Want to know about more differences within the museum field? Try reading this article on public vs. Taking an introspective look at yourself is the first step to taking a firm stride in the direction of your future career. If you are looking to go into the museum field, just know that both big and small museums are wonderful places to work and offer their own merits depending on your working style. Hopefully these differences can make a decision about what path to follow a little easier. Museum workers are usually motivated by a passion for history, so it is important to consider what type of collection you would most prefer learning and working with. I have been working with artifacts from India and Myanmar at the ROM, which do not necessarily have to be related to Canada at all. Conversely, larger museums are often more globalized. For example, at Museums of Mississauga, even though we have a kimono, it is related to Mississauga’s twin city, Kariya, Japan and so is related to Mississauga in this way. Of course, this is not to say that there is no global history, but rather that most of the mandates stipulate that it must relate to the local area. For example, smaller museums tend to be “community museums”, meaning that they collect local history. Personally, I prefer working with museum collections, so it is important to be aware of the differences in mandates between different museums. When choosing your preferred career, ask yourself what focus and how much schooling you would want to do. Of course, it is entirely possible for someone with a specialized degree to work in a small museum and vise versa, it just tends to be less common. Whereas, someone from a large museum is most useful when they are an expert in a particular subject such as South Asian history in the case of my supervisor, but this would not be true if that person applied to work in the paleontology section. ![]() Someone at a small museum is most useful when they can jump from one discipline to another, so having a degree that is extremely specialized would not necessarily be as useful as being a “Jack of all trades”. Since small museums are more interdisciplinary, the education that many of my fellow colleagues at smaller scale museums have is more hands on and less specific. ![]() Therefore, when choosing your preferred working environment, ask yourself if you want to work mainly within your specific department, or be more flexible and wear multiple hats. In this environment, I must be a “Jack of all trades” willing to get my hands dirty with multiple different projects across several departments. In comparison, at Museums of Mississauga, it is entirely possible that I could be doing tours and working on the database in the same day. ![]() For example, when I work with the curator of the South Asian Art and Culture department, I have very little interaction with staff members from other departments. Often large museums, such as the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) where I intern, tend to be departmentalized, meaning that there is little cross over between different departments. large museums based on my personal experience. Before you set your career goals in stone, read the below list of differences I have noticed in small vs. Both have their merits and, personally, have offered me amazing experiences, it is more an introspective question as to which type best fits you. However, not all museums are made alike and it is important to know the differences between the two main types of museums: small and large. I have been fortunate enough to work and/or volunteer in multiple museums since 2015 and I know that I have a passion for heritage work and the museum field. Photos courtesy of the Royal Ontario Museum and City of Mississauga CultureĪs I am finishing up my undergraduate degree, I am starting to consider what type of career and workplace I want to work in.
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