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November 2008
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Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Julian Bell's big challenge as the curator at Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex is rehousing the museum's collection of tools and other artefacts into a new, state-of-the-art store. 'We are putting the collection into some sort of physical order. The aim is to give the public access to the store, which will essentially be a huge display of every sort of tool we've got,' says Julian. 'My background is in collections management, which is pretty much what I am doing at the moment. I am hoping to do some real research into the collection once the store is up and running.' Julian also has to deal with the public and the trustees. 'We don't have an acquisitions budget, but we get three or four offers of donations each week and I have to handle those. 'I meet with trustees too. In most museums trustees tend to be quite hands-off, but ours like to get involved.' Museum work is Julian's second career choice. He spent three years as a retail manager before realising that he wanted to do something else. 'I thought long and hard about what I wanted and then started volunteering at museums in Chesterfield, Derby and Manchester,' Julian says. He funded himself through a museum studies course at Leicester University before landing his first paid job at Oldham. Since then he has worked in local, national and now independent museums. Chris Andrew Bedford Museum 'It would be nice to spend more time on the natural history collection,' says Chris Andrew. 'But this is only a small museum so I tend to be roped into all sorts of other things.' A typical day might involve working on the museum's computer documentation system, packing up an exhibition of local artists, dealing with security issues as the museum's health and safety officer or taking guided tours round the galleries. 'I do spend quite a lot of time with the public. We do a lot of work with local children and I give talks to local geology societies or other groups. Two or three times a year I organise fossil hunting trips,' says Chris, 35. Chris took his first degree in zoology and has a museum studies masters from Leicester University. He also has a teaching qualification and taught for a year before moving into museums. 'That was useful experience because gave me the confidence to speak to groups of people,' Chris says. He's been at Bedford for six years now and has no real design to move up the management ladder. 'I much prefer to work with the objects.' To find out more about museum jobs, click here ^ TOP
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