Roles, not job titles
Titles differ between institutions, and in small organizations one person may do several jobs. What matters is that each responsibility has an owner. This article describes roles in general terms. On a given project, a role may be filled by one person, shared between several, or bought from an outside supplier.
Roles that shape the content and purpose
Curator or content lead
The curator or content lead is usually responsible for the subject: what the story is, which objects and sources are involved, and whether the facts are accurate. They approve text and images and often hold the relationship with lenders, communities and rights holders. The shift in this role over time is explored in discussions of the curator role. In media projects the curator needs to be available for timely decisions, because late content is a common source of delay.
Educator or visitor experience specialist
Education staff know how audiences learn and how groups behave in the gallery. They can advise on reading levels, activities for school groups and families, and the realities of running the exhibit with visitors. Their input is especially useful during early testing.
Writer and editor
Someone has to produce clear, accurate text and keep a consistent voice. Writers work with curators to shorten and simplify, drawing on plain language practice. Editors check consistency and accuracy, and they coordinate exhibit captions and transcripts.
Community and cultural advisors
Where an exhibit relates to a living community, advisors from that community can guide how material is described and shown. This work is covered in more detail in guidance on source communities and should be planned and respected as real contribution, with time and, where appropriate, payment.
Roles that organize the work
Project manager
The project manager keeps the schedule, budget, risks and communication moving. They run meetings, track decisions, chase approvals and report to stakeholders. In small museums, this often falls to a curator or director in addition to their regular job, which is workable if the time is explicitly allowed for.
Project sponsor or decision-maker
A senior person who holds final authority on scope, budget and trade-offs. Their role is to settle disputes and remove obstacles. Naming this person early avoids drifting decisions.
Procurement or finance contact
Handles contracts, purchase orders and payments. Involve them early if outside suppliers are involved, as described in the discussion of exhibit procurement.
Roles that design and build
Exhibit or experience designer
Shapes the overall visitor experience: how the exhibit sits in the room, how visitors approach it and how media fits with objects, graphics and furniture. They coordinate with architects and fabricators.
Interaction and interface designer
Designs the flow of screens, input methods and layouts, thinking about clarity, legibility and ease of use. They work with accessibility in mind, including attention to touch targets, color contrast and navigation that supports cognitive accessibility.
Developer or software engineer
Builds the software, connects it to content and makes it reliable. Good developers also care about maintainability: tidy code, version control and notes that others can follow. Ask them to participate in documentation and handover.
Media producers
Photographers, videographers, sound recorders, animators and 3D specialists who create the media. They need clear specifications for formats, lengths and quality, and they benefit from the content schedule being realistic.
Audiovisual and hardware specialist
Chooses and sets up displays, computers, audio and sensors, and advises on mounting, cabling and networks. Their input early in the process helps avoid selecting designs that cannot be installed.
Fabricator and installer
Builds enclosures, furniture and mounts, and installs everything in the gallery. They also bring practical knowledge about materials, safety and building rules. Bringing them into planning early reduces surprises.
Roles that check and support
Accessibility reviewer
A person or group responsible for checking the design against the institution’s access commitments, ideally including people with relevant lived experience. They are most helpful when involved throughout rather than only at the end.
Evaluator or tester
Plans and runs visitor testing, observation and feedback activities. This may be an external evaluator or an internal staff member. Their work is described in guidance on prototype testing and summative evaluation.
Operations, gallery and technical staff
Those who open, clean, monitor and repair the exhibit every day. They should be consulted during design because they know what breaks, and they are the recipients of the handover. Their needs shape the maintenance plan and staff training.
Conservator or collections specialist
Advises when media is near objects, covering light levels, heat, vibration and handling.
Making roles clear
A short responsibility chart is enough. List the tasks, such as approving text, approving design, signing off a testing report and ordering hardware, and mark who decides, who contributes and who needs to be informed. Many teams use the simple labels “decides”, “contributes” and “informed”. The chart quickly shows gaps and overlaps.
Small teams and combined roles
In a small institution, a single person may be curator, writer and project manager. That is not a flaw, but it makes workload a risk. Be honest about how many hours each person can give, and consider which roles are best bought in. Guidance for such teams, including volunteers, appears in the article on working with limited staff. The benefits of digital work for small museums are real, but only if roles and capacity are realistic.
Communication
Roles work only if people talk. Regular short meetings, a shared list of decisions and a single place for files keep everyone informed. When someone leaves or changes role, update the chart and hand over their responsibilities in writing.