Programs and Services
Working in Alberta’s museums
Types of museums in Alberta
Alberta’s museums are quite diverse: ranging from multi-staff museums with enormous budgets, to volunteer-run sites that rely solely on fundraising and grants to operate.
Based on operating structure and funding, museums in Alberta can be divided into four main categories:
Provincially operated museums
There are 18 museums and historic sites operated by the Alberta government (i.e., the Royal Alberta Museum, Oil Sands Discovery Centre, Royal Tyrrell Museum and Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre).
Municipally operated museums
A number of museums are operated by or receive ongoing financial support from a municipal government source (e.g., Grande Prairie Museum, Fort Edmonton Park, Red Deer Museum and Esplanade Centre – Medicine Hat).
Non-profit operated museums
More than half of Alberta’s museums are operated by a non-profit museum or historical society.
Other museum models
A small number of museums are operated under a different model, such as Edmonton Public Schools Archives & Museum, Calgary Police Interpretive Centre, museums at the University of Alberta / University of Calgary, and the Glenbow Museum - Calgary.
Employment
Employment in Alberta’s museums depends to a large degree on the size and budget of the museum. The provincially / municipally operated museums generally have paid, professionally-trained staff; non-profit operated museums are mostly volunteer-operated (although there is an increasing number of paid staff); and museums operating under a different model (e.g., university museums, Glenbow Museum) are most likely to have paid, professionally- trained staff.
Location is also a major factor regarding museum employment in the province. The majority of museums in Alberta with paid staff are located in major urban centres (e.g., Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat).
Things to keep in mind regarding employment:
- Employment may depend on matching your background with the scope of the museum (e.g., anthropology, military history, aviation, machinery, etc.).
- There is significant variety in the types of museum employment in Alberta, ranging from full and part time, to seasonal and contract work (which has been increasing since the late 1990s).
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Benefits of Working in a Museum
- Creative opportunities
- On-going learning
- Rewarding work
- Chance to meet people
- Having community impact
- Educating future generations
- Variety of work
- Opportunity to be passionate about what you do
Challenges of the museum sector
- Misunderstanding by general public about what a museum is
- Salary / benefits are not consistent and are generally lower than most other sectors
- Job security issues
- Potential to be overworked / burned out
- Lack of advancement
- Lack of full time paid permanent opportunities
- Funding instability
- Working conditions
Tips for getting into the industry
Occupational profile information for various sections of the cultural and heritage field (i.e., Anthropologists, Archaeologists, Archivists, Conservators, Curators, Heritage Interpreters, Historians Museum Technicians, etc) can be found at:
Alberta Learning Information Services (ALIS)
http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/occinfo
Canadian Museums Association (CMA)
www.museums.ca (on the home page go to ‘Jobs’)
Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN)
www.chin.gc.ca (on the home page go to ‘Job Postings’)
Another source of information is main-l our electronic discussion list. Many museum positions are also advertised here that might not be found elsewhere.
Skills / Personal Characteristics for museum workers:
- Passionate about heritage/history
- Creativity
- Research
- Self-motivated / curious
- Multi-tasking
- Communication / people skills
- Flexible
- Decision making / Problem solving
- Computer skills
- Understanding of non-computer systems
- Sense of humour
- Respect for backgrounds / experiences
- Organized
- Able to work well independently and as part of a team
Related Experience/Volunteer Activities
Many museum and historic site professionals start their careers by filling temporary positions as students and by serving as volunteers. A large number of heritage institutions offer temporary positions through programs such as Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations (Federal Government) and Canada Summer Jobs (Federal Government) as well as provincial programs such as the Summer Temporary Employment Program (STEP) in Alberta. While the majority of these positions are aimed at student employment in the summer months, there are often longer internships and contract extensions.
The majority of heritage institutions offer volunteer positions for those who are interested. It is often a good idea to look at the website of institutions you might be interested in to look for volunteer information. Larger institutions often have a Volunteer Coordinator who will be recruiting and training individuals.
Both activities (temporary summer employment and volunteering) offer an excellent opportunity for training and first hand experience in the heritage field as well as networking. A person is often able to become familiar with several heritage occupations.
Networking
Another important step in building knowledge of the industry and career opportunities is to join membership organizations. Through membership, individuals can gain a better understanding of events and trends, meet potential employers, build a support network of colleagues, enjoy on-going communications, training opportunities, etc.
Some examples of membership organizations include:
Canadian Museums Association
http://www.museums.ca/
Commonwealth Association of Museums
http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/cam
International Council of Museums
http://icom.museum/
University and College Museum Programs
The following is a list of several institutions within Canada offering specific educational competencies, degrees, certifcates and accreditations in museum-related programs.
Athabasca University Undergraduate Certificate in Heritage Resources Management and Graduate Diploma in Heritage Resources Management
http://heritage.resources.athabascau.ca
University of Victoria, Cultural Resource Management Program
http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/crmp/
University of Toronto - Master of Museum Studies
http://www.utoronto.ca/museum
Fleming College - Certificate in Museum Management and Curatorship
University of Waterloo, Cultural Management Institute - Online Learning
http://ccm.uwaterloo.ca/programs/ccm_cpdp.html