1. ?Question by @jillienej: #AskACurator To any/all curators: Is there anything in your museum that you find so creepy/disturbing that you don’t like to work with it?
Answer by Gloria Masó, arthropods curator: We find all arthropods collection very interesting and so, “beautiful”.
Answer by Yael Diaz, petrology curator : Radioactive, asbestos and hydrocarbons samples. They may cause health risks and require an especial care. They are not our favourites. 🙂
@museuciencies What precautions do you have to take when dealing with them?
Answer by Yael Diaz, petrology curator : To wear disposable latex gloves, lab coat and anti-dust mask and manipulate samples with a ventilacion device like a fume hood.
Answer by Neus Nualart, botany collection: all the herbal plants are interesting and none is “creepy” to prepare.
2. Question by @AndreaArriet : Which object of your collection is the smallest?
Answer by Gloria Masó, arthropods curator: Most of small specimens are invertebrates. Among arthropods, mites (aracnidae: Acari) are the smallest.
Answer by Vicent Vicedo, palaeontology curator: The planktonic foraminifers of the micropaleontology collection are microns thick.
Answer by Yael Diaz, petrology curator : Mineralogy collection: the micromount collection is composed of small mineral specimens prepared for viewing under a binocular magnifying lens. In Petrology collection: the thin section collection: sections of rocks of about 30 microns thick for study by polarization microscope.
3. Question by @michaelmuseums : Has any curator found inspiration for an exhibition via Twitter? #askacurator
Answer by @museuciencies: Uau! We’d like to. Certainly Twitter is a very good source of inspiration 🙂 #askacurator
4. Question by @JudithHutch : Question for all: How involved do you get with curating content for your website? #askacurator
Answer by @museuciencies: A lot! Providing good and quality content to our website is one of our main challenges#askacurator
5. Question by @theartinscience : #AskACurator How often do you have to change the ethanol for preserved specimens?Are we talking years, decades or centuries?Always wondered.
Answer by Eulàlia Garcia, Head of collections: Alcohol preseved collections are visually checked every year. If an incorrect level of alcohol is detected, alcohol is replaced.Also, our preventive unit has control bottles where they introduced smalls pills that lays at the bottom when everything is correct.However, if alcohol concentration changes, which means possible risk to collection conservation, pills fleet and is time to replaced alcohol #askacurator
6. Question by @intervento : #AskACurator ¿Cual es el mayor desafío que tienen su museo para introducir nuevas tecnologías y medios audiovisuales para ser un museo 2.0?
Answer by Gemma Redolad, jefa departamento comunicación: Nuestro principal objetivo es conseguir llegar a todos los públicos a través del mayor número de canales y con cualquier tipo de registro. Nuestro reto es estar donde está la gente. #askacurator
@museuciencies Gracias por su respuesta! pero ¿cuál es su estrategia? y ¿cómo ha sido la respuesta del público? #AskACurator:
@intervento Estrategia: elaborar un plan y no tener prisa #askacurator
@intervento Respuesta del público: Muy buena. Hemos aprendido mucho de nuestros públicos. #askacurator
@museuciencies buena estrategía y aprender del público es la base de objetivos claros en el uso de #tecnología y#audiovisuales #askacurator
7. Question by @Madlena_P : Which education is essential for museum curators? Do they need museology as background? #askacurator
Answer by Eulàlia Garcia, Head of collections: In Natural History Museums, curators have a scientific education, i.e. they are ph on zoology, botanic, geology or palaeontology. Museology is an important discipline to be a curator. Instead of this, to have a good team is the best. The museum needs specialists (as curators), restorers, conservators, museologists, etc.
8. Question by @Zahara_chan : #askacurator How do you devise new temporary exhibitions? Where does inspiration come from?
Answer by Elvira Ferragut, Head of Exhibitions department: Temporary exhibitions are related to current issues of environmental and conservation and museum collections. We work with internal and external experts to develop the new exhition project.
9. Question by @alisonatkin : How do you ensure accessibility to exhibits (e.g. videos subtitles, audio loops, extra-sensory objects, etc) esp within budget? #AskACurator
Answer by Exhibitions department: Our budget’s exhibitions department includes those materials for accessibility ( braille, audiovisuals subtitulated to 3 languages, models for touch,etc..) in every exhibition that we work in #askacurator.
10. Question by @MuseoGoGreen : ¿Cómo definiríais en un tweet el papel del voluntariado en el museo? ¡Gracias! #askacurator
Answer by Gemma Redolad, jefa departamento comunicación: El trabajo que desarrollan es muy importante y de gran valor para la institución. Contribuyen a la sociabilización y actúan como embajadores del Museo #askacurator
Answer by Pere Viladot, jefe departamento de actividades: Necesario para canalizar inquietudes personales. Requiere la plena implicación del museo como institución. Un reto. #askacurator
Answer by Lina Ubero, jefa de Programas Públicos del Museo: El voluntariado de un museo es seguramente la inversión más importante que un museo debe hacer; es la fidelización perfecta #askacurator
11. Question by @Ginggerhead : ¿Se puede plantear exponer las piezas que tiene un museo en el almacén en uno virtual? Puede ser una solución #AskaCurator @museuciencies
Respuesta de Eulàlia García, jefa de colecciones del Museo:
Si, efectivamente se puede plantear exponer las piezas de la reserva virtualmente. En la web del museo podría haber un catálogo fotográfico de toda la colección. En museos pequeños es factible, en un museo de ciencias naturales las colecciones son muy voluminosas y no es tan factible. Las nuevas tecnologías en 3D permitirán mostrar los especímenes de los museos en tres dimensiones. Disponer de un almacén virtual facilitaría el acceso a la colección de personas que viven lejos o que no pueden desplazar se hasta el edificio del museo.
12. Question by @FreshInTheField :@AskACurator Calling all curators; what’s the most important key to communication btw your #education and#exhibitions staff?
Answer by Pere Viladot, head of Activities Department: Working together on common projects. An exhibition should be part of a global project where collections, curators, educators i communicators work together from the outset #askacurator