ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes that the patterns of curatorial behavior at the museums of the Smithsonian can be seen as specific characteristics of curatorial expertise. The chapter presents a classification of these into three categories – adaptive expertise (being able to meet the unfamiliar with creativity and flexibility); distributive expertise (sharing expertise between museum professionals, field experts, and museum visitors); and transmitted expertise (preserving knowledge in a way that is beneficial for the next generation of collection stewards) – and examines how this curatorial knowledge is applied. This chapter includes case studies such as Ralph Baer video game prototypes and the laptop used as a prop during the television show Sex and the City as well as excerpts from interviews with the following museum professionals: David K. Allison (NMAH); Joyce Bedi (NMAH); Joshua Bell (NMNH); Alicia Cutler (NMAH); Eric Jentsch (NMAH); Robert Leopold (Smithsonian Center for Folklife); Ann Seeger (NMAH); Carlene Stephens (NMAH); Hal Wallace (NMAH); Marc Weber (Computer History Museum); and Helena Wright (NMAH).
