Outside of my current role as Mellon Postdoctoral Scholar in Library-Museum Collaboration at the University of Oregon Libraries and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, I’m a Roman archaeologist. Although I definitely spent a lot of time doing solo research and writing while earning my PhD, archaeology—especially field archaeology—is a highly collaborative field. In this post I’d like to share an archaeologist’s perspective on library-museum collaboration.
A little bit of background: I’ve worked on archaeological projects in Italy, Greece, and Tunisia; on small teams (four people) and big teams (40 people); and in bi- and trilingual work environments. I have collaborated with some of the same people year after year, and with others for only a week or two. Based on my own experiences, archaeological collaboration has a few key themes that could apply in the context of libraries and museums, too.
Everyone brings multiple skills to a project.
On my first dig, a conservator offered me a piece of advice: to succeed as a field archaeologist, she said, I should bring two skills to a project. For instance, if I came to a project to dig, I should also be able to draw. If I came to draw, I should also be able to work a database. Having two skills would mean that I could not only play the role I was supposed to play on the team, but also pitch in with other tasks if things didn’t go according to plan.
In the teams I work with today at UO, it’s clear that everyone is bringing multiple skills to each project. I see web developers teaching and faculty learning how to build websites. My graduate employees are doing research and learning how to write metadata. As I meet and work with more people here at UO, I’m impressed by all the “second” skills that my colleagues are prepared to put to work when the need arises.
Communication is crucial.
During an excavation, especially one that involves a multicultural and multilingual team, clear communication is essential. Archaeologists in the field communicate with each other constantly about what they are seeing and how to record it. When it comes time to write up our findings, we depend on clear and accurate records to help us interpret a site for our audiences.
On collaborative projects in library and museum settings, clear and frequent communication helps team members work efficiently. Whether it’s a recurring stand-up meeting, a shared task list, or a quick question over instant messenger, communicating about problems, questions, and progress keep a project on track.
Emotional labor is a valuable contribution to a collaborative project.
Archaeological projects are great at bringing together people from all over the world to collaborate intensively for a short period. This collaboration often takes place in somewhat uncomfortable circumstances. When you’re sunburned, hungry, and sharing a room with four people you just met, it can be easy to let stress and frustration get the best of you. It takes a lot of emotional labor to stay focused on the project’s goals, trust in your collaborators’ expertise, and maintain a positive attitude, but that work pays off in a productive field season.
Even in the relative comfort of a library or museum, there can be many frustrating challenges to successful collaboration. Our technology may fail, our teammates may be balancing other commitments, or we may need to put in extra effort to communicate across disciplinary or professional silos. When challenges like these arise, each team member can still contribute their patience, thoughtfulness, and collegiality to the project. Although this kind of labor may not appear in a job description, it is essential for productive collaboration, and we should recognize it as a valuable contribution to any project.
Collaboration is hard work, whether we’re working on an excavation or an exhibition. The benefit, of course, is that we can accomplish things through collaboration that aren’t possible through solo work, and we get to learn from our collaborators as we go.
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