Careers in Cultural Heritage
This list was created in an effort to raise awareness to careers that work with cultural heritage for those interested in pursuing careers within this field. This list is in no particular order and was created by conservation professionals who have experienced collaboration with the following professions. It is in no way a complete list.[edit | edit source]
This document is a living document, meaning that it will be constantly changing and updating as we learn more. If you do not see something on here you think should be added, please email ecpn.aic.pet@gmail.com and it will be updated ASAP. Thanks![edit | edit source]
- Conservator
- Conservation Scientist
- Preservation Specialist
- Historic Preservationist
- Traditional Construction Trades - Craftsperson
- Architect / Preservation Architect
- Engineer
- Contractor
- Planners
- Materials Scientist
- Librarian
- Information Specialist
- Archivist
- Registrar
- Collections Manager
- Furniture Repair
- Bookbinder
- Microsoft Library & Museums
- Mountmaker
- Preparator
- Framer
- Legal Librarian
- Curator
- Archeologist
- Exhibition Developer
- Historian
- Graphic Artist
- Photographer
- Digitization Management
- Marketing
- Educator / Public Programming
- Facilities Staff
- Grounds Keepers
- Custodians
- First Responders (Firefights, Blue Shield Army, FEMA)
- Costumer
- Art Handler
- Artist
- Security Guard
- Tour Guide / Interpreter
- Lawyer
- Fundraiser
- Prop Maker
Context[edit | edit source]
Dating back to the first blog posts of ECPN, the term “allied professional” has been used as an umbrella term or catch-all to describe those working in the field of cultural heritage. There are many positions in different types of institutions - all contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and frequently working alongside conservators to reach common goals. Often, due to the limited availability of pre-program jobs that are specific to conservation work, emerging professionals in this field are not exposed to the different types of work available to them that can develop related skills, enhance how they approach the kind of work they want to do, and also show them some new options that may better suit their needs.
This list was created in an effort to raise awareness of the many careers one can have that both aid in and are necessary to the preservation of cultural heritage. The making of this list was prompted when discussing the obstacles to entering a conservation graduate program in the US. Many of those participating in this live discussion voiced that they were not aware of any other careers regarding preserving cultural heritage that they may have been equally or more interested in, but that they now felt were out of reach due to time invested in a more traditional path.
The job titles on this list represent careers in many types of institutions, including museums, libraries, archives, and historic properties. Our goal is to maintain this list with yearly updates and expand into new areas where possible. We hope that emerging professionals in the field from the beginnings of interest and beyond use this resource to become aware of the multitude of pathways that result in careers that work with cultural heritage.
