Exhibition registrar to collection manager
An exhibition registrar already meets 64% of what the collection manager role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.3/ 100
1 How much of what a collection manager is expected to do is already part of an exhibition registrar’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the collection manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A collection manager role treats 15 of its required skills as things an exhibition registrar already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on loans of art work for exhibitions
- art history
- assess museum object condition
- collection management software
- conservation techniques
- cope with challenging demands
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A collection manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an exhibition registrar background worth leading with.
- already held implement risk management for works of art information skills
- already held supervise artefact movement handling and moving
- already held advise on loans of art work for exhibitions management skills
- already held assess museum object condition information skills
- already held monitor museum environment information skills
- already held collection management software social sciences, journalism and information
All 15 carried skills, including the 15 the collection manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn provide project information on exhibitions required
- optional, not held contribute to specialised publications optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn create collection conservation plan required
- optional, not held arrange interlibrary loans optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn compile detailed collection inventory required
- optional, not held evaluate art quality optional
- still to learn digitization required
- optional, not held museology optional
- still to learn establish high standards of collections care required
- optional, not held art-historical values optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a collection manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 compile detailed collection inventory practise this
- 02 create collection conservation plan practise this
- 03 establish high standards of collections care practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held advise on loans of art work for exhibitions skill
- already held art history knowledge
- already held assess museum object condition skill
- already held collection management software knowledge
- already held conservation techniques knowledge
- already held cope with challenging demands skill
- already held document museum collection skill
- already held handle artworks skill
- already held implement risk management for works of art skill
- already held interact with an audience skill
- already held monitor museum environment skill
- already held museum databases knowledge
- already held respect cultural differences in the field of exhibition skill
- already held supervise artefact movement skill
- already held use ICT resources to solve work related tasks skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held contribute to specialised publications optional
- optional, not held museology optional
- optional, not held arrange interlibrary loans optional
- optional, not held art-historical values optional
- optional, not held evaluate art quality optional
- optional, not held present exhibition optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
19 held skills the collection manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on art handling skill
- not needed by the target role advise on foreign affairs policies skill
- not needed by the target role advise on government policy compliance skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax policy skill
- not needed by the target role art collections knowledge
- not needed by the target role compose condition reports skill
- not needed by the target role consult exhibition organisers skill
- not needed by the target role deliver correspondence skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety of exhibition skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role lead inspections skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with cultural partners skill
- not needed by the target role manage loan administration skill
- not needed by the target role manage loans skill
- not needed by the target role prepare loan contracts skill
- not needed by the target role provide advice on travel destinations skill
- not needed by the target role provide railway technical advice skill
- not needed by the target role train guides skill
- not needed by the target role work independently on exhibitions skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn digitization required
- optional, not held museology optional
- optional, not held art-historical values optional
Common questions about this move
Can an exhibition registrar become a collection manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An exhibition registrar already covers 64% of what a collection manager is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 15 of which the collection manager role treats as required.
What skills does an exhibition registrar need to become a collection manager?
5 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is compile detailed collection inventory.
How hard is the move from exhibition registrar to collection manager?
Its learning distance is 41.3 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.