Museum Curator Job Description

Museum Curator Job Profile and Description

A Museum Curator administers the natural, historical and cultural artifact collections in a museum. Small museums have one curator to manage its collection while larger museums often employ a team of curators specializing in certain types of collections such are war artifacts, burial artifacts, coins and jewelry artifacts, furniture artifacts, arts and culture artifacts, etc.

Museum Curator Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop the museum catalogue for the assigned artifacts.
• Manage museum staff and mentor them in the histories behind exhibited artifacts.
• Source and acquire items to augment and enrich museum collections in their areas of expertise (natural history, arts and culture, political historic, technology, etc.)
• Coordinate with archeologists, historians and other pertinent experts in determining authenticity of newly acquired artifacts.
• Coordinate with security to design and develop the best technologies to secure and protect specific and overall museum collections.
• Catalogue or classify artifacts and maintain complete records.
• Coordinate with relevant experts in the restoration and preservation of delicate museum artifacts.
• Organize and supervise the display of artifacts and ensure safety of traveling displays.
• Oversee production of museum promotional and informational literatures.

Museum Curator Skills and Specifications

• Mist have strong interpersonal, diplomatic and negotiation skills
• Must have extensive and thorough knowledge in the specific curatorship assignment (natural history, martial artifacts, burial customs, etc.)
• Must have strong communication skills
• Excellent computer literacy in using museum database systems.

Museum Curator Education and Qualifications

• A BS degree in history, archeology or any of the social sciences is basic
• A master’s degree in the antiquities is preferred
• 5-7 years of experience in related curatorship discipline is an advantage

Museum Curator Salary

The median annual salary of Museum Curators and Administrators in 2008 was at $47,300 with the middle 50% earning between $34,900 and $63,900. The lowest 10% took less than $26,900, and the highest 10% received about $83,300.