Matthew S.
About me
| Matthew S. | |
| History | |
| History | |
| Taught Postgraduate | |
| Vanbrugh | |
| 1995 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Lead Curator | |
| British Library | |
| United Kingdom | |
| 2001 | |
| 2016 | |
| 15000 |
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A day in the life of a Lead Curator in the United Kingdom
Curator at the British Library
My career goals when I graduated
To do something I was interested in (related to history and the arts), and to have at least some social utility
My career history
A few years as manuscripts curator, then a move to the Americas, with an increasing number of projects, such as WWI and Spare Rib digitisation projects, as well as exhibitions, such as Taking Liberties and Animal Tales.
What has helped my career to progress
Having a range of outside interests/connections to see how the Library could connect to these. Pestering line managers for new projects. Trying to bring some originality (and hard work) to the role.
Courses taken since graduation
This has been something of a lacunae; that said most of the courses I have been on have been... underwhelming.
How my studies have helped my career
Specific subject knowledge has often been useful, but also having a sense of the field, as well as how to approach a task in a critical, but enthusiastic, fashion
What surprised me about my career so far
I always said I didn't want to work in a library.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
That would be a hostage to fortune.
My advice to students considering work
It was tough in the late 90s to get a foothold; and will no doubt be harder now, but employers still find it hard to find good candidates: e.g., excellent academic credentials, but also evidence of a range of skills or projects that they have worked on
My advice about working in my industry
You will need work experience or internships, but there are lots of opportunities for volunteering in the sector
Other advice
You can waste a lot of time settling for something you don't really want to do
Contacting me
Happy to speak about work in the cultural, LIS, or archival sectors
What I do
Lead Curator (Americas & Australasian) at the British Library. I grow and manage the collections, work on exhibitions and help to promote the Library.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Exhibition curation skills, digitisation and project management, teamworking and people skills, museology (!), public speaking and presentations, social media, as well as bibliographical and archival skills.
What I like most
The variety of the role, and working on projects.
What I like least
Paper cuts.
What surprised me most
The variety of the role, and the business side of the Library.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Matthew’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Matthew a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Matthew to be your mentor.