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What is a collections and archives director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a collections and archives director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.24 an hour? That's $54,581 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 12% and produce 4,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreCollections And Archives DirectorUS Average
Salary
4.3

Avg. Salary $54,581

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.3

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.9
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 3.52%

Black or African American 4.19%

Hispanic or Latino 5.23%

Unknown 4.28%

White 81.54%

Gender

female 63.64%

male 36.36%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a collections and archives director

  1. Explore collections and archives director education requirements

    Most common collections and archives director degrees

    Bachelor's

    60.0 %

    Master's

    20.0 %

    High School Diploma

    10.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific collections and archives director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Rare Books100.00%
  3. Complete relevant collections and archives director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New collections and archives directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a collections and archives director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real collections and archives director resumes.
  4. Research collections and archives director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage receipt of monographs and serials from cataloging and perform post-cataloging processing.
    • Manage receipt of monographs and serials from cataloging and perform post-cataloging processing.
    • Fashion and coordinate historical costumes for first person interpretation
  5. Prepare your collections and archives director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your collections and archives director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a collections and archives director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable collections and archives director resume templates

    Build a professional collections and archives director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your collections and archives director resume.
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
    Collections And Archives Director Resume
  6. Apply for collections and archives director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a collections and archives director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first collections and archives director job

Zippi

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Average collections and archives director salary

The average collections and archives director salary in the United States is $54,581 per year or $26 per hour. Collections and archives director salaries range between $24,000 and $122,000 per year.

Average collections and archives director salary
$54,581 Yearly
$26.24 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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