Museum Curator will support a museum focusing on modern naval history in Port Hueneme, California. The Curator will contribute to a major inventory and digitization initiative involving approximately 17,000 historical objects comprising a wide range of formats. Working on-site with museum leadership and collection staff, the selected candidate will inventory, catalog, photograph, clean, rehouse, and safeguard artifacts while applying current museum collection management and digital asset management practices.
The position requires a hands-on museum professional who can work independently, exercise sound judgment, and handle valuable historical materials with exceptional care.
Responsibilities:
- Inventory artifacts maintained in museum storage areas, including opening storage containers, identifying objects, reconciling contents, and documenting collection information.
- Catalog artifacts and create or update accurate object-level collection records using museum-approved terminology, procedures, and collection management practices.
- Produce consistent, high-quality digital photographs of artifacts for identification, documentation, research, and public-access purposes.
- Edit, process, name, organize, and manage digital image files using Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Acrobat Professional, and other authorized applications.
- Carefully unpack, handle, clean, inspect, and repack artifacts using appropriate museum handling and preventive-conservation practices.
- Rehouse collection materials using suitable storage materials and commercial or professional museum practices.
- Support the museum’s broader collection digitization initiative and help improve access to collection information for Navy personnel, researchers, and the public.
- Apply current museum collection management standards, digital asset management practices, institutional policies, and professional ethical principles.
- Identify collection discrepancies, handling concerns, storage issues, damaged objects, incomplete documentation, or other risks and promptly elevate them to museum leadership.
- Maintain organized workspaces and protect Government-furnished equipment, supplies, collection records, and historical materials.
- Communicate effectively with the Museum Director, museum employees, Navy personnel, contractors, researchers, and visitors of varying ages and abilities.
- Complete routine work and special assignments independently while responding flexibly to Government priorities, training, and procedural direction.
