One often overlooked area of archaeological background research is the oral history interview. Finding people who know about an archaeological culture or site that you are investigating may be as simple as visiting your local historical society, or contacting the Archaeological Institute of America to obtain addresses for retired archaeologists.
Are you interested in a site in or near your home town? Drop in on your local historical society and talk to the librarian. Amateur archaeologists and historians may be an excellent source of information, as might retired archaeologists who have conducted work on a site. Members of the general public who lived in the area, and long time museum directors may recall when investigations took place.
Interested in an exotic culture, far from your home? Contact the local chapter of a professional organization such as the Archaeological Institute of America, the European Archaeological Association, the Canadian Archaeological Association, the Australian Archaeological Association, or other professional association and see if you can correspond with a professional archaeologist who has conducted work at the site or who has lectured on the culture in the past.
Who knows? An interview might be all you need to make your research paper the best it can be.
