Archivists and curators plan and oversee the maintenance of the collections. They may conduct research on the items and teach others about them. They also may lead tours or workshops about the items. Although much of what archivists and curators do is similar, the types of items they work with differ. Curators usually handle three-dimensional objects, such as sculptures and paintings.
Archivists mainly handle documents and objects that are related to the documents.
Curators are sometimes called collections managers. They oversee collections at museums, zoos, and historic sites. They may get new items by buying them or receiving them as gifts. At nature centers, they may grow or breed new members of the collection. Most curators spend most of their time managing the collection.