[NHCOLL-L:2728] Re: FW: Registrar vs. Collections Manager vs.Curator of Collections

Thu Jun 23 13:10:10 EDT 2005

That would be great...but we still have to convince the Administration - THE most difficult thing to do.  Right now, our tiny Museum is trying to explain the difference between a Curator and a Collections Manager.  Our VP of Academic Affairs, who is our direct supervisor, thinks they are one and the same.  I've always thought that the two positions work hand-in-hand much of the time, but that the Curator, particularly at a research based muesum like our, does research in the collections, funds students working in the collections and teaches - in addition to curator duties; while the Collection Manager handles the day-to-day routines and deals with the database, loans, etc...

Can someone help me find or develop a clear cut explanation of the two?  The analogy of a Head Librarian (used by our Curator) was really not appropriate and I think only confused the VP more.

And yes Diane, forward any info from the Registrars Committee list.  I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks

HELP!

Carrie
******************************************************************
Carrie L. Herbel
Collections Manager/Instructor/Preparator
Museum of Geology
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
501 East Saint Joseph Street
Rapid City, South Dakota  57701
Office:  605-394-2487
Fax:  605-394-6131
E-mail:  Carrie.Herbel at sdsmt.edu <mailto:Carrie.Herbel at sdsmt.edu> 
Personal Web Page:  http://speedy.sdsmt.edu/~cherbel <http://speedy.sdsmt.edu/~cherbel> 
******************************************************************

________________________________

From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu on behalf of Mark McNamara
Sent: Thu 6/23/2005 10:41 AM
To: dgutenkauf at exhibitworks.com; NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu; Furth.David at NMNH.SI.EDU
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:2726] Re: FW: Registrar vs. Collections Manager vs.Curator of Collections

Why not call ourselves "Biological Database Managers"  then we can really make the big bucks!  Some database managers are pulling down 250K a year!

Your Friend,

Mark McNamara
Natural History Collection Manager
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
A Department of the City of Corpus Christi
1900 N. Chaparral Street
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401
Email: MarkM at CCTexas.com
Web Page: www.CCMuseum.com

>>> "Diane Gutenkauf" <dgutenkauf at exhibitworks.com> 06/23 9:35 AM >>>

This thread is being discussed on the Registrars Committee list. Seems Michigan isn't the only place struggling with job descriptions.

If there's interest, I'll forward any other applicable notes.

Regards,
Diane Gutenkauf
dgutenkauf at exhibitworks.com

From: Registrars Committee of the AAM [mailto:RCAAM at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU] On Behalf Of Rebecca Buck
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 1:48 PM
To: RCAAM at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU
Subject: Re: Registrar vs. Collections Manager vs. Curator of Collections

Since this seems to be my favorite area ....

Registrar
Collections Manager
Curator of Collections

Use of titiles depends on discipline and size of the museum; job descriptions depend to some extent on discipline and size, and to a great degree on culture and history of the institution.  Responsibilities can be interchangeable or quite separate.

Registrars are almost certain to deal with acquisitions, deaccessions, loans and exhibitions. They may also be collection managers and do some curatorial work.  Often, in larger museums,  there are registrars for exhibitions, for loans, for shipping, for permanent collections, for traveling exhibitions.

Collections managers are almost certain to deal with storage issues (environment, upgrades, off-site configurations), object moves, and basic object maintenance.  They may also be registrars. 

Curator of collections -- I think this can be either truly curatorial or a combination curator/registrar/collections manager. It's a term more often used by history than by art museums.  There's a funky (for USA) title at UPenn, Keeper, which also fits with this.

Other areas of responsibility sometimes picked up by registrars, collections manangers and curators of collection: rights and reproductions, pest control, security liaison (or in a small museum security head), photography, conservation coordination.  They often devleop policies and work with lawyers to do legal forms, they do inventory and computerization of collections documentation.

And there's a ton of administration work involved.

Rebecca

Rebecca A. Buck, Chief Registrar
The Newark Museum
49 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07101
ph: 973-596-6667
fx:  973-596-6666
rbuck at newarkmuseum.org
 ...snip...
From: Registrars Committee of the AAM [mailto:RCAAM at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU] On Behalf Of Pamela Elbe
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 12:45 PM
To: RCAAM at SI-LISTSERV.SI.EDU
Subject: Registrar vs. Collections Manager vs. Curator of Collections
 I have a pretty basic question for everyone out there. What is the difference (duties-wise) between a registrar, collections manager, and curator of collections?  We've gone through some staff changes recently and will be updating some museum policies soon and I want to be certain that my title appropriately reflects what I do. Thanks in advance for your assistance!  Pamela ElbeCollections Manager and ArchivistNational Museum of American Jewish Military History1811 R St. NW, Washington DC  20009p: 202.265.6280 x201 f: 202.462.3192http://www.nmajmh.org Don't miss our new exhibition, Reconnaissance and Recollection: Military and Civilian Photographs from World War II*the photographs of Sy Weinstein.

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