Training to Become a Preparator
Casting the skull of Styracosaurus, Otto Falkenbach at left. Julius Kirschner/© AMNH
A fossil preparator is the person responsible for preparing paleontological specimens for study or exhibit. This may involve removing the specimen from its surrounding matrix; repairing damaged specimens; cleaning specimens; carrying out work to strengthen and consolidate fossils; and developing supporting mounts and armatures for storage and display. Fossil preparators play a critical role in paleontology.
There are a number of different categories of staff that work on collections care in museums. All of them have different roles to play, although these roles often overlap to some extent depending on the museum in question.
- Conservator – a person specially trained in the preventive care and maintenance as well as restoration of works of art and museum objects or specimens.
- Collection Manager - a person specially trained in the preventive care and maintenance of objects and specimens, their documentation and associated information.
- Curator – one who has responsibility for the care, research, exhibition, and increase or improvement of a museum collection.
- Preparator – a person who is trained in techniques for the preparation of specimens for study or exhibit.
“The role of the staff of a paleontological laboratory is the preparation and conservation of fossils for the purposes of research by scientists, exhibition in public galleries or storage in a study collection. The word ‘preparation’ has been used traditionally to describe a variety of operations ranging from the consolidation and repair of fossils to their extraction from the matrix rock and their final mounting for museum display.” —A.E. Rixon, 1976. Fossil Animal Remains: Their Preparation and Conservation.
Training
At present there are no formal degrees or training programs in fossil preparation and while the field is professionalizing rapidly, there is no widely accepted curriculum or standards. Prep work requires a mixture of skills and abilities; many of today’s preparators have gained these through a combination of academic study and practical training. This training is often likened to an apprenticeship, as experience is an essential component in developing the requisite skills.
Having an interest in paleontology is essential for preparation but an aptitude for the exacting and detail-oriented work is equally important. Poor preparation techniques can ruin a fossil. The best way to find out if you are suited for preparation is to volunteer in an established fossil preparation lab. Contact your local natural history museum to learn if there is a fossil preparation lab. If so, try and arrange an appointment to visit and meet with a preparator. Bring a CV. Motivation, resourcefulness, patience, and persistent interest are important traits for a preparator; having a good base of practical skills and knowledge will show that it will be worthwhile for a lab to invest the time and energy in training you.
Attributes for a preparator
Probably the first publications to deal with early techniques are F.A. Bather’s Preparation and Preservation of Fossils (1908) and A. Hermann’s review Modern Laboratory Methods in Vertebrate Palaeontology (1909). These publications appear to have resulted from recognition that a preparator (a term apparently first used in North America) should have certain attributes and no longer needed to have a background of coal mining, quarrying, or stonemasonry. Firstly, a thorough knowledge of vertebrate anatomy was required. Secondly gifts of unusual manual dexterity and patience were needed; these, coupled with an innovative mind, made the adaptation or development of mechanical or chemical techniques possible. Thirdly, the preparator in the role of conservator, out to be able to think several decades ahead in order to ensure that the materials used in the work should, at best, be totally stable in a museum environment. Finally, for work in the field, the preparator should have knowledge of both geology and sedimentology so that the best methods of discovering fossils and then removing them from various rock types could be used.
You will need to demonstrate the manual dexterity that is required in the job. You might want to put together a portfolio of projects you have worked on that demanded fine motor skills, persistence, creative problem solving and the ability to focus for extended periods of time.
Preparation is not one skill but many. It begins when the fossil is excavated from the ground, continues in the laboratory, and never really finishes, because the specimen will require care throughout its life in the collections. It can involve careful digging with small and large tools in the field; use of hand and power tools in the lab; carpentry and metalworking in the construction of mounts for storage and display; use of a microscope for preparation of very small fossils; and awareness of different materials and their characteristics in consolidation, adhesion, and molding and casting. For this reason, training or experience in the following areas can be useful:
- Cabinetry, carpentry
- Model-making
- Molding and Casting
- Jewelry making
- Dentistry
- Stone carving
- Fine art work (e.g. printmaking and sculpture)
- Foundry work (e.g. welding and brazing)
- Auto mechanics
While there is no substitute for aptitude and a genuine interest in preparation, an ambitious beginner who intends to make fossil preparation their career will greatly enhance their job qualifications by undertaking coursework in one or more of the following fields:
- Art conservation
- Paleontology
- Comparative vertebrate anatomy with dissection
- Human anatomy
- Vertebrate physiology
- Zooarchaeology
- Vertebrate evolution
- Introductory and sedimentary geology
- Introductory and Organic Chemistry
As with many professions, good writing and communication skills are essential, as is familiarity with computers and digital photography.
Whether you are a dedicated amateur or in training to be a professional preparator, it is important to keep up-to-date with developments in the field. Try to attend professional meetings, such as the annual meetings of the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology or the Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium, and talk to as many preparators as you can.
Professional Development
A few aspects of fossil preparation have remained the same since the early 20th century but in general the profession is continually changing and developing. While there are ongoing initiatives to develop standards of best practices and promote accepted curricula for training within the field, it is also important for individual preparators to develop their skills and knowledge to ensure that they continue to meet high standards for their work.
There is a small but growing body of literature for vertebrate paleontological preparation but valuable information can also be obtained and adapted from other fields. The conservation of art and anthropological collections, for example, provides a wide range of papers on treatments, adhesives, storage supports, and general practices.
Preparators are the frontline in the preservation of specimens, and as such they must be aware of materials science as it relates to the longevity and stability of storage materials, adhesives, and other materials used in preparation. In effect, the preparator needs to be thinking several decades ahead, to ensure that the materials they are using will still be stable in a museum environment.
A preparator “is a living contradiction of the old adage, for he must be a jack of all trades in order to be the master of his own; but the most essential piece of knowledge he must have is an awareness of his own limitations. When confronted with a problem which is outside his experience, he must never guess but consult an expert or read up on the subject in text books.” —A.E. Rixon, 1976
These Fossil Preparation resources were originally developed in 2007 with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
