We were pleased to see an article exploring some of the challenges to both the practicalities and the concept of being a curator.
The piece quite correctly identified that: “In the face of cuts and cost savings, one-time specialists are increasingly expected to be multi-tasking generalists.”
However, we would suggest that there is an equally significant issue when these one-time specialists leave or retire. Their replacements have to take on a multi-tasking generalist role from day one and often don’t have time and support to build up a specialist knowledge in any subject area.
This issue is borne out by the Museums Association (MA) collections coordinator Sally Colvin’s observation of an increase in grant applications from specialist collections that are now lacking expert curators, and the justified importance given to the Monument Fellowship programme. As your article states: “The lack of that specialist knowledge is a constant challenge...”
The Social History Curators Group (SHCG) was delighted to receive a MA Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund grant to allow it to continue to support its members and others on the frontline.
The SHCG’s Firstbase (www.shcg.org.uk/firstbase) is an online, searchable database of useful resources relating to a whole range of subjects, themes and objects dealt with by those who work with local and social history collections. Firstbase holds over 2,000 records of books, articles, websites, collections, museums and organisations.
The purpose of Firstbase is to provide a starting point for those who need something better than Google. Whether it’s research for an exhibition or an unidentified object, Firstbase offers a professional helping hand. All resources listed on Firstbase have been checked, reviewed and verified by the editorial committee, which monitors and adds additional content to the site.
Of course, SHCG would support curators being able to spend more time developing their own expertise alongside the other skills required in their role. However, the reality is that being able to call on colleagues for advice in an unfamiliar subject area is a way to fill the expertise gap. The development of Firstbase is one way of using technology to achieve that more effectively.
Victoria Rogers and seven others, Social History Curators Group
The piece quite correctly identified that: “In the face of cuts and cost savings, one-time specialists are increasingly expected to be multi-tasking generalists.”
However, we would suggest that there is an equally significant issue when these one-time specialists leave or retire. Their replacements have to take on a multi-tasking generalist role from day one and often don’t have time and support to build up a specialist knowledge in any subject area.
This issue is borne out by the Museums Association (MA) collections coordinator Sally Colvin’s observation of an increase in grant applications from specialist collections that are now lacking expert curators, and the justified importance given to the Monument Fellowship programme. As your article states: “The lack of that specialist knowledge is a constant challenge...”
The Social History Curators Group (SHCG) was delighted to receive a MA Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund grant to allow it to continue to support its members and others on the frontline.
The SHCG’s Firstbase (www.shcg.org.uk/firstbase) is an online, searchable database of useful resources relating to a whole range of subjects, themes and objects dealt with by those who work with local and social history collections. Firstbase holds over 2,000 records of books, articles, websites, collections, museums and organisations.
The purpose of Firstbase is to provide a starting point for those who need something better than Google. Whether it’s research for an exhibition or an unidentified object, Firstbase offers a professional helping hand. All resources listed on Firstbase have been checked, reviewed and verified by the editorial committee, which monitors and adds additional content to the site.
Of course, SHCG would support curators being able to spend more time developing their own expertise alongside the other skills required in their role. However, the reality is that being able to call on colleagues for advice in an unfamiliar subject area is a way to fill the expertise gap. The development of Firstbase is one way of using technology to achieve that more effectively.
Victoria Rogers and seven others, Social History Curators Group
