ABSTRACT
Professional roles in museums define divisions of labor that are codified by job description, professional practice, or institutional culture. Within museums, professional roles are usually assigned a set of tasks or products for which staff members are responsible. The most notorious turf battles arise between curators and educators when both claim the interpretation and presentation of collections as major aspects of their job responsibilities. This chapter offers guiding principles and practical strategies for creating effective curator-educator partnerships. In some museums, collaboration occurs naturally in the course of daily work. Yet, few institutions have codified processes for creating curator-educator partnerships. For museums to achieve their full potential as educational institutions, they must strive for parity between education and curatorial departments in the sizes of staffs and budgets. Museums need the leadership that enables new models to be developed, monitored, sustained, and evaluated so staff members can implement projects that bring creative vision and greater focus to the museum's public service mission.
