It once was possible--and still is in some cases--to enter the museum
field with relatively little or no special training. Many started as apprentices
or volunteers who later were hired, whereas others drifted into museum
work from other fields. Most early directors and curators had backgrounds
in academic disciplines and learned about museum operations on the job.

There still is no single training answer to all museum professional careers.
It depends largely upon an individual's talents and career aspirations, re-
quirements of the position, and availability of training and funds. Some
traditional museum people believe the best training approach is a discipline-
based academic degree program, or specialized training in a technical area.
Others argue for a broader museum studies degree program that includes
more about the history, philosophy, methods, and practices of museums.

The most common approach today appears to be a graduate degree in
museum studies with considerable work in a discipline or specialized area,
or a graduate degree in a discipline or specialized area combined with courses
in museum studies. Both approaches include internships in museums.

Many museum staff members continue to come from other fields without
prior museum training or experience--particularly in administrative and
program areas such as business, education, exhibits, development, public
relations, marketing, and physical plant. But the pattern is likely to change
in the years ahead, as museum job requirements become more demanding
and museum studies more accepted as the norm.

The museum world has a long history. Museum-like institutions can be
traced to classical times. Then came private collections of artifacts, artworks,
specimens, and/or curiosities. They were followed by the development of
publicly oriented museums in the late seventeenth century, which led to
professional staffs, more extensive collections and exhibits, educational pro-
gramming, larger buildings and budgets, and greater attendances.

Most of today's museums fall into three broad categories: art (art mu-
seums, galleries, and centers); history (historical museums, societies, houses,
and sites); and science (science, natural history, anthropology, science/tech-
nology, medical/health, transportation, and other museums, as well as
aquariums, arboreta, botanical gardens, herbaria, nature centers, planetar-
iums, and zoos). In addition, there are many other types of museums, in-
cluding general, children's, and specialty.

The exact number of museums and museum workers is not known. How-
ever, it has been estimated that there are at least 40,000 museums and one
million museum employees worldwide. The greatest number are in the
United States. A national survey conducted in 1989 by the American As-
sociation of Museums ( AAM) gives the numbers as 8,179 museums and
91,954 paid full-time employees (plus 56,270 paid part-time and 376,374
unpaid volunteers). More than 80 percent are small institutions with min-
imum or no paid staff members, relying largely upon volunteers.

It is interesting to note that historical museums, societies, houses, and

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