Museum Technician / Conservator

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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Conservation Technician (Conservation Tech); Conservator; Exhibit Technician (Exhibit Tech); Museum Registrar; Museum Technician (Museum Tech); Objects Conservator; Paintings Conservator; Paper Conservator; Preparator; Textile Conservator

Tasks

• Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.
• Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
• Perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures.
• Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used.
• Direct and supervise curatorial, technical, and student staff in the handling, mounting, care, and storage of art objects.
• Photograph objects for documentation.
• Enter information about museum collections into computer databases.
• Plan and conduct research to develop and improve methods of restoring and preserving specimens.
• Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
• Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces.

Knowledge

• Chemistry
• Fine Arts
• History and Archeology
• English Language
• Education and Training
• Administrative

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Writing
• Critical Thinking
• Monitoring
• Active Learning

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Near Vision
• Written Expression
• Information Ordering
• Speech Recognition
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Finger Dexterity
• Speech Clarity
• Problem Sensitivity
• Category Flexibility
• Flexibility of Closure
• Visualization
• Fluency of Ideas
• Originality
• Far Vision
• Visual Color Discrimination
• Selective Attention