History: Working in Museums

Archivist/Curator  The job as archivists and curators is to describe, catalog, and analyze, valuable objects for the benefit of researches and the public.  They may be in charge of conducting public educational programs or teach classes or give lectures in their area of expertise.  They also oversee the arrangement, cataloging, and exhibition of museum collections.  An archivist works in many different situations. They may spend most of their time interacting with museum visitors or they might spend all of their time working with the exhibits.

Requirements  Must have a bachelor’s degree (at the least) but a doctoral degree is what most require & you must have experience in a museum (as a volunteer or paid staff).  Most archivist and curators have advanced degrees in a particular field and time period.  Since archivist and curators work in so many different aspects of a museum, that they are recommended to take courses in business management and marketing.  The degree for museum studies is called museology.

Income/Benefits  According to PayScale.com in 2010, the average yearly salary was around $40,000 – 50,000 a year. This may increase or decrease depending on the size of the museum and its location.  A museum in a place like Detroit would pay way less then working at a museum like the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.  Most archivists can expect to receive standard benefits including medical coverage, paid vacation, holidays, and sick days.

College  San Francisco State University – Museum Studies (Master’s Program)  Have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university in one of the following or related fields: anthropology, archaeology, art history, classics, design, education, history, biological or physical sciences, or public/art administration.  The museum studies program prepares students for employment in all types of museums, cultural arts centers, arts commissions, historical sites and houses, science centers, environmental education centers, libraries with exhibition programs, exhibit design firms, auction houses, planetaria, aquaria, zoos, and botanical gardens.  Cost - Tuition Fees  0 to 6.0 Units - $2,  6.1 or more Units - $3,678.00

Marketing Director  The job of a marketing director is a very crucial job at a museum.  You work closely with other sales and marketing staff to provide input to the company’s strategic marketing plan to generate sales opportunities.  For this job you need to have strong time management skills and the ability to juggle multiple projects at once.  You also need strong communication skills and a genuine interest in promoting the company’s mission.

Requirements  You must have a bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing.  You need to have experience in management and marketing.  Be able to manage social media sites : Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Strong Communication skills

Income/Benefits  Annual compensation of $70k to $72K – depending on experience and where you are working.  Benefits:  Full health coverage  Paid holidays  Eligibility to have a 401K plan  Receiving Safe Harbor match after one year.

College  Stanford University Graduate Business School - The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University offers graduate programs in these departments and concentrations: accounting, e- commerce, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, general management, health care administration, human resources management, international business, leadership, manufacturing and technology management, marketing, management information systems,  Cost - Its tuition is full-time: $55,200 per year.  At graduation, 75.6 percent of graduates of the full-time program are employed.

Similarities & Differences Similar  Both careers work in museums.  Both require a lot of schooling.  With both of these jobs, you need to have good communication skills and good analytical skills. Different  As an archivist you might spend more time alone working on projects while a marketing director would spend most of their time with a group of business associates.  When archivists and curators do work with people, it is usually the public. Marketing directors usually work with people close to their field. They don’t spend a lot of time working with the public.  A marketing director gets paid way more then an archivist or curator

I choose..  Archivist/Curator  I choose this job because it involves more of the things that I like. I want to work hands on with artifacts and be able to do research and analyze them. I want to be able to give classes on these artifacts and tell people about them and why they are so important.  But I mostly want to do this job because it involves learning more about History and that is what I want to do to school for.

Sources Cited  Jobmonkey.com. Jobmonkey, Inc. Nov 13 th,  “Job Description of a Museum Archivist.” eHow. Demand Media, Inc. N.d. Nov 9 th,  “Museum Studies.” SFSU.edu. San Francisco State University. Dean: Paul Sherwin. N.d. November 12 th,  “Stanford University Business School Overview.” U.Snews.edu. U.S.News & World Report LP, Inc. Data based on November 9 th,  “Archivist Job Description, Career as a Archivist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job.” StateUniversity.com. Net Industries and its Licensors, Inc. N.d. November 12 th,  “Curators, Museum Technicians, and Conservators”. United States Department of Labor. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Inc. Monday, July 23, November 13 th, 2012.