Median annual earnings of archivists, curators, and museum technicians in 2002 were $35,270. The middle 50 percent earned between $26,400 and $48,460. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,010, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $66,050.
Earnings of archivists and curators vary considerably by type and size of employer and often by specialty. Median annual earnings of archivists, curators, and museum technicians in 2002 were $33,720 in museums, historical sites, and similar institutions.. Salaries, though, of curators in large, well-funded museums can be several times higher than those in small ones. The average annual salary for archivists in the Federal Government in nonsupervisory, supervisory, and managerial positions was $69,706 in 2003; for museum curators, $70,100; museum specialists and technicians, $48,414; and for archives technicians, $37,067.
Archivists, curators, and museum technicians acquire and preserve important documents and other valuable items for permanent storage or display. They work for museums, governments, zoos, colleges and universities, corporations, and other institutions that require experts to preserve important records. They also describe, catalogue, analyze, exhibit, and maintain valuable objects and collections for the benefit of researchers and the public. These documents and collections may include works of art, transcripts of meetings, coins and stamps, living and preserved plants and animals, and historic buildings and sites.
Archivists and curators plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, and exhibition of collections and, along with technicians and conservators, maintain collections. Archivists and curators may coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes, and may work with the boards of institutions to administer plans and policies. They also may research topics or items relevant to their collections. Although some duties of archivists and curators are similar, the types of items they deal with differ: curators usually handle objects with cultural, biological, or historical significance, such as sculptures, textiles, and paintings, while archivists handle mainly records and documents that are retained because of their importance and potential value in the future.
Archivists collect, organize, and maintain control over a wide range of information deemed important enough for permanent safekeeping. This information takes many forms: photographs, films, video and sound recordings, computer tapes, and video and optical disks, as well as more traditional paper records, letters, and documents. Archivists work for a variety of organizations, including government agencies, museums, historical societies, corporations, and educational institutions that use or generate records of great potential value to researchers, exhibitors, genealogists, and others who would benefit from having access to original source material.
Archivists maintain records in accordance with accepted standards and practices, that ensure the long-term preservation and easy retrieval of the documents. Records may be saved on any medium, including paper, film, videotape, audiotape, electronic disk, or computer. They also may be copied onto some other format to protect the original and to make them more accessible to researchers who use the records. As various storage media evolve, archivists must keep abreast of technological advances in electronic information storage.
Archivists often specialize in an area of history or technology so they can more accurately determine what records in that area qualify for retention and should become part of the archives. Archivists also may work with specialized forms of records, such as manuscripts, electronic records, photographs, cartographic records, motion pictures, and sound recordings.
Computers are increasingly being used to generate and maintain archival records. Professional standards for the use of computers in handling archival records are still evolving. However, computers are expected to transform many aspects of archival collections as computer capabilities and the use of multimedia and the Internet expand and allow more records to be stored and exhibited electronically.
Curators administer the affairs of museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers, and historic sites. The head curator of the museum is usually called the museum director. Curators direct the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections, including negotiating and authorizing the purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. They are also responsible for authenticating, evaluating, and categorizing the specimens in a collection. Curators oversee and help conduct the institution’s research projects and related educational programs. However, an increasing part of a curator’s duties involves fundraising and promotion, which may include the writing and reviewing of grant proposals, journal articles, and publicity materials, as well as attendance at meetings, conventions, and civic events.
Most curators specialize in a particular field, such as botany, art, paleontology, or history. Those working in large institutions may be highly specialized. A large natural-history museum, for example, would employ separate curators for its collections of birds, fishes, insects, and mammals. Some curators maintain their collections, others do research, and others perform administrative tasks. In small institutions, with only one or a few curators, one curator may be responsible for multiple tasks, from maintaining collections to directing the affairs of the museum.
Conservators manage, care for, preserve, treat, and document works of art, artifacts, and specimens, work that may require substantial historical, scientific, and archaeological research. They use x rays, chemical testing, microscopes, special lights, and other laboratory equipment and techniques to examine objects and determine their condition, their need for treatment or restoration, and the appropriate method for preserving them. Conservators document their findings and treat items to minimize their deterioration or to restore them to their original state. Conservators usually specialize in a particular material or group of objects, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural material.
Museum technicians assist curators by performing various preparatory and maintenance tasks on museum items. Archives technicians help archivists organize, maintain, and provide access to historical documentary materials.
.Competition for jobs as archivists, curators, and museum technicians is expected to be keen because qualified applicants outnumber job openings. Graduates with highly specialized training, such as master’s degrees in both library science and history, with a concentration in archives or records management and extensive computer skills should have the best opportunities for jobs as archivists. A curator job also is attractive to many people, and many applicants have the necessary training and knowledge of the subject, but there are only a few openings. Consequently, candidates may have to work part time, as an intern, or even as a volunteer assistant curator or research associate after completing their formal education. Substantial work experience in collection management, exhibit design, or restoration, as well as database management skills, will be necessary for permanent status. Job opportunities for curators should be best in art and history museums, since these are the largest employers in the museum industry.
The job outlook for conservators may be more favorable, particularly for graduates of conservation programs. However, competition is stiff for the limited number of openings in these programs, and applicants need a technical background. Students who qualify and successfully complete the program, have knowledge of a foreign language, and are willing to relocate will have an advantage over less qualified candidates.
Employment of archivists, curators, and museum technicians is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012. Jobs are expected to grow as public and private organizations emphasize establishing archives and organizing records and information and as public interest in science, art, history, and technology increases. Museum and zoo attendance has been on the rise and is expected to continue increasing, which will generate demand for curators and museum technicians and conservators. However, museums and other cultural institutions can be subject to cuts in funding during recessions or periods of budget tightening, reducing demand for archivists and curators. Although the rate of turnover among archivists and curators is relatively low, the need to replace workers who leave the occupation or stop working will create some additional job openings.
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Employment as an archivist, conservator, or curator usually requires graduate education and related work experience. While completing their formal education, many archivists and curators work in archives or museums to gain the “hands-on” experience that many employers seek.
Although most archivists have a variety of undergraduate degrees, a graduate degree in history or library science, with courses in archival science, is preferred by most employers. Some positions may require knowledge of the discipline related to the collection, such as business or medicine. Currently, no programs offer bachelor’s or master’s degrees in archival science. However, approximately 65 colleges and universities offer courses or practical training in archival science as part of their history, library science, or other curriculum. The Academy of Certified Archivists offers voluntary certification for archivists. The designation “Certified Archivist” is obtained by those with at least a master’s degree and a year of appropriate archival experience. The certification process requires candidates to pass a written examination, and they must renew their certification periodically.
Archivists need research and analytical ability to understand the content of documents and the context in which they were created and to decipher deteriorated or poor-quality printed matter, handwritten manuscripts, or photographs and films. A background in preservation management is often required of archivists because they are responsible for taking proper care of their records. Archivists also must be able to organize large amounts of information and write clear instructions for its retrieval and use. In addition, computer skills and the ability to work with electronic records and databases are becoming increasingly important.
Many archives, including one-person shops, are very small and have limited opportunities for promotion. Archivists typically advance by transferring to a larger unit with supervisory positions. A doctorate in history, library science, or a related field may be needed for some advanced positions, such as director of a State archive.
For employment as a curator, most museums require a master’s degree in an appropriate discipline of the museum’s specialty—art, history, or archaeology—or museum studies. Many employers prefer a doctoral degree, particularly for curators in natural history or science museums. In small museums, curatorial positions may be available to individuals with a bachelor’s degree. For some positions, an internship of full-time museum work supplemented by courses in museum practices is needed.
Curatorial positions often require knowledge in a number of fields. For historic and artistic conservation, courses in chemistry, physics, and art are desirable. Since curators—particularly those in small museums—may have administrative and managerial responsibilities, courses in business administration, public relations, marketing, and fundraising also are recommended.
Curators must be flexible because of their wide variety of duties, among which are the design and presentation of exhibits. Leadership ability and business skills are important for museum directors, while marketing skills are valuable in increasing museum attendance and fundraising.
In large museums, curators may advance through several levels of responsibility, eventually becoming the museum director. Individual research and publications are important for advancement in larger institutions.
When hiring conservators, employers look for a master’s degree in conservation or in a closely related field, together with substantial experience. Competition for entry to these programs is keen; to qualify, a student must have a background in chemistry, archaeology or studio art, and art history, as well as work experience. For some programs, knowledge of a foreign language is also helpful. Conservation apprenticeships or internships as an undergraduate can enhance one’s admission prospects. Graduate programs last 2 to 4 years, the latter years of which include internship training. A few individuals enter conservation through apprenticeships with museums, nonprofit organizations, and conservators in private practice. Apprenticeship training, although accepted, usually is a more difficult route into the conservation profession.
Museum technicians usually need a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline of the museum’s specialty, training in museum studies, or previous experience working in museums, particularly in the design of exhibits. Technician positions often serve as a steppingstone for individuals interested in archival and curatorial work. More common are undergraduate minors or tracks of study that are part of an undergraduate degree in a related field, such as art history, history, or archaeology.
The skills that archivists, curators, and museum technicians use in preserving, organizing, and displaying objects or information of historical interest are shared by artists and related workers; librarians; and anthropologists and archeologists, historians, and other social scientists.
For information on archivists and on schools offering courses in archival studies, contact
For general information about careers as a curator and schools offering courses in museum studies, contact
For information about careers and education programs in conservation and preservation, contact
Archivists and curators plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, and exhibition of collections and, along with technicians and conservators, maintain collections. They also may research topics or items relevant to their collections. Archives may be part of a library, museum, or historical society, or may exist as a distinct unit within an organization or company. Archivists also may work with specialized forms of records, such as manuscripts, electronic records, photographs, cartographic records, motion pictures, and sound recordings. Curators oversee collections in museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers, and historic sites.
Summary of: http://guide.symplicity.com/resources/profession_article.php?id=95
Archivists and curators plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, and exhibition of collections and, along with technicians and conservators, maintain collections. They also may conduct research on topics or items relevant to their collections. Archives may be part of a library, museum, or historical society, or may exist as a distinct archival unit within an organization or company. Archivists often specialize in an area of history or technology so they can better determine what records in that area qualify for retention and should become part of the archives. Curators oversee collections in museums, zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, nature centers, and historic sites.
Summary of: http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/ooh9899/50.htm
Librarians therefore have important educational, research, and service roles at the University. In the Business Administration Library, the classification committee makes recommendations in consultation with the dean. Because the Bentley Historical Library has the greatest number of archivists of any unit on the campus, its classification scheme is taken as a model. New positions within the archival ranks are usually defined in conjunction with the interested unit, the Bentley Library, and Human Resources and Affirmative Action. Curators convey a knowledge of specific collections which is essential to the processes by which these materials can be used.
Summary of: http://www.provost.umich.edu/faculty/handbook/5/5.E.html
ARCHIVISTS AND CURATORS The curiosity that killed the cat fuels careers for archivists and curators. Nature of the Work Archivists and curators search for, acquire, catalog, restore, exhibit, maintain, and store items of interest. The collection may be for the public at large or of special interest to children, hobbyists, scientists, researchers, corporations, local citizens, history buffs, or an ethnic group. Curators administer museum collectioins and historic sites. In large museums, curators may work with administrators such as museum directors, budget officers, program directors, assistant curators, conservators, and department heads.
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They work for museums, governments, zoos, colleges and universities, corporations, and other institutions that require experts to preserve important records. They also describe, catalogue, analyze, exhibit, and maintain valuable objects and collections for the benefit of researchers and the public. Archivists and curators plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, and exhibition of collections and, along with technicians and conservators, maintain collections. They also may research topics or items relevant to their collections. They also may be copied onto some other format to protect the original and to make them more accessible to researchers who use the records.
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Significant Points Competition will be keen for the limited number of job openings. Substantial work experience is required to obtain a permanent position. Nature of the Work Archivists, curators and museum technicians oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, exhibition and maintenance of collections. Training, Other Qualifications and Advancement Minimum requirements for archivist, curator and museum technician positions include advanced education and related work experience. Entry-level archivists must have an appropriate undergraduate or graduate degree.
Summary of: http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=140&q=194603
They work for museums, governments, zoos, colleges and universities, corporations, and other institutions that require experts to preserve important records. They also describe, catalogue, analyze, exhibit, and maintain valuable objects and collections for the benefit of researchers and the public. Archivists and curators plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, and exhibition of collections and, along with technicians and conservators, maintain collections. They also may research topics or items relevant to their collections. Most curators specialize in a particular field, such as botany, art, paleontology, or history.
Summary of: http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos065.htm
Archivists and curators plan and oversee the work of maintaining collections and, along with technicians and conservators, work directly on collections. They maintain records in their original arrangement according to the creator's organizational scheme, and describe records so they can be located easily. Archives may be part of a library, museum, or historical society, or may exist as a distinct archival unit within an organization. Archivists often specialize in an area of history or technology so they can better determine what records in that area qualify for retention and should become part of the archives. Curators, sometimes called collections managers, oversee collections in museums, zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, nature centers, and historic sites.
Summary of: http://www.edonline.com/collegecompass/oohb0079.htm
The items may be historical documents, government records, art, or many other articles of lasting value. Curators usually handle three-dimensional objects, such as sculptures and paintings. They also research the items in their collections to learn more about them. They determine the order, based on which items work together to tell a story or make a point. They like to see the results of their work and to use their strongest abilities.
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