Curation Beyond Collecting: Modern Trends in Special Collections Curatorship as Shown through Job Advertisement Analysis

Document Type

Journal Article

Role

Author

Published In

portal: Libraries and the Academy

Volume

26

Issue

3

First Page

513

Last Page

539

Publication Date

7-2026

Abstract

To date, no one has conducted a big-picture study of what it means to be a special collections curator. This article analyzes 143 job advertisements posted over a decade to determine what types of institutions employ curators and where they fit into institutional structures and values; what types of education are desirable; what types of objects or collections they curate; and what categories of work are included as part of their jobs. The article also considers the meanings of these findings as well as the ways job descriptions do and do not reflect who is hired and what work is done.

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