Shared curators

[arkl22]

Does anyone know of instances in which multiple institutions, such as historical societies, share a single curator? If so, how do they divide duties, work hours, etc.? Any info much appreciated.
--Amy

[StephGaub]

What an interesting question. I have never heard of any situation like this, so it will be interesting to know if others have experience with this or not.

[Laurie LaBar]

About 15 years ago one of our curators worked half time her and half time for a local historical society, but the moneys/hours were strictly divided, and benefits came through just one of those institutions. And ten years ago or so, I job-shared with a departing curator for 6 months, while he split his time between us and another museum. After 6 months, I became full time. It was tricky: the other half of my pay came from soft money, so we had to be careful with time. (that wasn't so bad: it meant that some tasks rec'd better focus than might otherwise have been the case). The other curator sort of faded from sight near the end, which was probably predictable under the circumstances.

So my experience has been that, with careful accounting and time management, it is possible. If needs and responsibilities are clearly spelled out in advance and communication avenues remain open, it can work well