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  • 1.  Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-06-2024 11:24 AM
    Hi Folks,

    Minnesota Historical Society curators are proud to be part of the AFSCME union. Our union includes all staff without direct reports.

    We'll be preparing to negotiate for our second union contract and I was wondering if anyone is willing to share salary information for curators at their organization. We'd be interested in knowing: Title (e.g. Associate Curator; Curator, Senior Curator), Size of organization, location of organization, organization's budget, annual salary, years of experience, level of education. 

    I've been trying to gather where this information is sourced publicly, as well as ask other curators about their experience. If you have anything to share, I'm grateful!

    Best wishes,
    Angelica Maier (Curator of 3D Objects at MNHS)

    --

    Angelica J. Maier

    Curator of 3D Objects

    phonetic pronunciation: An-GEL-ih-khah Meye-er (Maier rhymes with fire)

    personal pronouns: she/her/hers

    Minnesota Historical Society

    345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102

    angelica.maier@mnhs.org ǀ 651.259.3228


  • 2.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-09-2024 09:17 AM

    Hi Angelica,

    In case federal curatorial data is relevant to your preparations, the latest in OPM pay scales per grade and region (GS, or General Schedule) can be found at:

    https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2024/general-schedule/

    Curators in the Dept of the Air Force are in the GS-1015 series anywhere from GS-05 through GS-14. Most, I believe, are GS-11/12. Position classification is described here:

    https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/classifying-general-schedule-positions/standards/1000/gs1015.pdf

    There are some exceptions of course -- I'm in a different pay system from GS for example; I'm in "AqDemo," which diverges from GS in evaluation and pay. No curators in federal service that I know of are in a union. 

    I hope this proves helpful. 

    Cheers,

    Doug



    ------------------------------
    Doug Lantry, PhD
    Acting Chief, Research Division
    National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
    Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
    douglas.lantry.1@us.af.mil
    nationalmuseum.af.milCurator & Historian
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-09-2024 09:59 AM

    Thanks so much, Doug! 



    ------------------------------
    Angelica Maier
    Curator of 3D Objects
    Minnesota Historical Society
    Saint Paul MN
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-10-2024 10:56 AM
    Hi, all.
    If you have access to AAM's salary survey, you should look at that. Also consult the regional museum service organizations to see who has done salary surveys and whether they will share. Last, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will provide national statistics for last year, and luckily, curator is one of the positions they cover.
    Best,
    jb


    --
    Joan H. Baldwin
    Curator of Special Collections
    The Hotchkiss School
    11 Interlaken Road
    Lakeville CT 06039
    860-435-3251
    She/Her/Hers

    "Memory (the deliberate act of remembering) is a form of willed creation. It is not an effort to find out the way it really was-that is research. The point is to dwell on the way it appeared and why it appeared in that particular way."
    - Toni Morrison

    "Sometimes when you do a decision, you fix one problem and make a whole other problem." 
    -Declan Finn





    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-09-2024 11:53 AM

    Hi Angelica,

    Curator salaries are part of the Total Compensation Solutions Not for Profit Salary Survey. I know, because I asked to have that position added years ago. You can also find information on O*Net: O*NET OnLine Help: OnLine Overview. It is also part of the AAMD salary survey.

    Asking for institutions to provide you with their specific information is a violation of anti-trust laws: Agenda: Compensation: Avoiding Antitrust Violations, so I urge you to seek publicly available survey data.

    I hope this helps.

    Kind regards,

    Roz Schaffer



    ------------------------------
    Roslyn Schaffer, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
    Professor in Human Resources, HR Consultant
    Philadelphia, PA
    roslyn.schaffer@villanova.edu
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-09-2024 12:31 PM

    Roz,

    Those are good points to remember. Fortunately US Gov't job classification and region/grade salary range data is publicly available, as are USG employees' grade levels (though individuals' specific salary details are not). Nonetheless, you bring up an important caution for anyone surveying the field. Safety first!

    Best regards,

    Doug



    ------------------------------
    Doug Lantry, PhD
    Curator and Historian, Research Division
    National Museum of the United States Air Force
    Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
    douglas.lantry.1@us.af.mil
    nationalmuseum.af.mil
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-09-2024 07:36 PM
    Dear Ms. Maier:

    Just in case you have not consulted the following key resource on this subject, I would suggest accessing Dawn E. Salerno, Mark S. Gold, & Kristina L. Durocher's For Love or Money: Confronting the State of Museum Salaries. MuseumsEtc: Boston at 

    https://museumsetc.com/products/for-love-of-money-confronting-the-state-of-museum-salaries  .


    Best wishes for successful negotiations.


    Respectfully yours

    Paul C. Thistle

    Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers ~ Help for fully loaded camels working in a rain of straws blog https://solvetasksaturation.wordpress.com/
     
    Critical Museology Miscellanea ~ blog for critical, self-reflexive, & radical re-examination of museum practice https://miscellaneousmuseology.wordpress.com/





  • 8.  RE: Curator Salaries

    Posted 12-10-2024 10:20 AM

    I would check the AAMD survey: https://aamd.org/our-members/from-the-field/salary-survey-2023

    Best,

    Mark 



    ------------------------------
    Mark Osterman
    Assistant Director for Digital Experiences
    The Wolfsonian–FIU
    ------------------------------



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