ACRA Code of Ethics

American Cultural Resources Association Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Preamble

This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is a guide to the ethical conduct of members of the American Cultural Resources Association (ACRA). The Code also aims at informing the public of the principles to which ACRA members subscribe. The Code further signifies that ACRA members shall abide by proper and legal business practices, and perform under a standard of professional behavior that adheres to high principles of ethical conduct on behalf of the public, clients, employees, and professional colleagues.

The ACRA Member’s Responsibilities to the Public

A primary obligation of an ACRA member is to serve the public interest. While the definition of the public interest changes through ongoing debate, an ACRA member owes allegiance to a responsibly derived concept of the public interest. An ACRA member shall:

  • Have concern for the long-range consequences of that member’s professional actions.
  • Be cognizant of the relevance to the public of that member’s professional decisions.
  • Strive to present the results of significant research to the public in a responsible manner.
  • Strive to actively support conservation of the cultural resource base.
  • Strive to respect the concerns of people whose histories and/or resources are the subject of cultural resources investigation.
  • Not make exaggerated, misleading, or unwarranted statements about the nature of that member’s work.

 

The ACRA Member’s Responsibilities to the Client

An ACRA member is obligated to provide diligent, creative, honest, and competent services and professional advice to its clients. Such performance must be consistent with the ACRA member’s responsibilities to the public interest. An ACRA member shall:

  • Exercise independent professional judgment on behalf of clients.
  • Accept the decisions of a client concerning the objectives and nature of the professional services provided unless the decisions involve conduct that is illegal or inconsistent with the ACRA member’s obligations to the public interest.
  • Fulfill the spirit, as well as the letter, of contractual agreements.
  • Not provide professional services if there is an actual, apparent, or perceived conflict of interest, or an appearance of impropriety, without full written disclosure and agreement by all concerned parties.
  • Not disclose information gained from the provision of professional services for private benefit without prior client approval.
  • Not solicit prospective clients through the use of false or misleading claims.
  • Not sell or offer to sell services by stating or implying an ability to influence decisions by improper means.
  • Not solicit or provide services beyond the level or breadth of the professional competence of its staff or project team.
  • Solicit or provide services only if they can responsibly be performed with the timeliness required by its clients.
  • Not solicit or accept improper compensation for the provision of judgments or recommendations favorable to its clients.
  • Not offer or provide improper compensation as a material consideration in obtaining or sustaining client or prospective client favor.
  • Disclose information identified as confidential by its client only if required by law, required to prevent violation of the law, or required to prevent injury to the public interest.

 

The ACRA Member’s Responsibilities to Employees

As an employer, an ACRA member firm has certain responsibilities to its employees, and shall strive to:

  • Comply with all applicable employment/labor laws and regulations.
  • Provide a safe work environment in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
  • Appropriately acknowledge work performed by employees.
  • Provide opportunities for the professional growth and development of employees.
  • Develop clear lines of communication between employer and employee, and provide employees with a clear understanding of their responsibilities.
  • Consistently maintain fair, equitable, and professional conduct toward its employees.

 

The ACRA Member’s Responsibilities to Professional Colleagues

An ACRA member shall strive to contribute to the development of the profession by improving methods and techniques, and contributing knowledge. An ACRA member shall also fairly treat the views and contributions of professional colleagues and members of other professions. Accordingly, an ACRA member shall:

  • Act to protect and enhance the integrity of the cultural resources profession.
  • Accurately and fairly represent the qualifications, views, and findings of colleagues.
  • Review the work of other professionals in a fair, professional, and equitable manner.
  • Strive to communicate, cooperate, and share knowledge with colleagues having common professional interests.
  • Not knowingly attempt to injure the professional reputation of a colleague.

 

The ACRA Member’s Responsibilities to Cultural Resource Collections

Cultural resource collections consist of the artifacts and associated records (both born-digital and paper) resulting from such activities as: systematic excavations conducted in compliance with municipal, state, and federal regulations; acquisitions in museums or other institutional settings; and academic surveys. Artifacts and their associated records are the tangible remains of past cultural expressions but are vulnerable to abandonment and loss without sustained curatorial support secured by the professional practitioner responsible for their creation. While the collections themselves are non-renewable, the information they contain must be protected for the needs and innovations of future constituencies.
Therefore, an ACRA member shall:

  • Respond to scopes of work/requests for proposals with reasonable and informed estimates for the number of artifacts a site will yield with contingencies for unanticipated finds and/or higher than estimated artifact deposits. Include explicit statements on collection methods, including in-field and laboratory culling strategies to combat the ongoing curation crisis that are in alignment with published guidelines, regulations such as 36 CFR Part 79.12-79.18 and state standards.
  • Appropriately budget for all laboratory services to process, analyze, and store the collection both temporarily at a member facility and at a possible permanent repository. Identify both the temporary physical location and intended repository for the collection(s) during the planning phase and in all versions of the project report.
  • Maintain a clear chain of custody, including clearly defined ownership and terms of control and custodianship through a formal system that uniquely identifies and tracks a collection through all stages of a project.
  • At a minimum, ensure all artifacts and records are processed as appropriate to their material and condition, labeled with contextual information, stored in an orderly and stable manner, and packaged with archival materials including buffering agents to minimize crushing and further deterioration.When possible, collections should align with the federal curation standards codified in 36 CFR Part79 in the absence of repository- and/or state-specific curation standards.
  • Make provisions (budgetary and planning) to ensure that the final disposition of the collection reflects the wishes of the landowner of record at the time of the excavation. Encourage the donation of privately owned collections derived from compliance-driven surveys to a suitable repository. Curate the materials as specified by the repository, including all fees, forms, transportation costs, andsupplies. Consider responsible disposal according to state and federal guidelines referenced above.
  • Ensure adequate environmental/security controls for, and routinely audit the member’s storage facility for the existence of legacy and/or orphaned collections and develop a plan for their final disposition that adheres to ethical standards and does not violate municipal, state, and federal law.