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Curators Occupation Detailed Description

Curators career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Curators

The main tasks and work activities of Curators are to develop library or archival databases, provide information to the general public, direct activities of subordinates, train staff members. In general, for the Curators, speaking, reading Comprehension, writing, active Listening and other 17 skills are required.
Curators Job Description
EducationMost of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related ExperienceExtensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job TrainingEmployees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
ExampleThese occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Curators jobs.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
0.00%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
3.37%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
1.48%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
95.15%

Tasks and Work Activities of Curators

  • Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases.
  • Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public.
  • Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed.
  • Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns.
  • Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections.
  • Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise.
  • Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations.
  • Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances.
  • Schedule events and organize details, including refreshment, entertainment, decorations, and the collection of any fees.
  • Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials.
  • Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value.
  • Arrange insurance coverage for objects on loan or for special exhibits and recommend changes in coverage for the entire collection.
  • Establish specifications for reproductions and oversee their manufacture or select items from commercially available replica sources.
  • Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials.
  • Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Thinking CreativelyDeveloping, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Develop library or archival databases.
  • Provide information to the general public.
  • Direct activities of subordinates.
  • Train staff members.
  • Order instructional or library materials or equipment.
  • Negotiate purchases or contracts.
  • Research topics in area of expertise.
  • Confer with others to conduct or arrange operational activities.
  • Promote educational institutions or programs.
  • Plan community programs or activities for the general public.
  • Write articles, books or other original materials in area of expertise.
  • Write grant proposals.
  • Evaluate scholarly materials.
  • Evaluate characteristics of archival or historical objects.
  • Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
  • Construct exhibits or parts of exhibits.

Skills and Abilities for Curators

  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Management of Personnel ResourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  • Management of Material ResourcesObtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Claw hammere.g. Claw hammers
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Digital camerase.g. Digital cameras
  • Scannerse.g. Digitizers
  • Handheld thermometere.g. Handheld digital thermometers
  • Notebook computerse.g. Laptop computers
  • Lightmeterse.g. Light meters
  • Mat cuttere.g. Mat cutters
  • Paint brushese.g. Paint brushes
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Power drillse.g. Power drills
  • Utility knivese.g. Precision knives
  • Levelse.g. Precision levels
  • Rulerse.g. Precision rulers
  • Scannerse.g. Scanners
  • Screwdriverse.g. Slotted screwdrivers
  • T squarese.g. T squares
  • Two way radiose.g. Two way radios
  • Utility knivese.g. Utility knives
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • History and ArcheologyKnowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
  • Fine ArtsKnowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Sociology and AnthropologyKnowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
  • Communications and MediaKnowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • GeographyKnowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Philosophy and TheologyKnowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.