askacuratorI must say that I’ve heard of #AskAnArchivist Day previously, but thanks to the big wide world of social media, I discovered the #AskACurator Day today. And fortunately (though rather surprisingly), it happened to before the event is due, so I can tell you about it, so you can take part if you wish.

Wikipedia’s definition of curator says …  “A curator (from Latin: curare meaning “take care”) is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution (e.g., gallery, museum, library or archive) is a content specialist responsible for an institution’s collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material.”

“It’s a way to talk to curators and people who work in cultural venues you normally don’t have access to.”

Similiar to #AskAnArchivist Day, for those of you who are on Twitter, you can send a query or question to a specific archive, museum, National Trust, gallery or other similar organisation that is taking part, just be sure to hashtag it with #AskACurator, and they’ll respond. Or just send a general query using the hashtag #AskACurator,
an any number of the can reply.

THE DATE
Firstly the date it’s all happening is 17 September 2014, so be sure to diary date it. It starts on 17th September wherever you are in the world. As Australia is ahead of other countries is is still going on by the time we get to the 18th – so sort of goes for a day and a bit for us, particularly if you are tweeting overseas organisations.

THE QUESTIONS
Some sample questions on the AskACurator page are:
– What is is like to be a curator?
– How do you decide what to display?
– What is the most unique object in your collection?

I think you get the idea. But honestly just ask whatever you wish.

CAN I PARTICIATE?
AskACurator Day is open to everyone – both to those doing the asking, and those at the archives – the more the merrier for both. This is a global event, and it’s great to see archives from so many counties already on the list to participate (currently 435 archives taking part, from 34 countries). However this list is constantly growing, with more signing up to be a part of the action, so be sure to check back nearer the time. To view the current list of archives taking part in #AskACurator Day click here.

MORE INFO?
For more on #AskACurator Day, click here