Archivist vs registrar

The differences between archivists and registrars can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an archivist, becoming a registrar takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an archivist has an average salary of $47,145, which is higher than the $40,632 average annual salary of a registrar.

The top three skills for an archivist include archival collections, online database and archival materials. The most important skills for a registrar are patients, customer service, and medical terminology.

Archivist vs registrar overview

	Archivist	Registrar
Yearly salary	$47,145	$40,632
Hourly rate	$22.67	$19.53
Growth rate	12%	7%
Number of jobs	449	12,723
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	4	6

What does an archivist do?

An archivist is an information professional who assesses the value of information and then stores them in such a way that people can access the information and make sense of it. Archivists are required to have a great understanding of the historical context of the records, such as the relationship of a record to other records and why it was created in the first place. They must work closely with record managers and his/her torians to store and preserve perishable documents. Archivists must also organize public events such as talks and exhibitions.

What does a registrar do?

A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.

Archivist vs registrar salary

Archivists and registrars have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Archivist	Registrar
Average salary	$47,145	$40,632
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $94,000	Between $29,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Apple	The American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between archivist and registrar education

There are a few differences between an archivist and a registrar in terms of educational background:

	Archivist	Registrar
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 43%
Most common major	History	Business
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Pennsylvania

Archivist vs registrar demographics

Here are the differences between archivists' and registrars' demographics:

	Archivist	Registrar
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 17.1% Female, 82.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	13%	16%

Differences between archivist and registrar duties and responsibilities

Archivist example responsibilities.

Create EAD and DACS compliant finding aids for new and existing collections.
Update online database with metadata on newly accession materials and implement new physical arrangement system for archival collections.
Develop a custom RDF metadata model for archiving and cataloging multimedia digital artworks in the library's digital asset management system.
Enter website content, adding basic HTML coding.
Use EAD for collection processing and organization of metadata.
Encode multiple finding aids in EAD including faculty biographical files.

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Registrar example responsibilities.

Manage and prioritize a high volume of traumas and ambulances entering the ER.
Provide superior customer-orient support and manage non-cooperative patients such as those with addictions problems with tact and ease.
Code all inpatient, outpatient, emergency room, laboratory and radiology visits with appropriate ICD-9 and CPT codes.
Transport patients to and from rehabilitation unit.
Coordinate all radiology authorizations from physicians and insurance companies, adhering to appropriate CPT codes.
Admit patients to various outpatient departments of the hospital; including emergency, laboratory and radiology.

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Archivist vs registrar skills

Common archivist skills

Archival Collections, 15%
Online Database, 11%
Archival Materials, 8%
Reference Services, 8%
Archival Research, 4%
Manuscript Collections, 4%

Common registrar skills

Patients, 30%
Customer Service, 16%
Medical Terminology, 7%
Patient Registration, 4%
Data Entry, 3%
Patient Care, 3%

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Archivist vs Registrar

Updated January 8, 2025

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