Zane Smith

I am Zane Smith, and I am the Collections Coordinator at the 1000 Islands History Museum. I have held this position since June 2020, after graduating from the Applied Museum Studies Program at Algonquin College. I discovered my passion for heritage and culture while working towards my Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in History at St. Thomas University. Since then, I have focused on positively impacting the cultural heritage sector through my commitment to quality museum work. My current position as Collections Coordinator at the 1000 Islands History Museum focuses on Collections Management but also includes managing and contributing to other museum functions, including strategic planning, exhibit development, and people management. I am responsible for completing and supervising all activities related to the artifact collections, including managing all acquisitions, accessions, and loans; managing research activities and public requests; managing the museum’s collections management database and all other documentation; supervising archival and artifact digitization; and managing preservation and storage of all collections artifacts. I also contribute to setting collections management strategic planning, grant writing and reporting. In addition to collections tasks, I supervise exhibit development and installation of interpretive displays. I also manage people by recruiting, training, and supervising staff and volunteers. The 1000 Islands History Museum offers so many opportunities for me to pursue my professional goals and serve the community. I plan to continue to grow my management experience to achieve my goal of positively contributing to the field. I want to create responsible, authentic, inclusive, and engaging environments in the cultural heritage sector for the public and workers within the field.