Archivists collect and preserve relevant information about modern and ancient life.
Archivists are our cultural and historical record keepers. According to the Society of American Archivists, these records have value to society on multiple levels. They help doctors, scientists, writers and archeologists understand the history of people, illness and life, as well as preserve our history and link the past to the present and the present to the future. Many archivists work for the government, universities and major museums. Archivists need a master's degree to work in the field, plus specialized archival training, usually achieved at an internship or practicum. In 2009, the average salary for archivists working for the federal government was $83,758.
Selecting Records
Perhaps the most important task of archivists is to choose what records and items are important, relevant and interesting enough to preserve for the ages. This requires a broad understanding of culture and history. According to the Society of American Archivists, an object must demonstrate enduring value. Archivists mostly work with photographs, paper documents, audio and sound clips while art, ancient tools and weapons and sculpture pieces are the work of curators and anthropologists.
Describing, Documenting and Cataloging Records
Once a record is deemed relevant and important enough for archiving, the archivist must painstakingly document every known detail about the item, including an in-depth description. This often requires extensive research. The items are cataloged into various databases. Archivists create complete pictures of why the object is significant, where it came from, what its made from and what individuals are connected with it. They, in a sense, create history in the form of records.
Restoring and Preserving Records
Once archivist find or collect records and objects they deem culturally significant enough to archive, they may have to restore them. This could be as minimal as cleaning a dirty surface or as complex as restoring missing areas of worn text. Archivists must learn complex restoration and preservation techniques through practicums and special college archival programs.
Curating Collections
According to the U. S. Department of Labor, the work of archivists and curators sometimes overlaps. Archivists may be called upon to create displays for museums, universities or symposiums. They me be tasked with handling traveling collections for their facilities and with choosing and acquiring pieces from other facilities to round out their own facility's collections. They may have to authenticate pieces, arrange for their sale or administrate others working on a collection -- more traditionally the work of curators or museum directors.
Storing Records
Archivists must often find ways to balance public access to records with maintaining the safety and integrity of those records. This means reproducing records for public use or display and finding safe, long-term storage solutions for the originals. Archivists may scan, photograph, videotape or otherwise reproduce important records to protect the originals from damage. They must have a strong command of current technologies as well as archival storage methods.
