Collections
The San Diego Archaeological Center is dedicated to fulfilling the intent of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to preserve examples of the major periods of California history and to offset the impact of land development pressures on cultural resources. The Center is committed to the preservation of our archaeological legacy and serves as a curation technology resource to federal, state and local government and private companies. View our Collections Management Policy.
SDAC Collections
The San Diego Archaeological Center stewards more than 800 archaeological collections originating from San Diego County. For information on sites or cultural resources curated at the Center, please email collections@sandiegoarchaeology.org to obtain an information request form.
Research
The San Diego Archaeological Center houses and cares for collections that may be made available to researchers. Staff continue to encourage and facilitate research projects related to the documentation and cultural resources stewarded at the Center, when appropriate. Read the Center’s Research and Access Policy. For more information, please contact collections staff at collections@sandiegoarchaeology.org.
Contact and Hours
Monday – Friday 10:00am – 3:00pm, closed weekends and federal holidays. APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED.
For more information about SDAC Collections, contact collections at collections@sandiegoarchaeology.org.
Donations
Please note: We do not accept unsolicited donations without a donation form. Do not send the original materials you wish to donate to the SDAC without proper instruction and notification to do so. Any materials donated in this manner will be returned to the sender or disposed of if the sender’s information is not available.
Due to the high volume of donation offers the Center receives, we are unable to accept unsolicited objects, images, books, or documents unless you first submit a completed Donation Form. Please include catalogs, field notes, photographs, or photocopies of the materials when possible with your form. Once you have filled out the donation form, please email it to collections@sandiegoarchaeology.org.
If you are unable to complete the online Offer of Donation Form, please call the San Diego Archaeological Center at 760-291-0370 and request that a copy be mailed to you. You may mail back your completed form to the address below.
Donations
San Diego Archaeological Center
16666 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido, CA 92027
Once the form is received, a staff member will contact you within 30 days of your submission. If you have questions, concerns, or other issues you wish to discuss, please contact us at collections@sandiegoarchaeology.org.