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Educational Requirements | Outlook | Salary

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Job Description: Archives are places where official documents, historical records, or public materials are stored and preserved. Archives may be part of a library, museum, historical society, or may exist as a distinct unit within an organization or company. Archivists plan and oversee the arrangement, cataloguing, and exhibition of the collection of records. Archivists consider any medium containing recorded information as documents including letters, books, photographs, blueprints, audiovisual records, or computerized records. Some may specialize in collections of photographs, maps, coins, stamps, recordings, or motion pictures. A closely related occupation is that of historians.

Duties: Archivists may perform some or all of the following duties:

• Determine records/documents to be maintained
• Acquire and appraise records
• Analyze and describe materials
• Arrange and catalog records
• Restore and preserve materials
• Plan exhibition of the collection(s)
• Coordinate educational and public outreach programs
• Conduct tours
• Provide workshops, lectures, and classes

For detailed information on tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, work activities, work contexts, job zones, interests, work styles, work values, and related occupations visit the O*Net Online, a division of the National Center for Occupational Information.

Working Conditions: The working conditions of archivists vary depending upon the organization they serve. Some may spend most of their time working with the public while others may work alone or in an office with few people. Others may work for the government, private foundations, or large corporations that are required to maintain record centers. Archivists may be required to travel to acquire additions to a collection or to conduct research on items of interest.

Educational Requirements: Employment as an archivist usually requires graduate education and related work experience. Many archivists work in archives or museums while completing their formal education, to gain the "hands-on" experience that many employers seek when hiring. Employers usually look for archivists with undergraduate and graduate degrees in history or library science, with courses in archival science. Some positions may require knowledge of the discipline related to the collection, such as business or medicine. An increasing number of archivists have a double master's degree in history and library science. There are currently no programs offering bachelor's or master's degrees in archival science. However, approximately 65 colleges and universities offer courses or practical training in archival science as part of history, library science, or another discipline. The Academy of Certified Archivists offers voluntary certification for archivists. Certification requires the applicant to have experience in the field and to pass an examination offered by the Academy. For related information students may visit the Society of American Archivists online.

Outlook: The estimated number of archivists, curators, and museum technicians in Tennessee is 330. It is projected there will be an increase of 18 percent in this occupation through the year 2012 with 15 job openings annually. For additional information on this occupation, visit the nationally recognized Occupational Outlook Handbook online.

Salary

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website

For an explanation of salary data please visit acinet.org

Last updated on: January 23, 2008