What’s a Curator to Do?

Research, Collaboration, Duties, and Responsibilities

General Goals of an Exhibition

1. Exhibition as story. What story do you want to tell?2. Exhibition as thesis. What thesis do you want to prove?

Regardless of scholarly ambitions, • Every exhibit needs one big idea, which can be

summarized in one sentence, to guide it.• Everyone leaving the exhibit should be able to

explain what it was about.

If you are lucky enough to have an Exhibits Coordinator, Public Programs Manager, or Registrar, that person will assist with:

• Design and technical support for Library exhibits;• Design and printing coordination of collateral materials for exhibits;• Multimedia companion content design and creation/coordination for physical exhibits;• Online exhibit design;• Exhibit scheduling;• Exhibit coordination with other event planners on campus/in town, etc.;• Coordination of loans and/or traveling exhibit issues;• Exhibit installation and de-installation assistance

Adapted from the National Association for Museum Exhibition (good source for info and ideas: http://name-aam.org/about/who-we-are/standards)

INDICATORS OF EXCELLENCE IN MUSEUM / LIBRARY EXHIBITIONS

Specific indicators of exhibition excellence are:

• An aspect of the exhibition is innovative.

•The exhibition offers a new perspective or new insight on a topic.

• The exhibition presents new information or the results of serious research in a way that is accessible to the general public.

•The exhibition synthesizes and presents existing knowledge and/or collection materials in a provocative way.

• The exhibition includes innovative uses of media, materials, and other design elements.

• The exhibition is particularly beautiful, exceptionally capable of engendering a personal, emotional response, and/or profoundly memorable in a constructive way.

• The exhibition evokes responses from viewers that are evidence of a transforming experience. One wants to read comments like:

It was enlightening / haunting / amazingly moving, etc. The exhibition was an absolute eye-opener. I'll never see XXX in the same way again.

I was filled with excitement.It knocked my socks off

It sent shivers down my spine. I finally got it!

More tips on writing labels.

[N.B., at most special collections libraries, item labels (called “caption labels” here) are 50-150 words]

But the general advice given here is excellent!

Pretty typical library exhibit space(University of Utah)

Columbia’s wall vitrines

If you’re luckier….

Bridwell Library: Ties with Morgan for best exhibition space for books in the country!

Special mounts for special books (in a special library!)

note high quality of materials used (no crushed velvet!)

Boston PublicThe hushed library look…

Library of CongressMixing books with objects….

Good signage, excellent label placement

Cuban Heritage Collection (U of Miami)Use the walls…

SmithsonianUse of varying heights…

Very tricky mount

Very full cases

Less can be more…

Less is more (con’t.), varied heights, and note lighting control

Curator’s Creed

• First, do no harm [Conservation and care]

• Do good work(s) [ serious research]

• Fall not into temptation [don’t “borrow” descriptions]

• Of the making of book (labels), there is no end [spend time with the book! Read it! Discover something!]

• It is right to give thanks and praise [benefactors, provenance, support]

• This above all, to thine own collections be true [think globally, act locally. Celebrate what you have, be copy specific, too!]