 |
 |
Dear Colleagues As you all know I have recently been conducting a series of surveys into commercial zooarchaeology in the UK. One of the main points raised during the primary survey was the lack of facilities to share the grey literature reports we produce. Last year the zooarchaeologists who took part in the survey produced around 500 reports of a varying nature (assessment, full publication etc.). Although we can post the bibliographical details of these reports on the Environmental Archaeology Bibliography on ADS (please see the Professional Zooarchaeology Group website http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.9066), and I would encourage members to do so, until now there has been no effective way for us to share the documents themselves. To help with this, in coordination with Umberto Albarella (zooarch) and Sarah Kansa (bonecommons) I have set up a zooarchaeology social network website. The site allows members to freely share documents by either posting them in the discussion forum or on their own member page. The site is an enclosed network and therefore the documents posted will not be accessible to other members and they will not turn up on any internet searches. This makes the network ideal for the sharing of documents for which you do not have permission to post openly. It also means when a member of zooarch is looking for a specific article a supplier can post the document on the social network removing the need for further request emails and the sending of the document to numerous email addresses. However I would like to encourage all members to try and gain permission to openly post their documents, be they grey literature reports or articles, and to post them on bonecommons. The aim of the site is to compliment the services offered by the zooarch mail list and the bonecommons website. In union these services allow discussions within the zooarchaeological community (zooarch); the sharing of publications and reports for which you have permission (bonecommons); and the sharing of documents you cannot openly post (the zooarchaeology social network). Although the site was inspired by work in the United Kingdom, I hope it will prove useful to all members of the zooarchaeological community. Members can join the network by following the below link. http://zooarchaeology.ning.com/?xgi=d4aSz5g The network also has a number of other features which I would encourage members to explore. A section of the site is linked into bonecommons; members can post events including RSVPs; members can start their own subgroup within the site; and the site has a number of links to key references and zooarchaeology websites which members can add to and finally members can invite their colleagues to become members of the site. It is my hope that the network will grow and develop into a useful tool for the zooarchaeological community. As it grows I will be asking active members to also become administrators to help the site grow so it serves the needs of the community it was created for. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding the site. best wishes Jim -- Dr James Morris Zooarchaeologist Museum of London Archaeology Mortimer Wheeler House 46 Eagle Wharf Road London N1 7ED Tel:020 7566 9332 Fax:020 7410 2201 [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] www.animalbones.org www.museumoflondon.org/archaeology