Archivist

Also known as:

Record Keeper
Records Manager

Introduction

Archivists select, store and provide access to materials such as books and other written documents, maps, photographs, films, audio and electronic records. They may also answer enquiries, give talks to groups and put on exhibitions.

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Work Activities

Archivists select, store and provide access to materials including books and other written documents, maps, photographs, film, video, audio and electronic records. They may keep records for churches, businesses, family estates, courts, councils, hospitals, charities or government agencies.

Archivists record, date and catalogue each item, identify those that need repairing or restoring, and select the best way to store them. Archivists do not carry out repairs or restorations, but they will inform conservators which items need attention. They are likely to be involved in converting records from traditional formats to digital ones - for example, from video cassette to DVD. They also decide which records to keep for their historical value and which to discard.

Archivists provide a service to clients and customers who wish to use the stored materials. They answer written, phone and face-to-face enquiries. They show people relevant sources and help to interpret difficult documents. They make records available in formats such as photocopies and microfiche. Archivists also give talks, produce written materials and information about collections, and mount exhibitions. For each exhibition they select and prepare materials. They also write texts to explain the materials.

Archivists are involved in negotiating the donation, lending or purchasing of archive materials and in assessing their significance.

The time archivists spend on these activities varies depending on where they work. In local record offices, archivists work with a variety of local records. Those who work in the national libraries often look after literary manuscripts or private specialist collections. University archivists may manage university records, or look after collections that belong to former academic staff and those relating to specific subjects. In businesses, archivists look after records about company history and product development.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As an archivist, you need to be logical and methodical, accurate in your approach and attentive to detail at all times. An interest in heritage and history is important, and you need to understand the importance of, and be committed to the preservation of, records of the past. In some work, you may be dealing with records that are sensitive or even confidential, and it is therefore important that you respect this.

You must have good communication and customer service skills in order to advise the public and give talks and presentations. Communication skills are also important when leading and managing junior staff.

You need good research skills and the ability to work alone and unsupervised as well as in a team situation.

You may have to work in dusty conditions and carry heavy volumes. You need good eyesight as you may have to do a lot of close reading.

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Pay and Opportunities

Salaries for archivists vary depending on the sector they work in, the employer and the level of responsibility.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Qualified archivists earn in the range of £21,000 - £25,000 a year, rising to around £27,000 - £36,000 a year. Higher rates are possible for some senior grades in government departments.

Some government departments and large organisations in industry and commerce may offer performance-related pay awards.

Archivists usually work 36-40 hours, Monday to Friday. Part-time work is also available.

About 40% of archivists work for local authorities in local record offices. The rest are employed by central government, national archives or museums, universities, businesses and charities. There are a limited number of opportunities within the European Union.

Archive work can be on short-term and fixed-term contracts for new entrants.

Self-employment and consultancy is only usually possible following substantial work experience.

There is a lot of competition to enter this work.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have relevant skills and experience, such as that gained in librarian or information officer work.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree course, a college or university Access course could be the way in.

These courses are designed for people who haven't followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

They can lead to relevant degree and Higher National Diploma (HND) courses.

Awards for postgraduate study are available, through universities, from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

• 12% of people in occupations such as archivist, work part-time.
• 33% have flexible hours.
• 15% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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