image: Dr. Katie Custer Bojakowski (second from right) with anthropology majors and Anthropology Research Collections (ARC) student technicians (from left) Jason Brickley and Lily Dempsey and anthropology Ph.D. candidate and assistant curator Bradie Dean, at work within the ARC, which includes more than 120,000 items representing 10,000 years of Texas history and beyond.
Credit: Grant Czadzeck/Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Katie Custer Bojakowski, an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University and the director and curator of its Anthropology Research Collections (ARC), has been awarded a Preservation Assistance Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
The NEH’s Preservation Assistance Grants program helps organizations protect their collections of historical and cultural items, making sure they remain available for students, scholars and the public. These grants help address risks to these collections, keeping valuable artifacts safe for future generations.
Texas A&M’s ARC has been dedicated to this cause since 1971, working to preserve artifacts from faculty and student fieldwork along with those acquired via public donation. However, after accumulating more than 120,000 items representing 10,000 years of Texas history and beyond, the ARC's ability to grow and modernize its collections is currently limited.
Bojakowski says the NEH grant will help protect and improve access to the anthropological and archaeological materials housed within the ARC while also giving Texas A&M graduate students additional learning opportunities. In addition, the funding will enable the ARC to move toward becoming a state-certified repository and digitizing its materials for broader access.
"While the ARC holds state of Texas-owned artifacts in trust, we are unable to accept new material due to our lack of certification,” explained Bojakowski, who earned her Ph.D. in anthropology from Texas A&M in 2011. “Our digitization goal is hindered by the absence of a digital preservation policy. Becoming a state-certified repository and digitizing our collection would improve our ability to serve the research community and public by expanding access. It will also generate new research topics for students."
Anthropology Ph.D. candidate and former ARC assistant curator Emma Newman '23, ARC assistant collections manager Lauren Jones and anthropology graduate student Kim Breyfogle '23 helped write the grant proposal and will join a museum specialist for a site visit to review the collection’s needs and get advice on how to meet national preservation standards.
The NEH grant ensures the ARC’s ability to enhance its digital preservation efforts, creating high-quality images that will allow researchers to study artifacts without handling them. Such modernization will make the ARC’s resources more widely accessible. Those resources include stone tools, animal remains and other organic materials that have been integral to significant research projects. The ARC’s collections have supported graduate theses and faculty research at Texas A&M and beyond, with many scholars relying on the unique resources to further their work. Bojakowski’s digitization efforts will enable remote research, encouraging broader collaboration and scholarship.
A key aspect of the NEH grant is its focus on supporting small and mid-sized institutions, which often face challenges in maintaining their collections. The grant will not only help the ARC safeguard its own materials but also set an example for other institutions on how to manage and digitize archaeological collections.
Beyond research, ARC plays an essential role in education and community outreach. Its collections are used in classrooms, public events and exhibitions to teach Texas history and archaeology. Bojakowski’s project will ensure this legacy is preserved and make these important artifacts available to future generations.
“The ARC is a valuable resource for both researchers and students, and this NEH grant will allow us to continue serving as a central hub of knowledge for Texas and beyond,” Bojakowski added.
Bojakowski’s efforts to preserve and expand the ARC are part of a larger movement to enhance educational opportunities within Texas A&M Anthropology. Similar initiatives, such as the Lynn Hagan ’77 Endowment for Museum Studies, are contributing to this goal by providing resources for students to gain hands-on experience in museum work and research. The Hagan endowment, valued at $25,000 with a planned $1 million gift, supports internships, field trips and projects, further strengthening the department’s commitment to developing future anthropologists and museum professionals. In combination, these programs will give Texas A&M students a well-rounded education based on both research and hands-on experience.
Learn more about the ARC or Bojakowski's teaching, research and service at Texas A&M.
By Grant Hawkins, Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences
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