Description
Develop and implement preservation programs to protect and extend the life of museum, archive, and library collections. Lead preventive conservation, environmental monitoring, storage and handling standards, digitization, and emergency preparedness, and coordinate conservation services to support research, instruction, and public access.
- • Develop and maintain preservation documentation—condition reports, treatment records, and environmental logs—using collection management databases.
- • Provide preservation guidance on collections to curators, staff, researchers, and the public, including handling and storage recommendations.
- • Inspect facilities and storage to assess risks, climate control, housing, and pest activity; recommend and track corrective actions.
- • Train and supervise staff, interns, and volunteers in preventive conservation, safe handling, rehousing, and emergency procedures.
- • Specify and procure preservation supplies, equipment, and contracted services; manage vendor relationships and budgets.
- • Plan and conduct preservation assessments, collection risk analyses, and materials research to inform priorities.
- • Advise leadership on preservation policies, standards, staffing, and budget needs; integrate preservation into institutional planning.
- • Represent the institution at professional meetings and community events to share preservation practices and build partnerships.
- • Schedule and coordinate preservation training sessions, emergency drills, and collection care projects.
- • Write and review preservation plans, SOPs, disaster plans, grant proposals, reports, and technical documentation.
- • Examine new and existing materials to evaluate condition, materials stability, and treatment or rehousing needs; perform or coordinate testing.
- • Develop preservation and risk‑mitigation requirements for loans and exhibitions; advise on packing, transit, and courier needs; monitor conditions.
- • Set specifications for preservation‑quality digitization and reformatting; oversee quality control, metadata, and storage strategies.
- • Plan and implement storage and housing improvements, environmental monitoring, and IPM; review exhibit designs for preservation impacts.
- • Lead collections emergency preparedness and response, including salvage, triage, and post‑incident recovery.
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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
