People in the History Field: Museum Technician

What is your name, position, and organization you work for?
Hello, my name is Tiffiny Durham and I am a Museum Technician with Fort Scott National Historic Site.

What does your job entail? What do you do on a daily basis?

Museum artifacts at Fort Scott NHS

As a Museum Technician, there are a variety of tasks that are incorporated into this operation. The main job is to keep an eye on the museum collection and monitor for any changes that occur within the collection itself. The collection consists of objects of many different materials such as natural materials, metal, wood, glass, ceramic, and textiles. While monitoring the collection, one must keep watch out for insect infestation or environmental factors such as temperature and RH [relative humidity] fluctuations, decay on the artifacts, light damage from the sun or indoor lights, and taking care that the catalog records are correct. To help maintain a state of control for temperature and RH, Museums are monitored with data loggers that take readings in 15 minute increments. We check data loggers for temperature and relative humidity to make sure we are meeting the guidelines for museum collection set by the National Park Service. Then other tasks include cleaning and dusting the collection, exhibits, and waysides; keeping track of catalog records and update them as needed; and determining what belongs in the collection and what is not relevant to the collection itself. The basis of my daily routine changes from one day to the other. No day is the same. Sometimes I am moving from building to building looking at insects, and then going on to writing grants for new additions to the museum, to cleaning and repairing objects or determining if the artifact needs to go to a conservator for repair. There are some days that I am working on the computer with cataloging records, or providing informal interpretation to visitors and answering questions they may have.

What other responsibilities do you have?
Working for a small park with the National Park Service, in comparison to large parks, you get to do a variety of different activities. These consist of roving and providing informal talks to visitors, guided tours, planning and coordinating special events, working on some small maintenance projects, writing grant proposals and providing educational outreach programs to the public. Just like working with each park, there are different experiences. By the end of the year, we conduct inventory and other mandated tasks according to museum standards the NPS adopted.

How did you get started in this line of work?
It started out in school in 2011 when I was finishing up my degree in Meteorology. I had the opportunity to complete an Internship for the National Weather Service. Through this internship I found out that the National Weather Service was not the right fit for me. I have a passion to teach people and show that there is more than meets the eye. One night at the end of my senior year in college, I decided to attend an environmental education program on East Campus and I met a Park Ranger at this outreach. This Ranger talked about some of the opportunities to enter into the Park Service. He told me how to apply through USA Jobs. It was a couple months later and I was hired to work at my first park, Wind Cave National Park.

An SCA intern cleaning an artifact

How did others get their start? Are there other ways in?
Getting into the Park Service is very competitive, but there are ways to start off and get a foot in the door. Several different ways are through the Youth Conservation Corps [YCC] program for high school students, the Federal Government's student hiring program called Pathways [https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/pathways.htm], and the Student Conservation Association [SCA] [https://www.thesca.org], diversity programs and military service. Contacting a park directly will give you some help with some of your questions.

How do you get a job in your position? What are the steps?
To get a job in my position, apply on www.usajobs.gov. You will want to make sure you have a federal resume that includes everything you have done from job experience, volunteer positions, and internships. Information required for federal resumes include how long you have been at a job and skills sets you have learned. On each job posting, there is information along with occupation questionnaires. Make sure to answer these questions in your resume as well as through the questionnaires; www.usajobs.gov/Help/ will provide you step by step suggestions on how to apply for federal jobs.

Another way to get a permanent position within the Park Service is under the Land Management Workforce hiring path. This allows those who have served and gained experience through the seasonal life to qualify for permanent positions once you have 24 months of work without a year break in service with an government land management department and positive evaluations from your supervisors. 

Consider the phrase: "Knowing what I know now, I would so something differently"? What would you do?
I really would have pursued the high school and college internships through the YCC and SCA and tried more different fields to have a wider and more rounded knowledge of the Park Service.

What would be the best thing you could suggest to someone if they wanted to be a Museum Technician?
Getting into the Park Service is a very competitive field. Keep at it; if you really want to make this a career, you will hear an assortment of no's. Don't let that stop you. You have to work to get in the Park Service, but it is completely worth it. With passion and fight and hard work, this career can become a reality to some people. It really shows that when you work hard for what you dream, you can achieve your goals. In addition: enjoy life as it is too short and take the opportunities as they come your way. 
This job is awesome because no two days are the same. I have met so many wonderful people in my career that have helped me over the years. The Park Service is like a second family. Some of my long lasting friends are from the Park Service. The Park Service has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and the growth I have seen in myself is amazing. Looking back between eight years ago and today, I am a completely different person. I wish you the best of luck on your journey in life!