Embracing Opportunity when It Appears

 . . . and knowing when to make a move.

I so try to believe the sentiment every. single. day. (And this is my SaTC moment!!)

About a year ago, I got an interesting job offer. Okay, you may know one, but this other came out of the blue. It happened in late 2023 when my hairstylist wanted to know if I could be available so she could do my hair and someone else could do my make-up and a third person take studio photos of me?? Umm, sure?! Why not? What's it for?? So I could be one of their hair models for a bus campaign. OMG, CRAZY. It was so fun to do the 'work' but it is even MORE fun to see my image - which is not one I think of as typical me - drive by at random times. And why is this important when talking about working in museums (or anywhere)? Because opportunity is kinda-sorta all around us in very interesting places and ya have to be ready to say yes if it comes up! And the opportunity may or may not work out, but you should try it out when it sits down next to you and says hello.

My other opportunity from 2023, the museum job I worked very hard to get, just came up on its first anniversary. Going back to the place I had worked before to the position I held for 6.5 years had lots of ups and a couple of downs. I tell people that I am okay 95% of the time with what happened in July 2022 and have come to terms with the ego hit of not-quite clearing that hurdle to a manager level. That 5% of frustration does come up once in a while and I deal with it in that I acknowledge wanting a little more for my career at this institution; I say hello, feel all the feels for a short time and then I shoo it along. I do not dwell there, and it does not define me or my work.

The position I hold now is my current opportunity, and I lead from where I am. I have also learned to let go of what is not my purview by telling myself what I am responsible for is doing excellent work in my department. There are two associate registrars who report to me and I do my best to mentor them AND learn from the newer generation coming into museum work. I support and I guide and I oversee the responsibilities of what needs to get done for the permanent collection, exhibitions, loans in and out of the museum as well as play a pretty decent role in getting the collection ready to move to the new research centre. The days can be so tiring but my spirit is restored doing this work, and I get joy in a full day, especially if there's hi-viz involved on the loading dock. (What can I say? I think it's a fun part! And something I missed when I was a manager!!) I am busy and engaged and so when the 5% of yuck comes up . . . I realize that every job would have that little bit of wariness, and I let go. 

I have also come to the realization - and I don't think this is a negative thing at all, I think it shows growth - that the extra energy I have for museum work perhaps could be spent elsewhere. I am working on diversifying my deep need to be of service; I am not sure where that may lead me, and that is sort of exciting. I am also avoiding narrowly defining what has to come my way . . .  but also mindful of what I really, really want to do. For example, I didn't follow up on how badly I wanted to see a concert (I am pretty sure you can guess who!) and I only realized how much this annoyed me right as it was happening. I ignored the fact that I would have to spend some real $$ to go and I was pretty down and not wanting to hear anything about anyone else attending. But then something happened - I acknowledged the thought, and on the weekend it was all going on, I went with a friend to the city just to enjoy the vibe of all the other people who liked the same artist as me. Of course I tried - like many, many others - to see if I could get tickets without spending thousands of dollars and failed . . . missed opportunity, perhaps . . . but I fed my soul by just sharing in the excitement of others going. Partial win, for sure, and I gladly take it.

Swiftcouver, December 2024

So on the note of being open to new opportunities and knowing when to make a move, I am wrapping up this blog musing about museum work, the last show of my museum eras experience. Oh I have loved it so, and have learned a lot by exploring and writing on how to find ways to work with collections and what museums can do for their communities. I absolutely intend to find another place to keep writing and thinking aloud my ideas and passionate calls-to-service. It excites me to open up to all sorts of opportunities to engage, to have fun, to join the party however new adventures may arise. I look forward to the future and all that comes my way. 

And of course I wish you the best too, whether it's museum work-related or not. 😊 As ever, feel free to drop me a line at MsCarolineDavies@gmail.com if you'd like to connect!

Feelin' pretty swish at the Museum party this year!

What is Old is New

What 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 my dream job. As of December, I am now a part of the team of registrars who will be actively processing new acquisitions and accessions (on a new database!), installing and taking down exhibitions, working with loans coming in and out of the institution, and planning and moving the collections to a new facility. It's going to be insanely busy. The RBCM is also working to reframe its core being, decolonizing and engaging with community to find out how the museum can best serve British Columbians. This is a lot of work and I will be participating in many of these discussions. Bottom line, I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the organization again, and looking forward to meeting challenges together.

I am not sure it is typical to return to a workplace but I am finding out it is not totally uncommon. I have seen people who retire and return. And it is not without precedent, either, for staff to spend some time in acting or permanent management roles and then return to a unionized job, the one that got them to fall in love with the work in the first place. So there may be questions for me as to WHY I would return . . . the foundation is that I am really good at the work I am privileged to do in museums and I want to do more of it. I have confirmed to myself that I need to be in a large institution, as complex and difficult as they may be in this day and age, to help bring forward change. I wish to be part of the 'buzz' of it all and, honestly, I want to stay in the city I am established in, one that I adore. Part of me wonders why it took so long to get back and another says I had lessons to learn and work to do to make really, really sure that this is what I want. And yes, yes it is. So I am going to give it my all and, when time allows, write about this next chapter in museum work. Stay tuned and stay in touch!

Also me, once I found out
99 days after I applied for RBCM Senior Registrar!

An 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 conversation that it is difficult to make a determination of what registration does unless there is an abdication of registration's participation in a museum's organization for some explanation. This representation is an attempt at illumination that registration is the centralization and standardization of the collection's information and situation.

A foundation in the equation of good collections management is the coordination of the physical care of the object's location plus its underlying documentation and itemization. While there is huge appreciation and consideration for the preparation of the actual artifact, without the correlation and association of its identification it really is just 'a thing' without true explanation or contemplation.

Registration is responsible for the initiation of objects into the computer database compartmentalization, making sure its numeration and location is tracked right from the moment it lands in the organization. Then there's the preparation for the examination at the collections committee consultation for consideration whether or not it may be accessioned into the collection with all its characterization.

Registration also works on the facilitation and orchestration of loans and their documentation, importation, transportation and their certification of valuation and indemnification. This effort can be for research loans and their investigation as well as objects being loaned in or out of the organization for presentation.

Museum work is all about collaboration, coordination and consultation. This of course means registration works well and often with the organization's departments of conservation, curation, interpretation, repatriation, education, communication, administration, presentation and exhibition installation. Registration is here to serve in the participation of the museum's celebration of its association to its community population.

So that's a quick summation, perhaps an oversimplification and generalization, but likely will do for the immediate duration as a general characterization of registration. It might not sound like much glamorization or even stimulation, but to me and others who have the occupation of museum registration, it is fascination.

Any interrogation?

Thank you for the creation of time for this self-amplification. In the near future, I hope to have the opportunity for reciprocation.

Salutation(s)!

"Museum Registration Methods" perpetuation & other books of appreciation

 Lessons Learned & Next Steps

This 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 to have it. So now it is up on my dining room wall . . .

I am not going to lie, it has been a very VERY challenging year or so on my museum career journey after my last work experience at the big museum. I have had the opportunity, though, to really work through some tough thoughts, and come to the other side. In no particular order, they are:

• I am Caroline, a kind human who does good work and makes meaningful connections. I am more than any title, where I work, where I live, how much money I make, even who I love. I have learned to be first to see my own worth, and not to need to have someone else show me my value.
• My superpower is organizing thoughts, ideas and information. I have the capacity to easily see the fine details of a project and then zoom out to the bird's eye view and then go back into another detailed project. And then I can weave it all together, like magic.
• Primarily through writing this last blog series and my notebooks, I have rediscovered just how much work experience I have and that yes, I have transferred my museum-based skills in other areas of work, and can do so again.
• I matter and my ideas are meaningful, museum-y stuff and otherwise.
• My job is to bring the best of me to whatever I do. Some days my 'best' needs help, and so I find support and that's okay. But other times my best is AMAZING and I really need to make time and energy to celebrate that. I need to believe in myself and to take it with me into the greater world. In a way, this blog has shown me that I have learned a lot of lessons over the years, and I need to remind myself of those lessons from time to time. (It's kind of like thinking I am Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz . . . the answers are already within me, I just have to click my blog!)
• I am curious and my heart is open. I believe in trust and vulnerability; fundamentally, these values need to be earned and reciprocated for any relationship to grow.
• I have / am learning to surrender to the moment. And no, I don't mean giving up! But I have learned that if I can be still and be present, I am right where I am supposed to be. The Universe, in fact, has my back and has organized some incredible things for me. I am learning to be comfortable not knowing all the details and that everything will happen as it should. 
• I am tough. My new mantra is "Even if _______ happens, I am going to be okay". Cuz it's true!
• There's a lesson in every experience and yes, some are REALLY hard. But in choosing to be stronger, I only make myself better in getting through the challenging times. And for this, I am ever-grateful.

This entry marks the end of my own personal Eras Tour (oh how I love Taylor Swift and how she has rerecorded her albums!) in reviewing where I am going on my career. I am not sure right now where that may lead me, and that is both exciting and daunting. But I hope to pop back in to write about a museum issue from time to time, and to update you to where I am. In the meantime, you'll find me continuing my journey, running in my new 'race day' shoes which I call my swifties cuz a. they are springy, help me run fast and b. they are pink and sparkly. What a fun way to take my next steps!

Working in a Large Museum

The Dream Job: Senior Registrar . . .

Shipping exhibition crates in January 2020

Yes, 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 had brought me to this point through my education, my experience, my interests and my professional development. I was ready to be a super-star registrar!

I began the job joining an exhibition installation that was well under way, and tasked to bring in loaned objects from all over. Loan agreements, shipping logistics, insurance, couriers . . . it was all mine to facilitate. And I loved it. I had documentation to organize, emails to send, people to call, arrangements to make. I was collaborating with curators, collections managers, exhibits colleagues, conservators, museum management, museum executive, lenders (and their personal assistants), government representatives, shipping companies, customs agents and security inside and outside the museum. All this work was to be completed within the deadline of the exhibition opening in mid-May. What a rush, what a feeling to get it open, and to have played a part in all of it. THIS is exactly what I had in mind when I set out to work in museums.

My desk during an exhibition installation. Weeee!

I was also responsible for organizing the Collections Committee meetings, which were in need of a review. I began by speaking to colleagues about what they thought worked, and what they thought needed changing. In a collection of natural history specimens, human history objects and archival holdings, there are many different perspectives. I visited each area - botany, entomology, palaeontology, vertebrates, invertebrates, modern history, Indigenous collections and archives - and began to gain an understanding of both the diversity of the collections and holdings and how it was important to create clear universal and simple policies and procedures for the intake and dispersal of these items. The Collections Committee was the place where all new acquisitions are reviewed, deaccessions are discussed and repatriations are documented. It also reviews / is the time for discussion if there are areas where policy should be updated, including thoughts on rapid-response collecting. These quarterly meetings were quite the event to coordinate and orchestrate - having the right amount of paperwork (but not too much) and knowing which items require attention and which others are routine acquisitions was a learning curve, but it was so important to the legal and ethical obligations of holding a collection in trust for the public at the provincial museum.

Registering new objects and specimens in the database, working on temporary exhibitions, managing loans in and out for both research (from the natural history collections) and exhibition (mostly from human history), as well as Collections Committee meetings kept me and the associate registrar very busy. We also worked to improve all process and procedures through the creation of workflows, and suggested policy changes. It was so very busy that I really didn't have a lot of time for writing here on the blog, or volunteering outside of the work I was doing at the RBCM. There were also challenging issues during this time, including navigating COVID and working from home, and the very difficult work of discussing colonialism / colonial practices and racism in the organization. There were interesting times as well, such as the announcement of the new Collections and Research Building . . . which meant even more work of preparing to move the massive collections of seven million objects, specimens and archival holdings to a new location. 

Although the Senior Registrar position was - and in many ways, still is - my dream job for museum work, I found that I was wanting to continue to grow professionally. I was so excited with the idea of moving all the collections and I wanted to play a key role at the management level, being at the meetings to plan for the move as well as, hopefully, the building of a whole new museum at the current location. I also wanted to really be a part of those hard, thoughtful discussions around colonialism and the changes that we needed to make. And so I took a leap of faith and applied for - and won! - the position of Director of Collections, which I started in October 2021.

Next Step: Daring to Lead . . .

My leadership / support / management style is largely based on Brene Brown's "awkward, brave and kind" philosophy of showing up to be the front person of a team with vulnerability and courage. I knew I was taking a pretty big risk stepping out of a unionized position, as there was a new CEO to start soon . . .  it was a time of change and upheaval. But I also share Brene's admiration of the Roosevelt quote below: I was ready to step up and get into that arena!

In this director role I was responsible for work plans for the natural and modern history collections managers as well as the registration team. We had to do all the regular work and plan for a new collections building on top of that. I was tasked to run competitions to hire four permanent staff as well as a team of technicians to work to get the collections ready to go (there were 99 applicants for one competition!!). And I thought I was busy in the Senior Registrar role . . . some pretty long days were had, with a team of nearly twenty on the roster.

Among all this work came the official government announcement that there would be a new building on the site where the museum stood, closing the exhibition galleries for years during the rebuild. I won't put a link to the day's events but, as you may have guessed, it did not go over well. Less than two months later, the downtown project was cancelled, and public opinion was low of the museum, despite the fact that it used to be such a beloved institution. The way the project was launched and how quickly it was pulled back made for even more stressful times within the museum.

I was soldiering on with the plans for the move of the collections and supporting the Collections team by providing a safety net and a hand-up where I could. But, as someone in the arena, I was vulnerable . . . and the new CEO wanted to make organizational changes. Sometimes, if you're in a leadership role, you make a hard decision; sometimes you deliver a hard decision; sometimes you receive a hard decision. That last one was where I found myself, along with two other museum directors (research and learning), as we were walked out of the building, our positions eliminated, released without cause. After over seven and a half years at the museum, this was the abrupt end to my dream I had pursued with my whole being . . . and it has been very long, hard road to recover from that moment.

In my next post, I delve into the lessons learned from my museum work journey thus far, which have been mighty! One thing remains certain about this latest walk down my path: I have no regrets about taking on that management role. I know museums as a whole are going through tough times, and we all have to be courageous and stand up to say we are going to be a part of the solution, not sit it out. I don't know what my future holds, or where or how I will serve museums next, but I remain brave, I remain passionate, and I remain strong.

 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. As mentioned, my consultant/contract work was not making a whole lot of money (might have something to do with the volunteer gigs . . . ) and so I was always on the look-out for full-time, permanent position where I could use my collections management skills. Here was my chance to stretch myself, to really learn about archives and archival work. I had of course done some work previously in the Government House archives but this was going to be immersed in the profession. And an awesome thing happened: I rocked the interview and presentation, and not only because I brought up an 80s photo of when I visited the site when it was Royal Roads Military College (!!), but because I demonstrated how my experience would add value to the university, specifically in the library as their archivist. So the next step in my career journey was to enter the world of archives!

Rockin' the big hair look
at the top of Hatley Castle at Royal Roads

I previously wrote quite a bit about what it was like to be the archivist in a library at a university located in a National Historic Site (many layers to explore!). There was much to learn there, and I loved getting to know the people and the place. There were many dimensions - the Dunsmuirs of the Hatley Park days, the ex-cadets from when it was a military college (many of whom were still very active in preserving their story and the site) as well as the work required as the university archivist. I was a department of one, with a couple of summer students along the way, responsible for entering information into the database, organizing the physical archives, writing posts for the weekly staff online newsletter, giving presentations and creating and staffing temporary displays for events. I also oversaw the digitization of the military college yearbooks, making sure that they were OCR'd (optical character recognition) so that they were searchable for the alum. It was a rich and fulfilling professional time on a stunning campus that included beautiful lunchtime walks.

The Japanese Garden

Seriously, if you ever get the chance to visit - DO!!

I also had the opportunity to collaborate with and get to know people who worked at RRU - there is so much knowledge there, and many great programs. I particularly learned a lot from the presentation course called the Instructional Skills Workshop. More of a life-lesson on how to trust myself, and to BELIEVE that I know a lot and can get the message across without overthinking or excessive prep. Rereading this post and the one before on giving presentations reminded me that if I simply breathe and ground myself, I can confidently engage with any audience, understanding that they are genuinely interested in what I have to share. I think I learned from the peacocks that that roamed the campus that being 'showy' isn't a bad thing . . . deep within, I possess knowledge and a compelling narrative that can captivate others. 

I truly love the opportunity to learn new things, think in innovative ways and embrace challenges that I have never considered before. I am so grateful for my time at Royal Roads University, to have served as the archivist that allowed me to gain a further understanding of archives. This experience built upon the foundation of university work that I had at University of Victoria and further deepened my appreciation of working at a National Historic Site, much like my earlier role at Government House. Experience by experience, brick by brick, this is how I grow and evolve; I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that have shaped my professional path.

Part of the RRU Archives collection I oversaw

Museum 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 experience of this post more than 'check out this link!' . . . it's a fine balance. I am hopeful though that through this post (and the entire blog, really) I am able to showcase that every step is one that pushes me a little bit more, to my next level. And so when I come to reviewing the work I did as a consultant in the early 2010s, it makes me proud to know that:

1. I was the volunteer coordinator for the 2010 BC Museums Association conference in Nanaimo. Collaborating with an amazing committee, I conceptualized the theme, initiated a call for session proposals, evaluated the submissions, set up the conference schedule, secured keynote speakers, finalized agreements, and then worked to make sure everything went swimmingly on-site. It was quite the undertaking but the results were immensely rewarding.

Ya, I even organized OWLS to come to the conference!

2. I won a contract to be the the tour coordinator for a 2-year travelling exhibition for the Royal BC Museum. I promoted the exhibition Aliens Among Us, which was about invasive species in the province. I set up a tour route, helped facilitate the contracts and ensured the shipping, installation and promotion was coordinated in a manner that worked both for the host venue and the RBCM. I organized curatorial visits to these areas as well. I was able to attend the first opening and saw just how cool it was to have the provincial museum represented in a community outside of the capital of Victoria.

Parksville Museum as host of Aliens

3. I worked with a small museum up-Island in Mill Bay to set up all their inventory and collections management policies and procedures. I lead five workshops that instructed volunteers how to inventory their collection, document it on a simple spreadsheet, organize their paperwork and photograph each object. I also created their collections management policy booklet and template forms. I was able to do this all a shoe-string budget, bringing foundational concepts forward to achieve organizational excellence, which in turn would help them build to their next level. (This project was the inspiration of my most popular blog post, An Inventory Project in a Small Museum - nearly 4,000 reads!)

An identification photo of an object in the
Mill Bay Historical Society collection

4. In working with a colleague who was the primary contractor, I contributed to the creation of updated policy manuals for a museum in North Vancouver. Specifically, my role was to review and update collections management documents and all their forms as well as their collections policy.

So I had a busy calendar! As I review my notebooks and see just how many projects and deadlines I had on the go, I am impressed with my multi-tasking capacities. It was an exciting time professionally, for sure, even if it was not super-lucrative for me at the time (uh-huh, I need to be honest in this career adventure story!). But the wealth of experience and people I met along the way proved invaluable. Learning to balance all the demands of multiple clients and all that goes with it - insurance, contracts, billing and of course delivering everything on time and (more than) what was expected - was formative experience that significantly contributed to my development as a museum professional. And would I do it again? Without a doubt . . . it could well be essential to my continued engagement within today's museum and collections sector. So yes, I remain open to work, eager to contribute - please drop me LinkedIn message or an email to BCMuseumRegistrar@gmail.com if you want to connect!