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Museum Technicians & Conservators

Also called: Conservator, Objects Conservator, Paintings Conservator, Preparator

What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
  • Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
  • Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
  • Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes.

Arts and Humanities
  • music, dance, visual arts, drama, or sculpture
  • English language
Safety and Government
  • public safety and security
Business
  • management
Math and Science
  • chemistry

Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • reading work related information
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Verbal
  • communicate by speaking
  • listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
  • order or arrange things
  • create new and original ideas
Hand and Finger Use
  • keep your arm or hand steady
  • put together small parts with your fingers

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Dependability
  • Cooperation
  • Integrity
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Initiative

You might use software like this on the job:

Data base user interface and query software
  • Gallery Systems EmbARK
  • PastPerfect Software PastPerfect
Spreadsheet software
  • Microsoft Excel
Electronic mail software
  • Microsoft Outlook

master's degree or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
$43,020
$25,430
$74,840

See more details at O*NET OnLine about museum technicians and conservators.
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