How do they match: Museum Technicians and Conservators

  • Preparator
  • Preservation Contactor
  • Preservation Vendor
  • Art Preparator
  • Exhibit Preparator
  • Museum Preparator

  • Restore, maintain, or prepare objects in museum collections for storage, research, or exhibit. May work with specimens such as fossils, skeletal parts, or botanicals; or artifacts, textiles, or art. May identify and record objects or install and arrange them in exhibits. Includes book or document conservators.

  • Prepare artifacts for storage and shipping.
  • Prepare reports on the operation of conservation laboratories, documenting the condition of artifacts, treatment options, and the methods of preservation and repair used.
  • Preserve or direct preservation of objects, using plaster, resin, sealants, hardeners, and shellac.
  • Install, arrange, assemble, and prepare artifacts for exhibition, ensuring the artifacts' safety, reporting their status and condition, and identifying and correcting any problems with the set up.
  • Plan and conduct research to develop and improve methods of restoring and preserving specimens.
  • Recommend preservation procedures, such as control of temperature and humidity, to curatorial and building staff.
  • Repair, restore, and reassemble artifacts, designing and fabricating missing or broken parts, to restore them to their original appearance and prevent deterioration.
  • Study object documentation or conduct standard chemical and physical tests to ascertain the object's age, composition, original appearance, need for treatment or restoration, and appropriate preservation method.

  • Prepare materials for preservation, storage, or display.