Skills Needed to become a Museum Curator
When Ben Stiller worked in the Museum of Natural History, he had to know how to deal with everything you could possibly imagine, including devilish monkeys, lions, the Huns, pharaohs, the Roman army, and even a T-Rex. Fortunately, not all museum jobs require such amazing skills
Being amuseum curatoris a great idea for someone really interested in history, but there are some abilities you would need to have, to master the job. First of all, you would need a master's degree in the field you are working with, although some museums would be fine with a bachelor's degree. Larger museums also require about five years of field experience.
A curator needs to have good communication skills, as they will be educating people about the museum's objects and artifacts, as well as publicizing their existence. Curators often work with volunteers, local schools, and civic groups, so they need to be comfortable about talking to the public.
Museum curators are also responsible for adding to the collection. This can include authorizing the purchases of items or borrowing them from other collections. A good curator needs to know how to evaluate the authenticity of these items, and can negotiate well in order to get the best artifacts for the collection.
Another responsibility of curators is cataloguing. Curators need to accurately keep track of inventory, as well as know how to create and manage databases. This can involve computer skills to understand the cataloguing software, an understanding of copyright laws and knowledge of digital databases and scanning.
Curatorsare often in charge of many people, including interns and volunteers. A successful curator would need to be able to manage a large staff and coordinate all their tasks.
Museum curators must also be effective in fundraising. This involves grant writing, which is usually done after consulting collection managers and curatorial assistants, and tasks such as overseeing the fundraisers and participating in public relations campaigns in order to get donations.
A curator should also have sufficient knowledge of history or art, depending on the museum they are working in. They should have a good understanding of museum studies, public relations, research, and storage and restoration techniques. They should have basic skills in business, organization and publicity. Employers look at foreign language skills as an additional bonus.
Being a museum curator does require several different skills, but those with a real interest in history or art will find that it is totally worth it. Going to work would be like taking a trip back in time, and no work day would be the same. This is a job for people who are passionate, adventurous and ready to take a blast into the past!
