Curators, or Learning Officers
Contemporary museum practice, particularly as exercised by local authorities, favours using education specialists to complement the work of the curatorial teams. But where should the balance lie?
Museums should be centres of learning and subject expertise, with collecting and interpreting inextricably linked to conservation and research. But can one area be adequately discharged without the other? What are the benefits of learning officers as opposed to curators?
Many regional museums are under pressure to restructure their organisations and increasingly, the emphasis is placed on education at the expense of curatorial expertise. Without curators will scholarly standards be upheld?
Will such restructuring jeopardise the future development of the collection, inhibit career progression for curators and indeed have an adverse impact upon those education programme it seeks to enhance?
Or will the focus on education make collections more accessible and attract new users, while freeing curators to focus on research and collection development?
Topic posted: 11 January 2007.
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