According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| 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. | 87% |
| Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration. | 85% |
| Classify and assign registration numbers to artifacts and supervise inventory control. | 85% |
| Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method. | 84% |
| Clean objects, such as paper, textiles, wood, metal, glass, rock, pottery, and furniture, using cleansers, solvents, soap solutions, and polishes. | 83% |
| Determine whether objects need repair and choose the safest and most effective method of repair. | 83% |
| Photograph objects for documentation. | 83% |
| Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping. | 81% |
| Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used. | 80% |
| Enter information about museum collections into computer databases. | 80% |
| Specialize in particular materials or types of object, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural materials. | 78% |
| Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff. | 77% |
| Perform tests and examinations to establish storage and conservation requirements, policies, and procedures. | 77% |
| Direct and supervise curatorial, technical, and student staff in the handling, mounting, care, and storage of art objects. | 76% |
| Notify superior when restoration of artifacts requires outside experts. | 73% |
| Construct skeletal mounts of fossils, replicas of archaeological artifacts, or duplicate specimens, using a variety of materials and hand tools. | 72% |
| Supervise and work with volunteers. | 71% |
| Coordinate exhibit installations, assisting with design, constructing displays, dioramas, display cases, and models, and ensuring the availability of necessary materials. | 71% |
| Preserve or direct preservation of objects, using plaster, resin, sealants, hardeners, and shellac. | 69% |
| Plan and conduct research to develop and improve methods of restoring and preserving specimens. | 68% |
| Deliver artwork on courier trips. | 68% |
| Build, repair, and install wooden steps, scaffolds, and walkways to gain access to or permit improved view of exhibited equipment. | 66% |
| Perform on-site field work which may involve interviewing people, inspecting and identifying artifacts, note-taking, viewing sites and collections, and repainting exhibition spaces. | 64% |
| Lead tours and teach educational courses to students and the general public. | 63% |
| Estimate cost of restoration work. | 62% |
| Cut and weld metal sections in reconstruction or renovation of exterior structural sections and accessories of exhibits. | 59% |
