Job Description
After appraising them and determining their importance or potential value, archivists preserve records and documents for colleges and universities, museums, corporations, governments and other organizations. Most have expertise in a particular document type, for example manuscripts, photographs, maps, websites, films and sound recordings. Some specialize in a particular area of history. They provide outreach to the public, coordinating facility tours, lectures, classes and workshops.
Employment Facts
There were almost 6,000 archivists employed in 2012. Most worked for museums, colleges and universities and government agencies. Corporations and other institutions employed others.
Educational Requirements
To work as an archivist one must generally have a master's degree in history, library science, archival science or records management with coursework in archival techniques. In addition, working with certain collections requires knowledge of that specialty or industry.
Other Requirements
An archivist may, if desired, receive voluntary certification from the Academy of Certified Archivists. To become a Certified Archivist one must have a master's degree and a year of experience, and pass a written exam.
In addition to the hard, or technical, skills one acquires while earning his or her degree, success in this occupation depends on having certain soft skills. Strong analytical skills allow archivists to decide which items to preserve. The use of databases requires good computer skills. Since they must develop systems for storing materials and making them available to the public, archivists must have good organizational skills. Good interpersonal skills allow them to work with the public.
Advancement Opportunities
Archivists have limited opportunity for promotion because most archives are very small. Those who seek advancement should consider transferring to larger institutions where they have the opportunity to advance to supervisory positions.
Job Outlook
Archivists, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, can expect employment growth that is faster than the average for all occupations through 2022. Unfortunately this won't translate to many job openings since this is a relatively small field. Workers who specialize in electronic records will be in greater demand.
Earnings
Archivists in the US earned a median annual salary of $47,340 and median hourly wages of $22.76 in 2012.
Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much an archivist currently earns in your city.
A Day in an Archivist's Life:
On a typical day an archivist's tasks might include:
After appraising them and determining their importance or potential value, archivists preserve records and documents for colleges and universities, museums, corporations, governments and other organizations. Most have expertise in a particular document type, for example manuscripts, photographs, maps, websites, films and sound recordings. Some specialize in a particular area of history. They provide outreach to the public, coordinating facility tours, lectures, classes and workshops.
Employment Facts
There were almost 6,000 archivists employed in 2012. Most worked for museums, colleges and universities and government agencies. Corporations and other institutions employed others.
Educational Requirements
To work as an archivist one must generally have a master's degree in history, library science, archival science or records management with coursework in archival techniques. In addition, working with certain collections requires knowledge of that specialty or industry.
Other Requirements
An archivist may, if desired, receive voluntary certification from the Academy of Certified Archivists. To become a Certified Archivist one must have a master's degree and a year of experience, and pass a written exam.
In addition to the hard, or technical, skills one acquires while earning his or her degree, success in this occupation depends on having certain soft skills. Strong analytical skills allow archivists to decide which items to preserve. The use of databases requires good computer skills. Since they must develop systems for storing materials and making them available to the public, archivists must have good organizational skills. Good interpersonal skills allow them to work with the public.
Advancement Opportunities
Archivists have limited opportunity for promotion because most archives are very small. Those who seek advancement should consider transferring to larger institutions where they have the opportunity to advance to supervisory positions.
Job Outlook
Archivists, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, can expect employment growth that is faster than the average for all occupations through 2022. Unfortunately this won't translate to many job openings since this is a relatively small field. Workers who specialize in electronic records will be in greater demand.
Earnings
Archivists in the US earned a median annual salary of $47,340 and median hourly wages of $22.76 in 2012.
Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much an archivist currently earns in your city.
A Day in an Archivist's Life:
On a typical day an archivist's tasks might include:
- Writing descriptions of documents and records in his or her collection.
- Cataloging documents and records.
- Developing computer archives and databases that allow for retrieval of documents.
- Preparing documents and records to be displayed to researchers.
- Assisting users of archive.
- Coordinating tours, workshops and lectures about his or her collection.
- Researching topics relevant to his or her collection.
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