Description
Oversee the care, documentation, and accessibility of an institution’s collections, including acquisition, cataloging, storage, loans, and exhibitions. May lead research, teaching, and public engagement aligned with collection stewardship.
- • Develop and maintain collection registration, cataloging, and documentation systems in collection management databases.
- • Provide authoritative collection information to staff, researchers, and the public.
- • Monitor storage and gallery environments, coordinating maintenance, climate control, and integrated pest management to protect collections.
- • Train and supervise collections assistants, registrars, technicians, interns, and volunteers.
- • Lead acquisitions, deaccessions, and incoming/outgoing loans in accordance with policy and ethics.
- • Conduct object-based research to enhance provenance, context, and interpretation.
- • Advise leadership on collections policies, budgets, priorities, and long-range planning.
- • Represent the collection at professional meetings and community events to build partnerships and support.
- • Coordinate collection-related programs, openings, and tours with exhibitions and public programs staff.
- • Write and review grants, collection reports, catalog texts, and interpretive or publicity materials.
- • Examine objects to assess condition, provenance, authenticity, and value in consultation with conservators as needed.
- • Manage insurance and risk for collections, exhibitions, and loans.
- • Oversee image rights, digitization, and reproduction requests for collection materials.
- • Plan acquisitions, storage, and exhibitions; shape themes and content; and oversee object preparation and installation.
- • Design and deliver collection-based tours, workshops, and class sessions.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
