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University of California, Riverside Radiocarbon Lab records
UA 006
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Title: University of California, Riverside Radiocarbon Lab records
Date (inclusive): 1956-2003 & undated
Collection Number: UA 006
Creator:
Taylor, R. E. (Royal Ervin), 1938-
Creator:
University of California, Riverside. Radiocarbon Laboratory
Creator:
University of California, Riverside. Department of Anthropology and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
Extent:
57.8 linear feet
(39 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Abstract: This collection contains sample records and supporting documentation, chromatographs, lab notebooks, master lists, equipment
operating manuals, procedural documents, correspondence, financial documents, floppy disks, computer print outs and other
material documenting the daily operations of the UCR Radiocarbon Lab. In addition, the collection contains records of the
scholarly activities of lab Director and Professor of Anthropology, Erv Taylor. This includes teaching and research materials,
publications, a Ph.D. dissertation and curriculum vitae. The collection also contains records of the Archaeometry Laboratory
and Preservation Science and Technology Unit, which were intermingled with a later accural of the Radiocarbon Lab records.
Languages: This collection is in English.
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other
restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility
for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
[identification of item], [date if possible]. University of California, Riverside Radiocarbon Laboratory records (UA 006).
Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.
This collection was transferred by former UCR Anthropology professor and director of the UCR Radiocarbon Lab, Dr. Erv Taylor,
in 2016.
The collection was processed by Karimah Richardson, Ph.D. Candidate, Project Coordinator (2017-2018);
Renee Garcia, Project Coordinator (2019-2020); Steven Mandeville-Gamble, University Librarian (2020); and Andrea Hoff, University
Archivist (2020-2021).
The UCR Radiocarbon Laboratory was founded in 1973 by Professor R. Ervin (Erv) Taylor (b. 1938). It operated in the Department
of Anthropology and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics. Under Taylor's supervision, laboratory staff were responsible
for dating thousands of specimens sent by various universities and cultural heritage organizations from all over the world.
The lab was built between 1970 and 1973. Lab staff began processing samples in November of 1972. The CO2 counting system used
to date samples was modeled on concepts developed at the UCLA and New Zealand's Institute of Nuclear Science Laboratories.
The UCR Radiocarbon Lab closed in 2006 after more than thirty years of operation.
Erv Taylor was an anthroplogist and a specialist in radiocarbon dating. He obtained a B.A. in history from Pacific Union College
in 1960. He completed two masters degrees at UCLA, first in history (1965), then in anthropology (1967). He began his career
in radiocarbon dating as a Ph.D. student and research assistant in the Radiocarbon Lab of Willard Libby at UCLA. Libby was
a well-known chemist responsible for the development of the radiocarbon dating method for which he received the 1960 Nobel
Prize in Chemistry. Both Willard Libby and Rainer Berger served on the committee for Taylor's dissertation, "Chronological
Problems in West Mexican Archaeology: A Study in the Application of a Dating Systems Approach in Archaeological Research."
Taylor earned his Ph.D. in anthropology at UCLA in 1970.
Taylor was a professor at California State University, Northridge from 1967-1969. Upon completing his Ph.D., Taylor was hired
as a professor in the Department of Anthropology at UCR. He established the UCR Radiocarbon Lab and worked as the director
until 2003. He was also head of the Department of Anthropology from 1993-2000. He retired in 2005.
Taylor is recognized for his achievements in New World archaeology. Much of his research focused on archaeometry, archaeological
geochronology (particularly radiocarbon dating) and the early peopling of the New World, particularly in Southern California
and Mexico. His lab was the first to date the Kennewick skeleton in 1996. He is also known for his significant contributions
to the scholarly literature in his field. One of his first important papers proved that shell could be accurately dated using
radiocarbon technology. He published over one hundred articles and six books, including two notable reference works,
Radiocarbon Dating: an Archaeological Perspective and
Radiocarbon After Four Decades: an Interdisciplary Perspective.
Taylor received accolades during his career, include the Fryxell Award for Interdisciplinary Research from the Society of
American Archaeology in 2004. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American
Anthropological Association. He was also a co-founder of the Society for Archaeological Sciences (SAS) and served as its first
president from 1980-1981.
Taylor passed away on May 9, 2019.
This collection contains sample records and supporting documentation, chromatographs, lab notebooks, master lists, equipment
operating manuals, procedural documents, correspondence, financial documents, floppy disks, computer print outs and other
material documenting the daily operations of the UCR Radiocarbon Lab. In addition, the collection contains records of the
scholarly activities of lab Director and Professor of Anthropology, Erv Taylor. This includes teaching and research materials,
publications, a Ph.D. dissertation and curriculum vitae. The collection also contains records of the Archaeometry Laboratory
and Preservation Science and Technology Unit, which were intermingled with a later accural of the Radiocarbon Lab records.
This collection is arranged into two series as described below. These series have sub-series and sub-sub-series and these
are further described at the series level as appropriate.
- Series 1.UCR Radiocarbon Lab files, 1959-2003, undated
- Accrual 1: UCR Radiocarbon Lab, Archaeometry Lab and Preservation Science and Technology Unit files, 1956-1998, undated
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Radiocarbon dating
Anthropology
Universities and colleges -- Faculty
Correspondence
Research notes
Articles
Floppy disks
Newsletters
Laboratory notebooks