1st Edition

Museum Careers A Practical Guide for Students and Novices

By N Elizabeth Schlatter Copyright 2008
    184 Pages
    by Routledge

    184 Pages
    by Routledge

    This concise volume is the place to start for anyone considering a career in museums. Museum professional and author N. Elizabeth Schlatter outlines the nature of the profession as a whole, the rewards and challenges of museum work, types of museums, and jobs within museums, including salary ranges. She discusses options for education and training, and offers suggestions on how to secure a job and move up the career ladder. Interviews with museum professionals from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds demonstrate different career paths and offer unique and helpful advice. For novices in the field, students in museum studies programs, or anyone considering museums as a career choice, Schlatter’s book is an essential starting point.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, PART ONE: MUSEUM WORK, Introduction: WHY WORK IN A MUSEUM?, Chapter One: WHAT IS A MUSEUM?, Chapter Two: MUSEUM TRENDS AFFECTING EMPLOYMENT, PART TWO: MUSEUM JOBS, Chapter Three: JOBS FOCUSED ON OBJECTS AND/OR EXHIBITIONS, Chapter Four: JOBS WITH A PUBLIC FOCUS, Chapter Five: JOBS WITH AN ADMINISTRATIVE FOCUS, Chapter Six: THE DIRECTOR, PART THREE: PREPARING FOR AND GAINING MUSEUM EMPLOYMENT, Chapter Seven: EDUCATION, Chapter Eight: INTERNSHIPS AND VOLUNTEERING, Chapter Nine: FINDING AND APPLYING FOR JOBS, Chapter Ten: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER GROWTH, APPENDIXES, Appendix One: SALARIES FOR TEN COMMON POSITIONS AS SURVEYED BY REGIONAL MUSEUM ASSOCIATIONS, Appendix Two: SALARIES FOR TEN COMMON POSITIONS AS SURVEYED BY MUSEUM PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, Appendix Three: ORGANIZATIONS AND WEBSITES FOR STUDENTS AND MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS, SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX, ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Biography

    N. Elizabeth Schlatter is deputy director and curator of exhibitions of the University of Richmond Museums, Richmond, Virginia, where she has worked since 2000. Her career includes administrative and programmatic positions at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, and the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas. With an M.A. in Art History from George Washington University, she has curated numerous exhibitions of modern and contemporary art; published articles, reviews, and catalog essays; and presented papers on related topics at regional and national conferences. She is author of the ebook Become an Art Curator.