Dear List Members,

Several weeks ago, I contacted you with an invitation to participate in a
brief on-line survey questionnaire of archaeologists and their use of
digital technology in relation to Geographical Information System (GIS)
projects.

If you have already participated in the survey, I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you.  Your valuable contribution to this phase of the
InterPARES 2 research project will greatly assist in the development of
effective long-term preservation strategies for authentic electronic
records designed to help ensure that society’s digitally recorded memory
will be accessible to future generations.  A summary report of the survey
results should be available by mid Summer.  If you  would like to receive
a copy of the report, and did not already request a copy during the
survey, please send an email to: [log in to unmask] with the
subject line: Request for GIS Survey Report.  As for general dissemination
of the survey results, a synopsis of the preliminary findings will be
presented in a poster session at the Society of American Archivists
conference in August.  In light of the overall goal of the InterPARES 2
Project and of the relevance of the information to the archaeological
community, there also are plans to publish the findings of this survey in
the archaeological literature.

If you have not yet participated in the survey, but still would like to,
please go to <www.interpares.org/cs14/login.cfm> and, using the
login: 'gis' and the password: 'survey' (no quotes and all lower case),
log into the survey site.  Remember, all responses are anonymous.  If you
have any questions, please contact me at [log in to unmask]
Please note that the survey will close on Monday, 3 May, at midnight PST.

I have included a copy of the original invitation below for your
convenience.

Thanks again for your valuable time.

Randy Preston
Research Assistant
InterPARES 2 Project
School of Library, Archival & Information Studies
Suite 301 - 6190 Agronomy Road
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3
Canada

---------- Original Invitation ----------

I would like to invite all archaeologists with past or present first-hand
experience in archaeologically-related Geographical Information System
(GIS) projects to participate in an online survey of electronic record-
keeping practices of archaeologists.  The goal of this survey is to obtain
some objective data on archaeologists’ use of digital technology.  The
survey is part of a case study regarding archaeological GIS electronic
records, conducted under the auspices of InterPARES 2.

The InterPARES 2 Project is an international research project
investigating issues surrounding the reliability, permanence, and long-
term accessibility of electronic records.  By participating in the
research, you can help the effort to investigate possible methods and
applications regarding the problematic issue of preserving records in
electronic form.  You are invited to visit the InterPARES Project website
at www.interpares.org for more detailed information.

Participation involves completing an anonymized, online survey composed
primarily of multiple choice questions. The entire survey is designed to
be completed in approximately 30 minutes.

To start the survey,  go to <www.interpares.org/cs14/login.cfm>, and using
the login: 'gis' and the password: 'survey' (no quotes and all lower
case), log into the survey site.  All responses are anonymous.  If you
have any questions, please contact me at [log in to unmask]

If you are aware of other GIS archaeologists that you believe would be
interested in participating in this survey, we would appreciate your
assistance in drawing their attention to this survey.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Luciana Duranti, Professor, University of
British Columbia, School of Library, Archival and Information Studies,
email: [log in to unmask]

Co-Investigator: Richard Pearce-Moses, Director of Digital Government
Information, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, email:
[log in to unmask]

Thank you for your time.

Randy Preston
Research Assistant
InterPARES 2 Project
School of Library, Archival & Information Studies
Suite 301 - 6190 Agronomy Road
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3
Canada