Continuing Education

Learning certainly never ends. Admittedly, many personal breakthroughs of late have been in navigating computer files. I have spent more time than I would like to admit brainstorming new ways to search for a tidbit of information I just know is hiding somewhere in Museum file folders. I've often lamented to my older friends who quickly sympathize with my struggles related to technology. Computer and technology workshops pop up every so often, and I actually know people who have owned up to their inexperience and attended. However, "Museum Databases for Beginners" doesn't usually show up on the list. What is a new Curator to do? Well, through the Northern States Conservation Center there exists online training specifically for museum professionals to learn all about subjects from "Care of Leather and Skin Materials" to "Archives Management," and anywhere in between. 

This past week I figuratively dusted off my school supplies and jumped into “Collection Management Databases.” Just like an off-line class, there is a list of varied readings, assignments, and even class discussions that are scheduled as online chat sessions. This course in particular is designed to help museum staffs who deal with specimen records. Records include identifying information about specimens, when and where they came from, changes in their condition or location, and otherwise. While the Cable Natural History Museum continues to make paper copies of all catalog records, everything is also entered into a digital “file cabinet” or database. A computer database works a bit differently than paper records do, but it serves the same function.

This course will allow me to better manage collections and the essential information connected to each collection object through elaborate computer software. During the first week, I have become familiar with nomenclature, important considerations related to storing our information, and the fascinating history of museum databasing. Computer databases have been utilized by museums for much longer than I had assumed. Actually, during the same year that the Cable Natural History Museum was founded, 1967, a group of museum professionals in New York created the first professional organization to promote the use of computers in museums, called the Museum Computer Network. Since then, there have been astounding developments with what can be achieved through this method of record keeping. I look forward to learning much more about this over the next three weeks.

Most importantly, I’ve learned two key points thus far. First, catalog records are nearly as important to a museum as the objects they describe. Records inform a specimen’s value by telling its story and giving us insight into how it can better our understanding of the world around us. Second, I am fortunate to be here. As a professed lover of academics, I find myself at times overwhelmed with gratitude for the formal and informal education I have gained in my young life. The opportunity to spend nearly every day of the week in a museum, of all places, no doubt leads to some of the most curious learning opportunities. I look forward to what the Museum will teach me.