5 Questions With: Mansfield Museum’s Curator

What’s the most surprising part of your work that visitors don’t see?

I think the element that visitors don’t see but wouldn’t find that interesting is the sheer quantity of paperwork involved in my role. However the surprising bit that is far more interesting is the collections work particularly when conserving the objects. This often includes lots of different processes that require different skills and equipment. It can include using a small hoover to clean taxidermy or identify insects in the bug traps.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about human behaviour from working in a museum?

Working in Museums has reaffirmed with me that although the collections are an important part of the museum experience the most important part is the people. The human race has an ingrained need to connect with each other and the work of museums is a great way to encourage this. I have a million examples of this, one of my favourites is when three women in their 80’s visiting an exhibition in the museum about a factory they had worked in together in their 20’s. The exhibition included a photograph of them Can Can dancing at a staff Christmas party, they tried to recreate it in our gallery and ended up in a heap on the floor laughing uncontrollably.

Being kind does sound like a bit of a cliché but it really does go a long way, we often don’t know what people have going off in their lives.

What’s the most unexpected way your job has affected your personal life?

Working in a museum changes the way that you visit other museums and heritage sites. When I go to other places I spend my time picking up kids activity sheets, taking photographs of labels and asking questions about visitor figures.

What’s the best advice you’ve received about dealing with difficult colleagues or stakeholders?

The best piece of advice I was given by a university lecturer was to make sure you say hello to all of your team and show an interest in them. Being kind does sound like a bit of a cliché but it really does go a long way, we often don’t know what people have going off in their lives.

What’s the most unexpected skill you’ve developed in your museum career?

A lot of my role includes managing people, looking after the building and managing projects of all sizes because of this I have developed a long list of qualifications in a wide variety of subjects that I never expected. This includes CITB CDM Awareness, HR Recruitment, Fire Safety, Procurement and I have a qualification in IOSH health and Safety.