ABSTRACT
The growth of digitized heritage collections, as well as the acquisition and creation of born-digital content, collection documentation in digital form, and the exponential expansion of social media and technology tools, requires new skill sets for both scholars and cultural heritage professionals. Chapter 4 examines the core competencies needed in the museum field and how these can be incorporated into the academic curriculum for museum studies and related cultural heritage disciplines. Now that technological change has rendered skill cycles shorter than ever, we should not only identify the skills needed for today’s tools but also give students a solid grounding in the principles that will not change so quickly, so that as digital curators they can master new skills and tools for digital stewardship in the future. Educators as well as practitioners should work to break down barriers between theory and practice across libraries, archives, museums, and heritage sites, so that the knowledge and skills required for digital stewardship are embedded in education, research, and practice.
