tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76028357925309866952024-03-02T17:46:12.059-08:00Museum Work Musings . . .Writings about advocating, enjoying, wishing & ranting about museums and the cultural sector.Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-462760839997869242024-01-07T14:49:00.000-08:002024-01-08T07:38:18.462-08:00What is Old is NewWhat is New is Old Again!Also known as . . . I have just started in the role of . . . Senior Registrar at the Royal BC Museum (Caroline Davies version)(compare to the 2015 version!)Yes, after 510 days on the hunt for my next position, after 18 applications and 16 interviews for local non-museum jobs and distant senior museum gigs, I rejoined the orbit of the RBCM, in Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-29960418464320128052023-11-16T19:08:00.000-08:002023-11-16T19:08:00.987-08:00An Explanation of Museum Registration*Notation - The intention of this presentation is to be a somewhat facetious characterization by someone who has great adoration for the art of museum registration. *This dissertation about museum registration is an invitation . . . a demystification . . . a disambiguation . . . (intensification of anticipation . . . )I have received communication in Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-71652245644363631792023-10-02T12:44:00.001-07:002023-10-04T09:22:08.191-07:00 Lessons Learned & Next StepsThis plaque was given to me by a friend who had it in her house for years. She said she had placed it on many different walls, in different rooms so she could see it and have it remind her to 'keep the faith' in challenging times. She said she had recently moved it but hadn't figured out its next home . . . but when I came to visit, ah-ha! she knew I needed Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-75751197275806589752023-10-02T12:42:00.002-07:002023-10-04T09:21:50.100-07:00Working in a Large MuseumThe Dream Job: Senior Registrar . . .Shipping exhibition crates in January 2020Yes, it finally happened! After my time at Royal Roads University, I at last got the job I had been training for my whole career, the one I was seeking for so long: I became the Senior Registrar at a large museum, the Royal BC Museum to be precise, in January 2015. My career journey Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-44969531815796681562023-09-05T09:07:00.000-07:002023-10-04T09:23:01.051-07:00 From Musing about Museums to Analyzing Archives . . . Hatley Castle at Royal Roads University"I am a collections management expert and I would do a STELLAR job as your archivist." This is the message I found in a notebook of what I wanted to relay when I interviewed for the position of Archivist at Royal Roads University. When I found out about the opportunity, it intrigued me. AsCaroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-50318031105408888182023-08-29T09:28:00.003-07:002023-08-29T10:31:24.760-07:00Museum Consultant, Part 2 . . .Well, I have caught up in my career review to when I first started this blog in 2010, just after I finished my work at the University of Victoria. It was a prolific time for my writing, and I hesitate now to write over or revise those posts of how I worked during the year-and-a-bit I was focussed solely on being a consultant and a writer. I also want to make the Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-54940206722164638002023-08-02T11:18:00.003-07:002023-08-02T12:38:52.942-07:00Making ConnectionsVisiting UBC Library retrieving during an archives eventOkay, all vulnerable here: this was a hard post to write regarding my career journey. I really enjoyed my time at Government House. I was there for over four years, and it was good, the longest I had ever worked anywhere. Great, even, with the experience I received and the work I imagined I could do there to bring heritage alive. I Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-24894408651203971222023-07-06T15:23:00.005-07:002023-07-06T21:37:07.682-07:00Life as Heritage Officer for British Columbia's Government House . . .Heritage Officer Caroline, circa 2005After such an amazing time in California, my next museum career chapter began in a new city (for me) back in Canada: Victoria. We moved in 2003, and I spent the first while getting the kids settled in elementary school as well as really joining a community of parent/teacher groups, hockey teams and softball fun. I was lucky enough to have this time as I was Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-78692055969733952852023-05-09T08:47:00.002-07:002023-05-09T18:26:36.343-07:00 A California Dream . . . From Volunteer to Grad School to Exhibitions RegistrarI wasn't long in Edmonton before an opportunity came up to go to California as spouse on a Free Trade visa, moving there to follow the (first) internet boom. We thought we'd go for just a year or so, to see what it was like, and ended up staying for ten. In these years I volunteered, went to graduate school and Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-67689413889775543402023-03-24T07:46:00.003-07:002023-03-24T07:51:03.951-07:00Coming Home . . . Part 1 After my travels, it was time to come home to Edmonton, Alberta, and figure out my next steps in the museum working world. Of course wanted to find a paying job, and started by walking my resume around town and joining the provincial museum organization. I also continued on with the Air Force Reserve band on a part-time basis, both playing and Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-68748339956518361332023-02-28T13:12:00.010-08:002023-03-01T11:43:32.084-08:00My Time at the Tower . . .Cover of the souvenir bookletAs I continue on with my museum career journey, I come to the making-a-dream-come-true part: Living in London. I had always loved the city and had the opportunity to travel there a couple of times and really, really wanted to live there. So after I getting my undergraduate degree in history, I took it and my British passport (which I got Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-273089798826230952023-02-14T12:22:00.002-08:002023-02-16T17:17:42.869-08:00 There's No Life Like It . . . Now before I get all museum-y on my journey down Memory Lane, I need to acknowledge a really amazing experience I had in the working world as a young adult.You see, when I was still in high school, my older brother joined a band. Now it wasn't *that* kind a band, but one that had - what!? - a prerequisite of going through basic military training for the Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-12522816863978427282023-01-24T10:18:00.002-08:002023-01-30T16:36:44.540-08:00What can I do with a History degree?Waaaayyyy back in 2011, I wrote For the Love of History. I am almost surprised how much the post resonates with me still - it actually might be my favourite. I especially like this part:Ever since I can remember, I have been obsessed with history. Or maybe a better way to say it is story - his story, her story, their story, your story, our Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-2933670115252171202023-01-24T10:15:00.012-08:002023-10-02T12:46:14.765-07:00Memory LaneAs I begin to write the next chapter in my career, I have been thinking and researching how I should update documenting my skills, my resume, and my LinkedIn profile. I have completed a LinkedIn course, and am working with a coach. One idea that I am beginning to understand is there are different ways of expressing my work. For instance, a LinkedIn profile isn't a resume (which Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-35252570489765818722023-01-11T12:42:00.001-08:002023-01-11T12:57:12.314-08:00The Ka-Ching FileHa. I have actually been musing about museum work . . . go figure my blog title actually makes sense . . .Yes, I have been reviewing my work experiences, figuring out ways to highlight and categorize and document project accomplishments and goals met and all that. I have been struggling with what to focus on, and if I should categorize my work by specific museum projects, or should I focus Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-26573631512047387912022-11-10T13:27:00.000-08:002022-11-10T13:27:41.646-08:00CH-CH-CHANGESWell, it's been a while . . .I almost cannot believe this blog still exists, but it does! And so I am back after seven - SEVEN! - years away. A lot has happened, too. Where shall I start?First, I guess all ya'll know - or should know - that I reclaimed my birth surname Davies in 2019, shortly after my father passed away. I was a bit nervous of how no longer going by my married name Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-28673116936859671492015-10-24T21:17:00.000-07:002015-10-24T21:17:03.011-07:00IT HAPPENED!
This is the post I have been dying to write. And now it is time...
On January 5, 2015, I began working at my favourite museum, doing my favourite job.
My title is Senior Registrar and I am in charge of the initial intake of all objects into a provincial museum that has over seven million natural history and human history artifacts in its collection. I work with loans, both for Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-34866125263926035892014-06-15T20:50:00.000-07:002014-06-15T20:50:24.947-07:00In Praise of the Instructional Skills WorkshopWell, I'll be . . .
. . . someone who can give a presentation after all!
I tell you, I learned something in just a three-day course that could change the way I present information. And, no, I am not being sponsored for this post -- I just can't get over how good I feel about public speaking after taking the Instructional Skills Workshop.
So what did I learn? What did I want to learnCaroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-65141111908410294862014-04-07T22:05:00.001-07:002023-08-29T16:40:58.123-07:00
Unlocking Information
I admit it, I feel vulnerable putting this out there. But if you can't share what you learn . . .
I recently gave a presentation of historical information and although I have had fabulous feedback and thanks, I know that standing up and speaking in front of people is something I want to / need to work on. I wish to channel that passion I have for archives and museums Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-14760099997703182562014-03-30T19:48:00.000-07:002014-03-30T19:48:25.348-07:00
Finding Time to Write
So sorry - I have not forgotten about you . . . really!
Now where was I? Saying I'd be back sooner rather than later? Well, obviously we've been a little challenged in that department so therefore this post will be short and to-the-point as I have so much more I need to say these days!
The British Columbia Museums Association Conference 2013
- I always like meeting Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-79009280091517555202014-01-05T16:57:00.001-08:002014-01-05T17:04:41.411-08:00Looking Backward, Looking ForwardOr, Hello Neglected Blog . . .
Museum blogging just didn't happen that much in 2013, likely due to the fact I am currently in the world of archives. I am enjoying immersing myself in the work, but I do find that my elusive full-time schedule doesn't leave a lot of time for musings. Despite this I still feel compelled, as one does when the calendar changes to a new year, to review and plan Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-27158842619420545462013-10-14T17:40:00.000-07:002013-10-14T17:43:13.527-07:00London Calling, Part 2
Can we just say it's been busy these days? I do love the blog, really, so forgive the lack of posts. I will try to catch up this month.
Anyway, I left you hanging, didn't I. I went to London this summer, and was able to see some amazing places. In this adventure, I also had the opportunity to go back to one of my first heritage workplaces - The Tower of London. I worked there for a Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-56419961016509760742013-07-06T17:07:00.000-07:002014-01-04T19:54:00.107-08:00London Calling. . . with a few good museums to go see!
First off, I know, how rude. I was highlighted as a museum blogger and then got lost in cyberspace. It wasn't on purpose, really. You see, I got this opportunity to visit to my favourite city ever, London, England, where I had some time to check out some museums. And I have to say, they didn't disappoint.
#1 Victoria & Albert Museum
Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-1887302171339870642013-03-03T17:47:00.002-08:002013-03-03T17:47:59.313-08:00Working in ArchivesFinding similarities, understanding differences . . .
I have been working as a full-time archivist for just a little over a year and a half now. All my days are so full, and there's definitely less time for blogging, but I am going to try to come back here more often. You see, I still believe there is more in common than not between museum collections management and managing archival holdings. Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7602835792530986695.post-18176039715196168302012-10-23T21:44:00.000-07:002013-03-03T17:50:00.816-08:00Oh I Still ❤ Conference Time2012 edition . . .
I just got back from attending the 56th British Columbia Museums Association conference in Kamloops. There was time to meet old friends, make new ones, and, yes, be part of a presentation or two to talk about museums, collections and community.
I am currently a member of the Communications Committee for the BCMA and so we had some work to do, organizing and running a plenary Caroline J. Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10913592873170819765noreply@blogger.com1