Curator’s Chronicles - welcome to my column The Senior Curator of Clocktime, Dr Kristin Leith, invites you to discover more about her world of horology. “Welcome to my first Curator Chronicles column where you will be given a behind-the-scenes peek of Clocktime, and where you can find out what it’s really like to be the curator of a new, ground-breaking digital museum that specialises in telling the stories of some of the world’s most exquisite historical timekeepers and their makers. “This is also where I’ll report breaking news about new cutting-edge features on the website and projects and developments for Clocktime as they happen. And, just to give you an idea of how I spend my days, I’ll be sharing insights and anecdotes. “As this is my inaugural column, let me introduce myself. I’m Kristin Leith, and I’m the Senior Curator of Clocktime. My job is to create the digital exhibits and galleries that you see on the website. This means that I spend most of my time doing research, writing and working closely with the team, especially our web designer, Rajendra Serber, to present our exhibits online, make the website look beautiful and bring the stories of these magnificent timekeepers to life in new, exciting and interesting ways. “When I’m not doing that, I’m generally out and about (in both the real and online world), spreading the word about Clocktime and developing and working on projects and initiatives for the museum. This means that I get to go to exciting places and meet and work with lots of smart and fascinating people. I love my job. “Just last month, I had the pleasure of representing Clocktime at the first ever Horological Symposium in the UK. This took place at the Museum of Time keeping in Newark and was produced by Heritage Crafts, the British Horological Institute and the Museum of Timekeeping. Then, a couple of weeks later, I found myself in London, where I attended a special exhibition, Celebrating John Harrison and the Quest for Longitude at Sea, at 11 Downing Street. The Trustees and Director of the Royal Museums Greenwich hosted this spectacular event with the Chancellor of Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt. “I look forward to sharing my journey with you all. If there is a topic or burning question that you would like me to address in a future Curator Chronicles column, please let me know by emailing me. “Also, I love to do talks about Clocktime and horological history in general! If you or your group would be interested in having me or one of my Clocktime colleagues speak at an event in person or online, do reach out and let me know. Just last month, I gave an online Fellows Talk to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland about the digital museum. We all had a great time. I wish you all excellent timing!”
