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| Date: | Fri, 4 Sep 1998 08:47:18 -0000 |
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Robert -A good question that often comes up at university and college museums. If you contact me at the OMNH, I think I can provide you with a job description and information that would be helpful. Meanwhile, I think that importance of the collection and activities of the collection are greater factors than size in determining whether you need a curator. Here are some questions that come to mind. We have had to answer these in developing searches for our curators:
1. How important is the collection to the field of anthropology? The more important, the more you need the curator.
2. How ² active³ is the collection: How many loans requests are there? How many research projects are taking place? What projects are on the horizon or what potential is there for research? The more active, the more you need the curator.
3. How important is the collection to special interest groups (e.g., local Native American tribes)? The more important to these groups, the more you need the curator.
4. Will the position be shared with a university department? 50/50? 60/40? This MAY be a way of resolving the full-time-part-time issue with mutual benefit. OMNH is using a 59/41% split in most positions, with the museum holding the 59%.
5. Will the position have teaching and research duties? Public service?
6. Is there an on-going public service or exhibit program at the museum that requires a curator?
7. Are you looking for a caretaker for the collections who will do the work or a researcher who will generate the funds to get the care of collections done by others?
8. Is this a Ph.D. level position or, say, a Masterıs level position with experience that might be called a Staff Curator without tenure?
9. Is the collection in danger and is it better to keep the collections or give it away to another institution where it can be properly cared for?
10. What is the state of the collection? Well organized? In disarray?
11. Whatıs been done to address NAGPRA? What needs to be done?
Peter B. Tirrell, Associate Director
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
The University of Oklahoma
1335 Asp Avenue
Norman, Oklahoma 73019-6071
tel: (405) 325-1009
Fax: (405) 325-7699
OMNH web page: http://www.omnh.ou.edu/
also: president, Association of College and University
Museums and Galleries(ACUMG) www.omnh.ou.edu/acumg/
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