Brief biography of an archaeological repository: D25 (Museo de La Plata, Argentina), 13 years later.

Abstract

Depósito 25 of the Museo de La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina) is the largest archaeological reserve of the institution founded at the end of the 19th century. Historically it lacked of permanent staff in charge of its collections. This not only limited the possibilities for access and analysis of the material, but also generated a progressive state of disorder and neglect that had a negative impact on all the collections. The situation began to change in 2008 when the appointment of a new curator set in motion a comprehensive project to refurbish the facilities and the more than 100,000 pieces in its custody. This was a complex task that began with the total cleaning of the reserve and its contents for the first time in half a century, continued with a meticulous survey and registration of the collection material, and ended with the preparation of a general topographical inventory. This was followed by monitoring and control of identified pests, replacement of furniture and organic containers and the design of ad hoc protocols for the organization and recording of activities carried out by visiting staff and researchers. Thirteen years later, the collections of the reserve are adequately conditioned, organized and accessible, having become a permanent source for researchers in the country and abroad, and the information obtained is presented in scientific, pedagogical, technological and art publications. This paper briefly reviews the path followed, giving an account of the set of complex problems faced at each stage and the simple and concrete strategies developed to solve them.