What is a curator?

A museum curator is the person responsible for a museum's collection. A curator's responsibilities are many, such as:

• working with conservators to ensure proper care or restoration of artifacts or historic sites

• researching and compiling information about the objects in a collection

• helping to create exhibitions using the objects

• acquiring additional objects for the collection by purchasing them, loaning them from other institutions, or receiving them as a gift from donors

• keeping careful records that include detailed descriptions, provenance, history of use, and associated people such as who owned them and who manufactured them

• creating teaching programs and inform researchers

• integrating computers into cataloging, exhibiting and educating the public.

What do museums do?

A Museum offers learning opportunities by using collections, exhibits and educational programs. Museums present opportunities for sharing cultural heritage with the community. They share their rich information resources, while they collect, display and preserve important objects and information. Much of the same is true for libraries, archives, and image collections.

What do on-line collections do?

Exhibitions of museum collections on the Internet, what are called virtual exhibits, have advantages over the traditional museum. A virtual exhibit has a larger exhibiting space; an institution can show a nearly infinite amount of objects or information when virtual space is used. Even objects that are not accessible to the public can be made accessible in a digital format through the World Wide Web. Also, by digital means, such as the Internet and e-mail, communication about the collections can begin between the curator, educators, students, genealogists and researchers.