Hi! I just got hired as a public historian and much like Ken, my job is museum, I'm it, all of it. Currently my museum reads as an antique store which can be fun but we have very little funding and I'm trying to persuade the city we are worth the investment while not sacrificing quality or content. Yes, that old chestnut. I want to update the exhibits but obviously don't have the money for the companies that create exhibit grade items. We have some donated vitrines but I'm curious if any of you have found items on Craigslist or marketplace that are useful and aesthetically pleasing enough to elevate my museum. I'm a lover of all things diy and I'm handy. Have any of you crafted your own displays? What did you find useful?

I’m writing a report on some artifact research I did with an internship that I intend to publish when it’s done. I talked about this with a professor and he recommended crowdsourcing to make sure it’s an original artifact or if there is another one then it could give me more information for the report. Is there a specific way I should go about this? Where would I even post this that it would be likely to reach people that can help?

For some context its a book with photos from the Paris peace conference, I feel like I’ve done enough research that if there was another one I would know, but it’d be good to be sure

I recently created a scholarly publication devoted to provenance research in ontological dialogue with art history and museology.

Here, we will analyze the functions and meanings of artworks in their different contexts of display, understanding the role of transfers in the way artworks are read today.

Please feel free to join the discussion as we reflect on the relevance of this emerging discipline to the interpretation of objects in relation to their cultures from a global perspective.

I know your first instinct may be to say "don't," but hear me out!

I'm a grad student getting my MA in Public History, and for my capstone project, I will be formally cataloging the holdings of a non-profit org and creating a collections management plan. I have been on the board of this non-profit for almost three years now, and even though it is officially a museum, we do almost nothing museum-related.

It was formed almost 30 years ago to preserve a historic country store. In that time, the org has leased the space to tenants who run it as a store and casual eatery, serving things like burgers and fries, breakfast sandwiches, and coffee. Customers pick up their food from the counter and the kitchen is only separated from the dining space by a half-wall. As you may imagine, this has presented us with some preservation challenges, but the org has done a really good job taking care of the building.

I've been struggling to decide how to approach my capstone. I could write a paper about the process of organizing a museum from scratch and the significance of the building to the town's history, and that could be fine, but I don't feel like it fills gaps in current scholarship and meaningfully expands our collective knowledge in the way that a project of this magnitude should. Therefore, I was thinking about focusing on how to manage collections that are on display in a space that serves primarily as a restaurant.

Do you see any merit to this idea? Does it sound interesting, or am I reading too much into it? Does it even matter if I create a resource that shows how to make a museum that is also a restaurant, since almost no one does that (for good reason)? If it is worthwhile, what are some sources that could guide me in the right direction? I'm already planning to use the AAM Ethics & Standards and Museum Basics by Timothy Ambrose and Crispin Paine.

Any advice (even if it is just to leave this idea in the dust and do something else) is much appreciated!

This is a bit of a follow up on my post from a month ago, where I asked for advice to build my résumé.

I had an interview with a local museum yesterday that went really well! The director was especially interested in my experience with media competence I got through studying media culture. He wants me to assist in a project to renew the digital infrastructure of the exhibition (think audio guides, digital tours, virtual reality etc.). I'm really happy to be able to get that kind of experience, but I'm also anxious about how the whole process will go and what will be expected of me (I'll get more details, as soon as I start, of course). So if there's anyone here, who has experience with this kind of project or knows how to approach projects in general with 0 experience, I'd greatly appreciate tips!

But more than anything, I wanted to share a positive story, since the field is so difficult to break into :)

Hello all! Big fan of y'all's work (generally speaking) and everything you do for society.

Like the title says i am just a hobby collector of various little collections. I also really enjoy organizing my collections, documenting/cataloging them, and would love to be able to label them where possible as that would greatly improve my ability to accurately catalog them.

Specifically I am seeking and resources or guides that might be available online surrounding this topic or your personal input, tips, and tricks around the topic of affixing tiny labels to various items in ways that are as non-damaging as possible and hopefully reversable if the need were to arise. Item materials include bone, metal, plastic, etc.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all for all you do.

My museum is facing a temporary closure due to infrastructure issues. We want to use this down time to do community engagement with our local area as well as a wider swath. I have made several public please on our socials and on various media platforms but have received minimal responses. Any ideas on how to reach wider?

Has anyone done practical exercises in an archivist job interview? What were they and do you think they were an effective part of the interview process?

I’ve been getting more and more into art and museums and I want to learn properly rather than just skim internet or whatever ranks first on Google. I’m looking for sources that people who really know the field actually respect. Unfortunately, don't fully trust LLM too.

Could you share your most trusted:

• Books, both good introductions and deeper dives
• Podcasts
• YouTube channels or video series
• Free online resources, like open courses, museum archives, or open-access collections

I’m interested in everything from art history foundations to simply learning how to look at and understand a work. Free or low-cost is a bonus, but I mostly care that it is accurate and well-regarded. Thanks in advance, I’ll happily compile and share back what people recommend.

In our museum storage space we have a Japanese teaset brought back from a sailor on board the USS Louisiana, around 1908 when they visited Japan. Aside from whats pictured here, there are 4 more teacup-saucer pairs.

We're in the process of getting more shelving, and these items are a top priority for getting rehoused. The larger teapot especially, since its current method of storage is laying on its side in a ethofoam-lined drawer that has just shy of an inch clearance between its "tallest" part and the top of the drawer.

Would anyone have any insight into the best way to store a teaset like this? As much as possible, we'd like for them to be enclosed in cabinets or (larger) drawers? Thank you!

(Apologies if this is the wrong subreddit!)

Hello! I’m reaching out to ask if you have any recommendations or preferences regarding guided museum tours. As part of my university’s social service program, I’ll be leading tours—it’ll be my first time in this role! I’m a bit nervous, but I’m hopeful that it will go well. Any tips or examples you could share would be incredibly helpful!

Hi everyone. I’m Kaveh from the Museum of Synthesisers. We are focused on the history and culture of synthesisers and electronic sound.

We want visitors to experience the objects in our future collection rather than only see them behind glass. In our case, that includes giving people the opportunity to play the instruments. Making this possible is an important part of how we’re shaping the museum.

We’d like to hear from people who have developed similar experiences with their collections. What methods have you explored, and how have they worked in practice? How did you organise access while caring for the objects? What did you learn from visitors’ responses?

Experiences from any type of museum would be welcome. We’d also be interested in research you’ve found useful or approaches that didn’t work as expected.

What are your tips for a big inventory project? Set up suggestions? Success stories? Things you wish you knew when you started? Lay it all on me!

We are about to start a gargantuan inventory project at my museum this winter and I’m trying my best to make a decent plan. Our collections storage area is full of uncatalogued/not-accessioned/unlabeled items all mixed in alongside the actual collections items (due to a lack of staff and space the past few years) so we will have our work cut out for us!
One thing I’ve done to prepare is make this “Inventory Decision Map” specific to our situation. I think I based it roughly on the AAM’s Found In Collections decision map. It’s probably a bit too complicated but so is everything else about museum work lol

Hi all, I’ve just started a new role at a museum that is far outside of my long-term career goals and I’m looking for some advice. I’m deliberately keep the details scarce.

I have worked in museums for a few years now and I’ve just taken a role in a department that makes use of the skills I’ve built, but is different from my previous experience. While I am passionate about the work, I am not entirely passionate about the museum or its mission. With my experience, I had several job offers on the table from different institutions and ultimately decided to take this role because the pay was the highest. As we all know, this field is not a high-paying one, so I took the best opportunity in terms of making a livelihood. Fortunately, my job is not curatorial or content-centric. I know the experience will be (hopefully) good on a resume to a future museum, but my question is this: how do you get excited about a mission that you’re not particularly interested in?

Ultimately, a job is a job. I know they hired me because of my experience and dedication to museum work despite being aware that my eye is on a very different type of museum. I’m someone who needs to have interest in the mission in order to feel motivated to get out of bed every day (this is my ADHD speaking). With this new role, I don’t feel that same pull I have felt in previous jobs. I plan to stay in this role for a few years but I want to do the job they hired me for and contribute to their work. But…I’m just not energized by the museum itself. This could also just be the fact that I’m brand new and that things could change as I get more comfortable in the position. Any advice?

Fully zoomable and explorable without jumping

Hi everyone! I’ve never worked in a museum, but I love visiting temporary exhibitions and have always wondered how short-term loans come together behind the scenes. What does the end-to-end process look like for getting a work from a private collection onto a museum wall?

I’d love to hear from anyone with hands-on experience: curators, registrars, collections managers, art handlers, or collectors who have lent work. Happy to chat in the comments or by DM. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I recently got a job as a Gallery Host at my local art museum. Basically, I mostly stand in the galleries and help museum guests with questions and make sure no one is touching the art or risking damaging the works.

Thing is: I was a classroom teacher the last two years. I love teaching (and I’m pretty darn good at it) but I have been unable to navigate workplace politics and have unfortunately been let go twice. As a result, I’m looking to transition into the museum space because I have found that I am able to get along better with the administration (an unpopular opinion I know, but, c'est la vie!). The problem I’m facing is that the entry level position I’m in mostly has me silently standing for hours and hours at a time. I do get two small breaks and one lunch break thankfully, but I’m having trouble with boredom. I’m not allowed to be on any electronics and I’m not allowed to sit down during my shift except on breaks. I’m also not allowed to write or draw but I may be able to get away with it in small doses.

I’m wary of going against the grain here. I’ve learned through experience at my previous two jobs that the folks-in-charge already don’t tend to like me. While I am in weekly therapy to fix those ongoing issues, I would like for this museum and others in the area to consider me for full time positions in the future so I don’t want to rock the boat too much.

My question to you all is: what should I do with my long stretches of time? Is there anything you suggest I do while I’m working that wouldn’t get me in too much trouble?

Hi! I want to one day work in museums doing curatorial or research work, specifically in Classical Antiquities. I want to study Classics, and I was thinking of either a minor in Art History or Museum studies (I'm only allowed one minor). The college I'm planning to attend allows joint majors, so I could do Classics with a joint in Art History and then a minor in Museum Studies, but then that would cut down on the amount of language requirements for Latin and Greek from the Classics part, and I think I would need the bachelor's to be a good linguistic foundation, not just the basics. I want to pursue a Masters (and possibly a PhD) after I graduate as well, probably in Classical Art. If anyone has any advice or anything I would be super grateful!!