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.
Archivist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real archivist resumes:
- 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.
- Prepare PDFs & CDs, convert files per state requirements.
- Convert scanned pages to text files and apply XML tags.
- Deliver projects base on client needs - CDs and FTP digital files.
- Process and draft DACS compliant finding aids for collections use and publish online.
- Combine and convert images into PDF format; label and save into client-assigned folders.
- Proofread for spelling, grammar, and readability; coordinate suggest changes with author.
- Post and provide version control, editing, storage, and rendering of PDF files for review.
- Develop and maintain digitizing framework for articles.
- Provide technical and conceptual assistance for audio digitizing and reformatting practices.
Archivist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Archivists are proficient in Archival Collections, Online Database, and Archival Materials. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Computer skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Archivists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Archival Collections, 15%
Initialized criteria for digitization of various items from the archival collections, including database and web design protocols.
- Online Database, 11%
Enter identified media into online database.
- Archival Materials, 8%
Organized, identified, and designated confidential institutional records, manuscripts, and miscellaneous items as possible archival materials.
- Reference Services, 8%
Provided reference service to historical, genealogical, and other researchers.
- Archival Research, 4%
Provide in-office archival research for documentation of historic properties, assist the Executive Director in all matters as required
- Manuscript Collections, 4%
Coordinated and oversaw accessioning and processing of university records and manuscript collections.
Common skills that an archivist uses to do their job include "archival collections," "online database," and "archival materials." You can find details on the most important archivist responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an archivist to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "archivists, curators, museum technicians, and conservators must explore minutiae to determine the origin, history, and importance of the objects they work with." Additionally, an archivist resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "monitored all data for accuracy and notified appropriate personnel of needed corrections ensuring successful fda audits. "
Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of archivists is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday archivist duties, as "archivists, curators, museum technicians, and conservators work regularly with the general public." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "coordinated the customers services ensured the quality of services delivery met customers' datelines communicated dewey decimal classification system effectively. "
The three companies that hire the most archivists are:
- Apple2 archivists jobs
- QuintilesIMS2 archivists jobs
- Nationwide Children's Hospital2 archivists jobs
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Compare different archivists
Archivist vs. Processing archivist
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between archivists and processing archivist. For instance, archivist responsibilities require skills such as "archival collections," "online database," "archival materials," and "archival research." Whereas a processing archivist is skilled in "dacs," "audio recordings," "research value," and "database programs." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that processing archivists earn slightly differ from archivists. In particular, processing archivists are 13.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an archivist. Additionally, they're 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Archivist vs. University archivist
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that archivist responsibilities requires skills like "archival collections," "online database," "archival materials," and "reference services." But a university archivist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "student assistants," "digital materials," "dacs," and "digital resources."
University archivists earn higher levels of education than archivists in general. They're 23.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Archivist vs. Assistant archivist
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an archivist is likely to be skilled in "archival materials," "archival research," "manuscript collections," and "news articles," while a typical assistant archivist is skilled in "web content," "digital assets," "student assistants," and "collection materials."
Most assistant archivists achieve a similar degree level compared to archivists. For example, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Archivist vs. Reference archivist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between archivists and reference archivists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an archivist might have more use for skills like "archival collections," "online database," "archival materials," and "archival research." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of reference archivists require skills like "humidification," "reference materials," "windows," and "blog posts. "
Reference archivists reach higher levels of education compared to archivists, in general. The difference is that they're 33.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of archivist
Updated January 8, 2025
