According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Plan and organize the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections and related materials, including the selection of exhibition themes and designs, and develop or install exhibit materials. | 86% |
| Develop and maintain an institution's registration, cataloging, and basic record-keeping systems, using computer databases. | 83% |
| Plan and conduct special research projects in area of interest or expertise. | 80% |
| Provide information from the institution's holdings to other curators and to the public. | 78% |
| Study, examine, and test acquisitions to authenticate their origin, composition, history, and to assess their current value. | 76% |
| Negotiate and authorize purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. | 76% |
| Inspect premises to assess the need for repairs and to ensure that climate and pest control issues are addressed. | 76% |
| Write and review grant proposals, journal articles, institutional reports, and publicity materials. | 75% |
| Design, organize, or conduct tours, workshops, and instructional or educational sessions to acquaint individuals with an institution's facilities and materials. | 75% |
| Attend meetings, conventions, and civic events to promote use of institution's services, to seek financing, and to maintain community alliances. | 72% |
| Train and supervise curatorial, fiscal, technical, research, and clerical staff, as well as volunteers or interns. | 72% |
| Confer with the board of directors to formulate and interpret policies, to determine budget requirements, and to plan overall operations. | 70% |
| Arrange insurance coverage for objects on loan or for special exhibits and recommend changes in coverage for the entire collection. | 66% |
| Schedule events and organize details, including refreshment, entertainment, decorations, and the collection of any fees. | 56% |
| Establish specifications for reproductions and oversee their manufacture or select items from commercially available replica sources. | 49% |
