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This question is about what a historian does.
Where do historians work?
Historians work at colleges and universities, museums, archives, historical societies, corporations, and government agencies or independently. Nearly 80% of historians work for universities or other educational centers as a lecturer and researchers.
Historians also work in a variety of settings beyond academia. Some historians work for museums, for example, archiving or preserving materials and artifacts in museums, visitor centers, and historic sites. They also provide advice or guidance on historical topics and preservation issues.
They are also sometimes responsible for determining the authenticity of historical data, preserving artifacts and significant documents in museums or libraries, or at a historical site.
Archival historians, on the other hand, typically work for agencies studying relevant historical documents to understand the past. They conduct interviews with people who experienced significant events in history firsthand. They are also responsible for maintaining collections of artifacts and records for museums, libraries, government agencies, or private companies.
Historians may also work as consultants for businesses or as freelance writers. Most consulting positions will fall into one of two categories, either a staff position within a firm or agency or the role of independent contractor/consultant.
Contract conservation, whether performed by a firm or by independent conservators, can provide specialized skills and equipment for repairs, exhibit preparation, re-housing, and preventive care.
Other museum contractors provide assistance in exhibit production. A contractor or consultant may bid on a curatorial project, which usually involves researching and writing exhibit scripts. This can be a very exciting area to get into as a historian, but it requires a lot of experience and networking.
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