Museum curators organize and care for museum collections. They work with
natural and human-made objects from ancient or recent history. Plus, they
research, gather and identify new specimens and artifacts.
Most curators specialize in a particular area of research. These areas
can include anthropology, archeology, art, natural history or biology. In
larger museums, curators are often expected to publish their work.
Philip Lambert is the curator of invertebrates at a large museum. "We publish
[our research] in recognized journals, in peer review journals," he says.
"I [also] write magazine articles and more popular level articles on the subject."
Each curator is responsible for exhibits relating to their specialty. They
may work in collaboration with exhibit designers on the content and the storyline.
In smaller museums where only one curator is employed, a curator may need
a more general background in culture and history.
Lambert is a curator with a specialty: any time an exhibit involves sea
cucumbers, slugs or snails, he's the in-house expert. "It's sort of a consultation
process," he says.
Curators help put together exhibits that inform visitors about people,
places and events in history. An exhibit might feature a collection on reconstructed
dinosaur skeletons, a collection of furniture from the 1930s, or a selection
of fossilized beetles from a particular era.
Museum curators use their knowledge of history and culture to arrange and
display artifacts in such a way that they tell a realistic story.
This is a career that demands a lot of flexibility. Museum curators are
often responsible for everything from acquiring new museum materials and hiring
new staff to fund-raising and managing museum budgets.
Promotions are also a big part of a museum curator's job. A museum curator
has to be a good people person. That's because curators are often called on
to do networking and community fund-raising.
Curators must also have the people skills to give the occasional tour or
presentation. Lambert says even reclusive researchers have to guide people
through their special collections.
"We do little tours occasionally, just to show the general public what
we have behind closed doors and what we use it for and why we have it."
Writing skills are also a must for museum curators. They write museum brochures
as well as articles for scholarly journals and the popular press. A curator's
published works can contribute to the status of a museum, so many museums
look for a curator who has already published some writing.
Working environments for museum curators vary. Some may find employment
working in large city museums where they will work alongside several other
curators. Others may work as the sole curator for a small museum in a small
town.
Curators need certain physical abilities. For instance, they may have to
move heavy paintings or other items, especially at small museums where the
job is more hands-on. They may also have to stay on their feet for long periods
of time when opening a new exhibit.