Curators: Behind the Scenes of Natural History Museums

by Lance Grande

Over the centuries, natural history museums have evolved from being little more than musty repositories of stuffed animals and pinned bugs, to being crucial generators of new scientific knowledge. They have also become vibrant educational centers, full of engaging exhibits that share those discoveries with students and an enthusiastic general public.   At the heart of it all from the very start have been curators. Yet after three decades as a natural history curator, Lance Grande found that he still had to explain to people what he does. This book is the answer—and, oh, what an answer it lively, exciting, up-to-date, it offers a portrait of curators and their research  like none we’ve seen, one that conveys the intellectual excitement and the educational and social value of curation. Grande uses the personal story of his own career—most of it spent at Chicago’s storied Field Museum—to structure his account as he explores the value of research and collections, the importance of public engagement, changing ecological and ethical considerations, and the impact of rapidly improving technology. Throughout, we are guided by Grande’s keen sense of mission, of a job where the why is always as important as the what.   This beautifully written and richly illustrated book is a clear-eyed but loving account of natural history museums, their curators, and their ever-expanding roles in the twenty-first century.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Natural History, Museums, History, Adult, Museology

488 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2017

Reviews

[Rachel (Kalanadi) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an impulse read from my library because the physical book was so pretty. Oh so pretty. The book's design is lovely and it features 5-10 pages of full color pictures for every single chapter.

I learned something too about curators and research work at natural history museums. There seems to be a mismatch between the title and the content... mainly that Lance Grande spends most of the book talking about his own experience and one natural history museum (the Field Museum), and that's definitely in the singular rather than the plural of the title. This wasn't really an attempt to define and explain a curator's job, but a series of examples from his own career and some of his colleagues. Which ended up being OK.

The writing is very dry, almost lifeless in places, but the excitement and immensity of the work still manages to shine through sometimes. For example, the saga of legal troubles surrounding the T. rex SUE is a highlight of the book - it could have been the entire book! (I'm sure one has been written.)

[Andrew Jump · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful collection of anecdotes about one man’s museum career. Even if you’re not a nerd like me who wants to go into this stuff this is a very entertaining and informative read about the many ways in which curators are tasked with contributing to the scientific world. Surprisingly easy read with many pictures to aid your understanding. Would highly recommend

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book is a scientist/curator who has a passion for the natural world, affection for the colleagues who share his calling, and a gift for storytelling. As one who has spent many hours in the natural history museums, I found Dr. Grande's book about these institutions, the people who keep them going, and the challenges they face both fascinating and highly entertaining.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

god this has been in my tbr pile for years and when I finally grabbed it from the library I was not expecting it to be so thiccc.

kind of a disappointment - the book is actually about the curator's life before and during his career at The Field as a fish fossil scientist, rather than a dive into natural history museums, and it's colored by his perspective and interests, unfortunately. I skipped the chapters about him - wasn't interested - but was drawn into the book by the Sue T-Rex legal drama chapter. The book finally shifts after that to focus less on the author and more on the topic but is still filled with his personal connections to things. it read like a 400 page resume...I could not care about his achievements. he also is a classist snob regarding education and looks down on folks who don't have PhDs - he has some gross comments about Sue's discoverer not having a GED much less a PhD - and he defends the gross practice of academic tenure.

I appreciated the large number of photos. I enjoyed the insight into the updated gem hall. I lol'd at the chapter of the scientist who documented his last 24 hours alive before he died of a snake bite. I think if you're not a Chicago-native, much of this book won't hold interest to you since it's entirely about the author's work at the Field. fortunately, a lot of nostalgia about seeing Sue as a kid, as well as King Tut's sarcophagus, kept me drawn in.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who wanted to work in a natural history museum when I was in college, this book was both a treasure a bit of torment to read. The Field Museum is one of my favorite places to visit so reading stories about how exhibits were thought up and pieced together by the curators was truly awesome. I liked how this book was broken up into short chapters complete with interesting stories and a series of photos to show you what the author so perfectly described.

While I loved all the stories the author shared with us, I had hoped to hear a bit more about some of the day-to-day struggles and how he overcame them to get where he is today. That part of the story may not be as exciting as the discovery and battle over SUE, but I was expecting a bit more of it in the book than the reader received. Instead, I think the book focused much more on the successes the museum has had, which again, are a lot more fun to read, but don’t always provide the full picture.

Overall, a great read for anyone who’s interested in natural history and what makes them tick.

[kavya · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[B]iodiversity research and fieldwork have to happen even in areas of human tragedy, because humans are both the problem and the solution in these regions."

"In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, major museums that had anthropology departments were racing to add human remains (mostly skeletons and mummies) and funerary artifacts to their collections. There were few collecting restrictions, and methods of collecting lacked the ethical standards of museums today. There was sometimes a fine line between scientific collection of human remains and simple grave-robbing."

"In 1991 after a watershed in the island of Leyte was logged and converted to sugarcane plantation, the city of Ormoc suffered a flood that killed over 7,000 people. Sometimes you must protect nature in order for it to protect you."

[Laura Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. (In the interest of full disclosure, I visited the Field Museum in Chicago many, many times during my formative years, and now volunteer at the Natural History Museum of Utah.) The author is a paleontology curator at the Field. This book is part memoir, part road trip, part stories of other curators, part ode to science, and part discussion of the role of museums in the future. Features everything from Ennigaldi (Babylonian priestess and the first ever museum curator), to giant fish dissections, to the legal battle over SUE the T. rex, to an early herpetology curator who died of venomous boomslang snakebite, to repatriating Inuit human remains, to CT scanning mummies, to the adorable bushy-tailed cloud rat of the Philippines.

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lance Grande is one of the most experienced curators of fossil fish in the States and this autobiographical account of his work shows the variety and fascination of the role. His base at the Field Museum in Chicago is one of the best museums in the world so it is good to get his behind-the-scenes look at the world of natural history museums, and be introduced to some of the great people who have played their parts in his life. As a fellow curator, I found this a great read that introduced me to the breadth of work going on in that august institution as well as giving me a chance to see other people I know and how they played a part in shaping lance's career

[Cathy Wiegand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, but it is definitely ment for people who are already interested in science and natural history museums. It was interesting to learn more about field work and how curators do their jobs. I briefly interned in the Field Museum's dinosaur collection and met several curators, but I still learned a lot about the smaller details of the job and now appreciate it much more. If you ever wondered what it's like to do field work in rural Mexico or how museums work with communities to increase their research capabilities then this book is for you.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent take on science penetration in the United States today and the remarkable Field Museum. Grande's growth from an undergraduate with interests in fossils to a senior curator shows the interplay of social and academic experiences that have made him an adept interpreter.

I'm horrified to read that 42% if Americans believe creationism is science; there's a lot of work to do.

Readable, engaging, and a strong invitation to visit SUE (T Rex), Grainger Hall of Gemstones and Minerals, and much more at the Field Museum. I'm in!

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Curators: Behind The Scenes of Natural History Museums", the title of this book caught my eye upon walking the stacks of my local library. I love history museums, especially the archival process of the depository storage basements that contain high shelves of boxes and each box is uniquely labeled.

While I found this book interesting, I was hoping the author was going to proceed into more unabridged detail. Perhaps there is a "gag order" on some of the more specific technician processes. Or perhaps the author thought that a person would be bored by such details.

[Curtis Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly written book in which Dr. Lance Grande recounts the various stages of his professional journey to become a very successful research scientist and Curator at the Field Museum in Chicago. Each chapter depicts different adventures from his time in graduate school, to his time as Vice President of Research and Collections, to Curator of Paleontology. Anyone who works in a museum will enjoy this read.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read about the career of one of the curators (and senior managers) of the Field Museum. This is a 2-book marker book - one for the text and one for the end notes, and there are both citations and suggested reading if you want to go further into a topic. There are also photographs that follow each chapter as well as an intro to the next.

[Shannon Costis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read, especially since I studied public history and took classes that prepared me to (in the future) become a curator. Learning more about the history and functionality of the Field Museum was also a very interesting and exciting feature of the book. I would have read through it faster had I been able to sit and read for hours on end!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a love letter to the Field Museum, as well as museums across the world and the important, amazing stories they have to tell. As a passionate admirer of all three, I can't recommend it enough!

[Tamgrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in two days and still found time to recommend it to three different people. Really fascinating stuff, made me appreciate the Field Museum and similar institutions and everything they do

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curators is a mature and revelatory portrait of this profession that is beautifully presented. See my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2019...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, insightful behind-the-scenes and historical look at the Field Museum in Chicago by a veteran paleontologist.

[Olga Vannucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smarts and respect
Serve to protect
Earth's complex nature,
Our children's future.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This BARD audio was an interesting book. Drier than I expected, but informative. It gave me a whole new perspective for when I visit a natural history museum again!

[Rini · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is good info in here; this is indeed more of a memoir of his career at the Field Museum.

[Melanie]

{Skimmed for research purposes}

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and had excellent source material/pics.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and accessible, despite its considerable heft. Simultaneously an overview of the workings and impact of natural history museums and the sort of stories that a curator buddy might relate to you over a couple of beers.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little dry, but I found several parts of it really interesting, especially since we just came back from visiting the field museum in Chicago. Growing up, I wanted to be an archaeologist, so I also thought the career development component of this was interesting. But it's long, and pretty dry, although Grande tries to make it interesting. It's easy to tell he picked some of the most entertaining stories he could find. But still, there's a lot of factual text here, and even with the photos, it's a big book to get through. (5 stars for the cover photo, though -- love that!!!)