Case studies: Heritage and collections manager: Helen Valentine

Helen Valentine is heritage and collections manager for Peterborough Museum. Helen entered the sector after studying geology and geography at Keele University and gaining an MA in Museum Studies from Leicester University.

Within five years of entering my chosen profession, I became curator of collections and exhibitions at Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery. The museum is made up of five departments, and together we manage an annual footfall of around 80,000 visitors

My key role as curator is to oversee the collections, manage their physical condition, facilitate access and ensure they are developed in line with current collections policy and museum interest.

I am involved in writing policies and procedures, bid documents, staffing, building up in-house expertise, budgeting, finding new partners to work with, and representing the museum at regional, national and professional level. I am responsible for managing the museum building, itself a valuable asset, and off-site storage.

Over the past years, the museum has undergone a radical transformation. To date, we have developed a series of touring exhibitions, available for hire to other museums, as well as a schedule of talks and new heritage groups, which in turn have spawned a team of professional speakers, able to feed into our educational and learning service programme.

Around 18 months ago the museum took over the running of the Peterborough City Guided Walk Services. A successful track record established the Events and Marketing Department as a key player and opened up new avenue and opportunities.

A Heritage Lottery Award enabled us to become part of a unique project on behalf of the Alzheimer's Society. The Reminiscence Project encourages key life events, such as learning to ride a bicycle, to be recalled through the use of museum objects. The project fell within our oral history remit and allowed us to broaden the collections use and appeal.

We have developed a strong track record in supporting television and film projects, having regularly worked with Time Team, Meet the Ancestors, Britain's Most Haunted, Simon Sharma and David Starkey.

Currently, I am involved in a £1million Heritage Lottery Bid and reviewing a proposal that could fundamentally change the nature of the museum from that of being part of the city council to becoming a separate trust.

For those looking to enter the sector, curatorial posts tend to divide into two. If your ultimate goal is to manage a particular collection or work for an established name, such as the British Museum, it means developing expert knowledge, completing a PhD, and securing work with respected, named and published individuals in the field. If your goal is to run a district or county museum, then business skills, project management and flexibility are the key career components. Knowing which pathway you wish to take is therefore essential.