Thanks for reading our blog! We’re currently remodeling to ensure its continued relevancy to you and the field in general. We would greatly appreciate your feedback! We’ve created a survey that asks about what you are interested in seeing in the blog, and has space …
Current students and museum professionals – consider attending the FREE Massachusetts Museums Day, hosted by NEMA on October 7. The event, located at the State House in Boston, strives to “build awareness and advocacy for the museum field. This is a great opportunity for museum studies …
Now that fall is starting to get under way (sorry to say), we’d like to put out a call for any students or museum professionals who might want to write a guest post for this blog! Whether you have a vague idea of a topic you are interested in, you have something already written and are looking for a place to make it public, or you’re somewhere in between, we’d love to hear from you! You are also more than welcome to take something you have written for class and transform it into a post. You do not need to be a professional writer to contribute to the blog – Jess and I are happy to help with editing. From one time posts to recurring series, we are open to ideas.
If this sounds like something you are interested in, please email Colleen and Jess, your trusty co-editors, at tuftsmuseumblog[at]gmail[dot]com.
Last night was the orientation for the incoming Museum Studies students. Jess and I tagged along to meet them all and to talk about the blog, and we are so excited about the newcomers! There are a lot of intelligent, enthusiastic and passionate people coming …
Many museums struggle with maintaining a good balance of technology – enough to attract (and keep the attention of) younger crowds, but not so much that visitors who go to museums to “unplug” are unable to do so. The best solution is to give visitors …
Smithsonian.com recently published an article describing the tests that curators in 1910 were supposed to be able to pass. If you had the right education and could answer questions about what (and how) you collect things, you were on your way. But curators had to have a little something…more. Other valued skills? Having good “family connections,” along with the ability to ride a horse, steer a canoe, and discuss the correct education and age level that museums should reach. The test consists of 34 short answer questions, like “What do you consider the principal requirements for a satisfactory museum building? (Consider at least five points)”
Some of the questions are still discussed today, such as, “Should a museum receive gifts subject to restrictions posed by the donor?” After all of that, the test requires a 3000 word thesis on the correct organization of a natural history museum. Worried that the test was too simple, allowing just about anyone to become a curator? Not to worry, you should also have a set of personality qualifications that set you apart:
“After the candidate has safely negotiated the above questions he is supposed to be able to pass muster in the following regard. He should have good health, ability to handle a horse and canoe, and be inured to the hardships of camp life and the work of exploration.”
Want to check out other questions on the test? Click here for the test published in Proceedings of the American Association of Museums.