Museum Acquisitions Assistant
Caitlin O'Callaghan
Museum Acquisitions Assistant at Galway City Museum
About the Position
The museum acquisition assistant role means being responsible, on a day-to-day basis, for the entire Sea Science floor. What this means is that they will be based on the floor, providing a point of contact/source of information and communication /guide to visitors to the Sea Science Galleries. Part of the duties will also be to note any damage to exhibits, any repairs needed, any concerns regarding the exhibition and to bring them to the attention of the director or relevant staff members.
On top of all of this, you would be responsible for assisting the curator and working alongside the acquisitions team. Frequently, large museums need a language interpreter to work with the acquisition department to translate the works and their meanings and ensure the quality of the item. You would also be asked to assist with visitor evaluations of the Sea Science Galleries and exhibits.
The assistant may also be requested to get involved in giving workshops, drafting additional educational material, and presenting/ publishing material at conferences and on the Museum’s digital/social media platforms. This position is perfect for language majors and history majors with language certificates.
How did you find this position?
Indeed.com
Summarize the Minimum Qualifications and emphasize the skills relevant to language majors.
Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed applications be a recent graduate (within 2 years) with an honours degree in a language, history, art history, museum studies, or classical studies, be proficient in Microsoft Office (MS Office, Outlook, PowerPoint etc), excellent communication and writing skills, demonstrated ability to use initiative, the ability to be organised and work independently to deadlines, strong customer service skills, and experience assisting with/coordinating events.
Summarize the Preferred Qualifications and emphasize the skills relevant to language majors.
Fluency with the following languages is strongly preferred: French, Spanish, Irish, Italian, or others, have experience in guiding/teaching/training/ working with young people, report writing skills, presentation skills, an understanding of the design & print process, and experience writing content for online or traditional media
What are some other skills that are important for success in this field?
The ability to translate on the fly and communicate strongly both in person and over the phone would be incredibly important for success in this area. While working in acquisitions, I would need to work alongside other museums to curate exhibits and facilitate the trade of artifacts. The ability to communicate well and accurately is paramount.
What might be helpful to prepare for a language major to prepare for this field or position?
I think it would be important to combine language skills with historian’s skills in order to facilitate the best discussions across borders.
How is proficiency in another language useful or important in this position?
Being proficient is of the utmost importance because I would be a language aide in ensuring that artifacts are displayed and titled properly so as to show their cultural worth. I would verify the translations of other aides and propose my own translations, in facilitation discussions.
How is the ability to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds useful or important in this position?
The ability to communicate is extremely helpful when trying to communicate across borders and ensure the correct amount of care is given to every object that one restores and displays.
About the author
name: Caitlin O'Callaghan
Caitlin is studying History and French, with an Art History Minor, at Boise State.
