Do I really need specialist qualifications to work as a professional in a gallery, library, archive or museum?

Abstract

The future will hold challenges for everyone working in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector. The application of technologies, many of which are yet to be discovered, will change work patterns and the type of professional employees required. Organisations that support more than one activity in the sector will seek to combine them and have staff who are multi-skilled. This may result in a devaluation of professional qualifications in favour of generalist qualifications supplemented by professional development. Hiring staff with non-traditional qualifications has always occurred and will increase. In future, staff will move more easily across the sector without necessarily having formal qualifications related to their new duties. There will be greater emphasis on structured career-long professional development that is more multidisciplinary than may be currently offered. There is a need to beginning re-imagining what distinguishes a curator, librarian, archivist or other GLAM professional. Is it really necessary to have specialist qualifications to work effectively in the sector? If so, what are those qualifications and how are they best obtained?