User:AngelKelley/sandbox
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A collection manager is responsible for the hands-on care of
Responsibilities
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Visual_storage_-_Victoria_%26_Albert_Museum_-_2_-_Stierch.jpg/220px-Visual_storage_-_Victoria_%26_Albert_Museum_-_2_-_Stierch.jpg)
Collection managers perform a wide range of duties designed to ensure that a museum collection is properly maintained and cared for, documented, and organized. Included in these responsibilities is the development of
Collection managers are further responsible for the ongoing care and storage of all objects acquired by an institution. These responsibilities include overseeing the movement of objects within the institution for purposes such as display, treatment, and photography, as well as assisting in the packing, shipping and labeling of objects for transfer between museums. Collection managers must also monitor environmental conditions within the institution's storage and exhibition facilities to ensure that proper
Serving as a liaison between various departments within the institution, as well as addressing the needs of outside researchers, are also key responsibilities of collection managers. To do so, collection managers must maintain accurate and up-to-date location information for every object within the collection, requiring them to collaborate with departmental heads to ensure all institutional needs are met.[5] In addition, the collection manager must become familiar with the interests, professional needs, and digital content requirements of researchers interested in the institution's collection.[7] Performing these tasks requires collection managers to take responsibility for the dissemination of collection information within the museum and among interested researchers, in addition to administrative, personnel, and financial management of all collection objects.[6]
Education and training
Individuals seeking employment as a collection manager must typically pursue a bachelor's degree in a relevant field such anthropology, art history, library sciences, or in a discipline focused on a specific museum department or area of research. Many institutions also require collection managers to possess a graduate degree in a field related to the museum's collection, or in museum studies.[6] These individuals must possess strong communication skills and, with recent advancements in technology, many institutions now also require proficiency in computer skills.[8] Collection managers are also expected to have hands-on experience within a related field in collection management duties such as object handling, storage methods, and cataloging objects.[6]
See also
- Collection (museum)
- Collections care
- Collections policy
- Disaster recovery plan
- Digital preservation
- Digital curation
- Object conservation
- Conservation-restoration
References
- ISBN 978-0-8389-1122-8.
- ^ "Collections manager". Museums Association. n.d. Retrieved February, 21, 2014.
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(help) - ^ "Collection Manager's Duties and Responsibilities". The Social Studies and Humanities Cluster Bibliographers Group. June, 29, 2009. Retrieved February, 21, 2014.
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(help) - ISBN 978-0-8389-1122-8.
- ^ a b "Collections management". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 2014. Retrieved February, 21, 2014.
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(help) - ^ ISBN 0-415-12256-2.
- ^ Barnes, Sherri L.; Snowhill, L. (February 22, 2012). "Collection Management Responsibilities". University of California, Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
- ^ Brunot, Trudy (n.d.). "Job description of a museum collections manager". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February, 21, 2014.
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Further reading
- Burcaw, G. (1997) Introduction to Museum Work, 3rd edition. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. ISBN 978-0-7619-8926-4
- Lord, G. and B. Lord. (1997) The Manual of Museum Management. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. ISBN 0-7591-0249-X
External links
- 'A Day in the Life of a Museum Collection Manager', video on daily responsibilities of a collection manager, Rebecca Andrews, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, 12 April 2010.
- 'Museum Studies Training Directory' Smithsonian Institution