Plant Records Curator

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not-for-profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best-known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is "that the future may learn from the past" through preserving and restoring 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia's colonial capital.

We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation. Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301-acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 buildings reconstructed to how they appeared in the 18th century through extensive archaeological, architectural, and documentary research.

The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world-class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, and a renowned research library, the John D Rockefeller Jr Library. Additionally, Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world class accommodations at the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historical Area.

Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today's evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

Summary:

The Plant Records Curator performs duties to promote, protect, and enhance Colonial Williamsburg's historical collection. This position creates all plant-related records, ensuring accuracy and accessibility, and maintains the plant records database, files of plants obtained, accession tags, and electronic maps. In addition, this position compiles and structures data into tailored reports catering to diverse audiences and objectives, for purposes including research, development, donor relations, conservation initiatives, and future partnerships with external organizations.

Essential Functions:

• Conducts comprehensive record-keeping for the collection, ensuring its accuracy. Responsibilities include establishing, refining, and utilizing the plant records database, conducting collection verifications, generating collection-related reports, mapping GPS locations of collection plants and appropriately removing plants from the collections as prescribed.

• Regular inspections of the plant collection and submitting appropriate notes to add to the plant records database.

• Support in training garden staff and volunteers as needed on plant identification, origins, historical background, and appropriate horticultural methods.

• Oversee and synchronize the record-keeping and chronological documentation of newly acquired plants, and ensure the collection does not contain accessions of removed trees or plant identification tags that have been damaged, stolen or are otherwise absent.

• Detailed documentation of plants using photography equipment to submit into the database.

• Create, install, and maintain accession tags and identification labels for plants.

• Demonstrate a continued interest and network with other gardens for the advancement in horticulture through attendance of industry related conferences and symposiums.

• Provide tours and presentations of the arboretum and gardens to represent the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to the public and industry professionals. Contribute articles to Horticultural journals and public relations media and research.

• Perform other related duties as required.

Required and Preferred Education and Experience:

Required: A four-year degree in Horticulture, Botany, Plant Science, or related field.

Two to four years professional experience managing plant records and mapping GPS locations of plants. Proficiency in IrisBG collections management software and Microsoft Access. Knowledge of the tools, methods and materials used in horticultural grounds and landscape maintenance.

The ability to perform all essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. A combination of education and related experience will be considered.

Preferred: Experience working with Botanica Garden Conservation International.