Life As a Museum Technician or Conservator
Job Description & Duties 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.
Museum Technician or Conservator Responsibilities
- Build, repair, and install wooden steps, scaffolds, and walkways to gain access to or permit improved view of exhibited equipment.
- Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control.
- Plan and conduct research to develop and improve methods of restoring and preserving specimens.
- Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair.
- Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces.
- Cut and weld metal sections in reconstruction or renovation of exterior structural sections and accessories of exhibits.
Skills Needed to be a Museum Technician or Conservator
These are the skills Museum Technicians and Conservators say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Museum Technician
- Armorer Technician
- Exhibit Preparator
- Ethnographic Materials Conservator
- Art Objects Repairer
Job Outlook for Museum Technicians and Conservators
There were about 11,800 jobs for Museum Technicians and Conservators in 2016 (in the United States).
New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12.4% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,500 new jobs for Museum Technicians and Conservators by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 1,400 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Museum Technicians and Conservators are California, New York, and Illinois.
Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Rhode Island, or North Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Museum Technicians and Conservators Make A Lot Of Money?
The typical yearly salary for Museum Technicians and Conservators is somewhere between $25,430 and $74,840. The median salary is $43,020.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
|
District of Columbia |
$68,460 |
|
Maryland |
$66,300 |
|
New Jersey |
$57,510 |
|
Massachusetts |
$56,100 |
|
New York |
$56,040 |
|
Connecticut |
$55,340 |
|
Alaska |
$50,660 |
|
California |
$48,120 |
|
Washington |
$46,300 |
|
Iowa |
$45,520 |
|
Illinois |
$45,210 |
|
Virginia |
$45,100 |
|
Oregon |
$44,350 |
|
Texas |
$44,090 |
|
Tennessee |
$43,940 |
|
Georgia |
$43,390 |
|
Minnesota |
$42,750 |
|
Pennsylvania |
$42,700 |
|
Colorado |
$42,580 |
|
Ohio |
$41,940 |
|
Florida |
$41,600 |
|
Missouri |
$41,350 |
|
Alabama |
$41,260 |
|
North Carolina |
$40,850 |
|
Maine |
$40,610 |
|
Kentucky |
$39,410 |
|
Wyoming |
$39,280 |
|
Hawaii |
$39,270 |
|
Arizona |
$38,950 |
|
New Mexico |
$38,690 |
|
Wisconsin |
$37,480 |
|
Indiana |
$36,250 |
|
Nevada |
$36,240 |
|
Kansas |
$36,040 |
|
Michigan |
$36,030 |
|
Arkansas |
$35,650 |
|
Oklahoma |
$34,410 |
|
Nebraska |
$34,240 |
|
South Carolina |
$32,820 |
|
South Dakota |
$31,550 |
|
Louisiana |
$24,690 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Museum Technicians and Conservators
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Museum Technicians and Conservators may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
Becoming a Museum Technician or Conservator
Learn what Museum Technician or Conservator education requirements there are.
What work experience do I need to become a Museum Technician or Conservator?
Where Museum Technicians and Conservators Work
Related Careers
Those thinking about becoming Museum Technicians and Conservators might also be interested in the following careers:
- Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture
- Photographers
- Aquacultural Managers
Those who work as Museum Technicians and Conservators sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
- Audio-Visual and Multimedia Collections Specialists
References
Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons
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