CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies

Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators

The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
Summary Job Description Tasks
Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators. Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set-up.
 
Coordinate exhibit installations, assisting with design, constructing displays, dioramas, display cases, and models, and ensuring the availability of necessary materials.
 
Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
 
Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
 
Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
 
Supervise and work with volunteers.
 
Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials.
 
Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
 
Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts, and supervise inventory control.
 
Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces.
 
Repair, restore and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
 
Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used.
 
Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.
 
Cut and weld metal sections in reconstruction or renovation of exterior structural sections and accessories of exhibits.
 
Perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures.
 
Plan and conduct research to develop and improve methods of restoring and preserving specimens.
 
Notify superior when restoration of artifacts requires outside experts.
 
Estimate cost of restoration work.
 
Preserve or direct preservation of objects, using plaster, resin, sealants, hardeners, and shellac.
 
Build, repair, and install wooden steps, scaffolds, and walkways to gain access to or permit improved view of exhibited equipment.
 
Construct skeletal mounts of fossils, replicas of archaeological artifacts, or duplicate specimens, using a variety of materials and hand tools.
 
Direct and supervise curatorial, technical, and student staff in the handling, mounting, care, and storage of art objects.
 
Photograph objects for documentation.
 
Lead tours and teach educational courses to students and the general public.
 
Deliver artwork on courier trips.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
Important Knowledge Competencies Competency Description
English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 
Chemistry Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
 
Fine Arts Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
 
History and Archeology Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
 
Administration and Management Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 
Clerical Knowledge 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.
 
Mechanical Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 
Computers and Electronics Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 
Engineering and Technology Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 
Design Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 
Production and Processing Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
Important Skill Competencies Competency Description
Active Listening Giving 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.
 
Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
 
Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
 
Writing Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
 
Critical Thinking Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
 
Monitoring Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
 
Complex Problem Solving Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
 
Active Learning Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
 
Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
 
Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
 
Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
 
Instructing Teaching others how to do something.
 
Time Management Managing one's own time and the time of others.
 
Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.
 
Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
 
Negotiation Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
 
Quality Control Analysis Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
Important Ability Competencies Competency Description
Oral Comprehension The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
 
Oral Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
 
Near Vision The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
 
Written Comprehension The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
 
Information Ordering The 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).
 
Written Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
 
Inductive Reasoning The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
 
Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
 
Speech Clarity The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
 
Problem Sensitivity The 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.
 
Deductive Reasoning The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
 
Arm-Hand Steadiness The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
 
Finger Dexterity The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
 
Fluency of Ideas The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
 
Originality The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
 
Flexibility of Closure The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
 
Visualization The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
 
Manual Dexterity The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
 
Far Vision The ability to see details at a distance.
 
Visual Color Discrimination The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
 
Category Flexibility The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
 
Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
 
Time Sharing The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
 
Perceptual Speed The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
 
Control Precision The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
Prerequisite Qualification Category Education and Experience Level
On-Site or In-Plant Training None
 
Required Level of Education Master's Degree
 
Related Work Experience Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
 
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
Alternate Job Title(s)
Armorer Technician
Art Conservator
Art Objects Repairer
Art Preparator
Artifacts Conservator
Ceramic Restorer
Collections Curator
Collections Manager
Collections Specialist
Conservation Technician
Conservator
Curator
Curator of Collections
Curatorial Assistant
Director of Exhibits
Document Restorer
Ethnographic Materials Conservator
Exhibit Preparator
Exhibit Technician
Exhibition Designer
Exhibits Coordinator
Exhibits Curator
Fine Arts Packer
Head of Conservation
Lace and Textiles Restorer
Museum Exhibit Technician
Museum Registrar
Museum Technician
Objects Conservator
Paintings Conservator
Paper Conservator
Paper and Prints Restorer
Preparator
Research Assistant
Restoration Technician
Sculpture Conservator
Textile Conservator
Transportation Equipment Maintenance Worker
 
CompGeo Occupation Group: Education
Job Family: Museum
Benchmark Title: Curators/Archivists/Museum Technicians/Conservators
 
 
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