in the information. At the NADB Online System Main Menu, the user selects either the NADB-Reports or the NAGPRA module.

In the telnet version of NADB-Reports, the user may create a new database query, update an existing database query, or view or download query results. The user searches the database by entering terms in at least one of nine fields: State, County, Worktype, Cultural, Keyword, Material, Date, Title, and Author. Worktype refers to the type of work on which the report is based, e.g. Archeological Overview and Assessment, Cultural Resource Management Plan, and Archeological Data Recovery Study. Cultural refers to the cultural affiliation of the data, e.g. Caddo, Archaic. Keyword allows searching of site names, contract number, specific geact number, specific geographic names, and named artifacts. Material refers to types of archeological material, e.g. bone, glass, fauna. Multiple fields may be queried in one search. One searches multiple terms in each text field by placing a comma between terms. The boolean OR operator is the pipe symbol | placed between terms, e.g. copper|hematite. Numeric operators are used for coded information such as Date; e.g. >1965, =1960, 1960:1965. There are two symbols for both left and right truncation in all fields except Date -- a question mark for a single letter and an asterisk for multiple letters. Truncation cannot be used with the Boolean OR operator. One must use truncation to search the case-sensitive author and title fields.

After the query has been made in the telnet version, the user must press "x" to return to the previous menu before the query is processed. When the user selects option 3 -- Reports Menu -- to either view or download the results, the system processes the query and displays a message that indicates the number of references found. Results are either viewed or downloaded as bibliographic citations. Arranged in alphabetical order by author, the citations also include the date, title, publisher, place of publication, series name and number, and NADB-Reports Document Number. When citations are downloaded, they are compatible with most word processing software and follow the citation forllow the citation format of the October 1983 American Antiquity Style Guide for Authors. This process produces a bibliography that is suitable for inclusion in a report.

In the Web version of NADB, the user can access a multiple query form that provides an interface to the Reports database. All nine fields may be queried using this form. It makes searching easier by eliminating certain steps, and it is not necessary to fill out a User ID Form. NADB-NAGPRA may be accessed from the NADB Web site or from the system's main menu once the user has telneted to NADB. This module is the most current of the NADB modules; it is updated within a week of the publication of a new notice. In the Web version, the user may review or download documents in four categories: Legal Mandates, Guidance, Notices, and Review Committee. Documents are browsed in chronological order or the Alta Vista search engine is used to search for documents by keyword. In the yword. In the telnet version, the user selects a document category, browses documents in chronological order, or searches for a particular document by a title substring.

NADB-MAPS is accessible only in the Web version. A user may select a category of maps such as Archeology, Census of Agriculture, or Population. Within each category, the user views or downloads the map or supporting data for a particular compilation of data, e.g. SHPO Archeological Site Counts.

User Instruction/Assistance

NADB-Reports has a 1993 user manual in the telnet version which is viewed online or downloaded as an ASCII, Wordperfect, or PostScript file. Internet users may transfer the manual via FTP. The manual provides detailed information on connecting to the system, accessing and querying the NADB-Reports module, and a tutorial for how to write query results to the hard disk. Appendixes include a list of NADB Coordinators, Screen Conventions and Terminal Configuration, Code Tables, and a NADB-Reports Recording Form. NADB provides access to various informational and help screens for the general system and each NADB module.

Document Availability

Some of the reports cited in the NADB-Reports database are cataloged and may be available through Interlibrary Loan. However, most of the reports have limited distribution and may be only available through the appropriate SHPO office or related federal agffice or related federal agency. A planned enhancement of the database will provide the location of each report. The documents in NADB-NAGPRA are available as PDF or general full-text files on the Web.

Summary of Positive Aspects

The NADB Online System is a unique and highly valuable set of databases. NADB-Reports allows researchers to locate citations to archeological reports that are not found anywhere else, online or in print. Some archeological reports may be located through bibliographic utilities such as OCLC or RLIN; others are accessed through NTIS. However, many archeological reports have limited distribution and are not entered in any other database; NADB-Reports attempts to bring these reports together in one place. Although these reports are not always physically easy to locate, at least NADB identifies the citations. Still in development, the NAGPRA-MAPS module shows potential for graphically displaying archeological and environmental data. While much of the information related to NAGPA is available in other formats (e.g. Federal Register, "NAGPRA News" in Common Ground, formerly Federal Archeology), NADB-NAGPRA brings all related information together in one place.

Recommendations for Improvement in NADB-Reports

Lack of currency in NADB-Reports is a concern. Since the database went online in 1992 with a massive loading of records, there have been problems keeping the datproblems keeping the database current. Adding reports to the database is a cooperative effort involving several state and federal agencies with the primary responsibility falling to the SHPO offices. However, the degree of cooperation varies tremendously from state to state. Some SHPO offices require that archeologists complete an NADB reporting form while others do not. A look at the NADB Archeological Citation Map in the NADB-MAPS module shows just how spotty the reporting coverage is. For example, as of January 1997, there are only 97 reports cited from Ohio in the entire database while Utah has over 7000 reports cited from the 1980s alone. To realize the full potential of this database, there needs to be consistent participation by researchers and agencies to ensure that reports are systematically added to the system. Proposed federal regulations would require completion of an NADB reporting form for each federally funded project report. NADB-Reports also has problems with inaccurate, incomplete, and duplicate records caused by entering data from databases using different software. However, data entry and access currently have higher priority than data clean-up.

The NADB-Reports manual and online documentation should be updated. There are some minor inconsistencies in field labels, e.g. Group/Cultural, Date/Year. The manual describes numeric operators that can be used with coded information, such as State and County.as State and County. However, the only field with codes in the documentation is Worktype, and those codes do not work when entered in the database. Definitions of terms in some of the fields, especially Worktype, are not available and would be useful. According to the manual and online help screens, there are additional output options besides viewing and downloading; however, these are not yet available. One online message indicates that a currently, unavailable module called NADB-Permits would be available by the summer of 1994.

If the telnet version of NADB-Reports is maintained, it is recommended that some aspects of the search engine be improved. Once the user has entered search terms, it takes several steps to actually begin the query; it would be more efficient if the query could be processed immediately after terms are entered. This version also needs a mechanism for stopping a search without leaving the system entirely. While the Web form offers a number of enhancements and makes it easier to enter and process a search, the form also needs improvement. It is possible to search more than one state in the telnet version, but only one state at a time can be entered on the Web form. The number of records found as a result of each search is not specified in the Web version. Ranges of dates can be searched in the telnet version, but not on the Web form. In both versions, citations are listed alphabetically by authlphabetically by author only, although future enhancements of the Web form will allow for output sorted by other fields.

In preparing a search query, care is required when entering terms in fields that are case sensitive and best used with truncation. For example, when searching a term in Worktype, the user must truncate a term on both the left and right for a successful search if that term is part of a longer Worktype phrase, e.g. *overview* in Archeological Overview and Assessment. An online help screen erroneously indicates that the term, overview, may be entered without truncation. An author search is only successful when combining truncation and capitalization, e.g. Adair*. A successful title search requires proper capitalization and left and right truncation regardless of where the words fall in the title, e.g. *The Sims Site* or *Prehistoric Agriculture*. The online help screen only "highly recommends" truncation in the author and title fields. It is recommended that the online help screens be reviewed for accuracy and truncation and capitalization requirements made clearer. It would be even better if the search engine was modified to make those requirements less demanding. While there is room for improvement in NADB-Reports, this module has tremendous potential as an important resource for archeological research. The attempts to increase cooperation among reporting agencies is a positive step. Contipositive step. Continued efforts to update the database and enhance the search engine (e.g. controlled vocabulary searching and full data dump capabilities) are welcome.