[NHCOLL-L:1817] natural history collection curator position

[Dan Brooks]

Please don't reply to me, address below.
Dan Brooks



Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, a department of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas (www.cctexas.com) seeks a natural history collection curator.  Responsible for collections care, education program development/presentation, and exhibit development.  Public service driven mission requires close cooperation and collaboration.  Qualifications include master's degree in biology and four years' experience.  Salary range: $2,427 - $4,345 monthly.  Those interested should send application/resume and salary history to: Human Resources Dept., P.O. Box 9277, Corpus Christi, TX 78469.



Job Classification: M60
Job Category: Managerial Group
Department: Museum of Science and History

Job Title: Head Curator

Purpose of the Position: Under general supervision of the Museum Director at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, the Head Curator is responsible for collections care, education programs, and exhibits.  This person has immediate curatorial responsibility for either the history or the natural history collections.  Responsible for exhibit content in area of expertise which involves object research and contextual research for the creation of exhibit story lines.  Responsible for collections care including accessioning, cataloging, proper storage, and conservation of collections.  Responsible for developing educational exhibits based on collections and educational programming based on exhibits.  Responsible for program and exhibit evaluation.  Publishes and disseminates information pertaining to the collections through scholarly publications.  Drives city vehicle to location in support of education and research activities.  

Essential Functions:	
1. Collections Care: Responsible for accessioning, cataloging, and storing, collections.  Must remain current with museum standards to update the Collection Management Policy and related procedures to meet those standards.  Responsible for maintaining a training program that ensures competent treatment of collections by staff and volunteers.  Supervises the handling of museum collections by all museum staff.
		Physical Requirements: Ability to lift, push, pull, carry or to 50 pounds individually and to assist others lifting/moving objects that weigh more than 50 pounds and pull, push, carry, and lift same.  Ability to climb ladders and portable stairs..  Clarity of vision to read small numbers and to work with finite accuracy with small object details.  Routinely mixes and uses a variety of chemicals used to clean and preserve objects.  Fine-fingering to work with small items and to operate a computer keyboard.  Full range of torso/spinal flexibility to work in confined spaces building/installing exhibits or working in tight exhibit cases.  Wear goggles, gloves, and other safety precautions used in laboratory.  Ability to type and enter data into a computer data base, and retrieve same in various report formats.  

2. Education Program: Responsible for maintaining a program of educational opportunities to meet the needs of major audiences: families visiting the museum on vacation or for weekend outings, adult and senior citizen audiences with special interests for continuing education, and children coming to the museum in group tours for educational experiences.    

3. Exhibit Program: Responsible for maintaining a schedule of temporary exhibits that provide opportunities to use seldom seen museum collections or provide opportunities to bring to the museum educational exhibits that are not likely to be the subject of permanent exhibits.  Responsible for researching and planning educational exhibits that make use of museum collections and that fulfill the mission of the Museum.  
4. Research: Responsible for conducting collections based research on which exhibits and programs can be based.  This research must them be applied to specific exhibits and programs within the scope of an overall exhibit and program plan.

5. Program Presentation: Responsible for presenting programs to adult and children group audiences based on the museum collections, exhibits, and programs. 

6. Supervision: Supervises museum staff and manages museum operations in the absence of the Director.  Manages museum operation on a rotating basis with other supervisory staff.  Supervises the collections, exhibit, and education staff and volunteers.  Performs other work as assigned.

Environmental Factors: Most work is performed indoors in a climate controlled environment.  Some work is performed in a laboratory setting using various chemical and mechanical cleaning techniques.  Some work is performed outdoors under adverse conditions including high temperatures and high relative humidity.

General Characteristics of Position: Work week alternates Tuesday through Saturday with Monday through Friday. Normal work day is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., extended to 6 p.m. in summers.  Work schedule will include Sunday and evening work on a rotational basis.  Scheduling may also include evenings when the Museum is open for special functions.

Minimum Qualifications: M.A./M.S. degree in academic field related to collections and a minimum of five years professional experience in a museum or comparable facility or any equivalent combination of training, education and experience.  Must have previous experience as collections curator.  

Vehicles, Machinery, Equipment, Tools, and Technology to do this job: Drives a City van, passenger car, or pickup.  Works with tools and equipment associated with exhibit preparation.  

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: Thorough working knowledge of the museum profession.  Skilled at conducting research including primary archival materials and secondary sources such as books and publications.  Skilled at locating graphics sources for exhibits and collections research.  Ability to use initiative and creativity in developing exhibits and programs.  Skilled at management and leadership of complex projects.  Ability to supervise volunteers/novices in the activities in the museum; ability to work with the public courteously and effectively; ability to communicate in writing and to speak to groups.  Skill required in techniques of preserving, cataloging, and identifying objects and archival holdings. Spanish language proficiency desired.

Licenses, Certifications Required by Essential Functions: A valid class "C" Texas Drivers license. 


Corpus Christi Museum Natural History Collections Breakdown	 	 
 	 	 
Botany	4,234	11%
Eggs	3,300	0
Embryology	45	0
Entomology	6,554	16%
Geology	4,699	12%
Herpetology	486	1%
Malacology	14,173	35%
Mammology	166	0%
Marine Biology	2,028	5%
Nests	709	2%
Ornithology	1,497	4%
Osteology	417	1%
Paleontology	1,977	5%
Stomach Contents	33	0%
TOTAL ACCESSIONS 	40,318	 



-------------------------------------
Daniel M. Brooks, Ph.D.
Curator of Vertebrate Zoology
Houston Museum of Natural Science
1 Herman Circle
Houston, TX 77030-1799

dbrooks at hmns.org

PH- 713-639-4776
FAX- 713-639-4767