What is an Archivist?
* Developed by the ACA’s Public Awareness Committee (2004)
Archivists work as part of government, corporations, museums, libraries, historical societies, and many other groups, to control and preserve the recorded memory of these organizations. ‘Recorded memory’ can consist of letters, photographs, electronic files, videos, DVDs, microfilm, documentary art, memos, and in many other forms. In order to carry out this work, archivists perform varied tasks, including:
- Appraising records with the help of those who originally received, created and/or used them. This process identifies which records have long-term value, and allows for their transfer to the archives.
- Arranging and describing these selected records in order to allow efficient and effective access and retrieval.
- Preserving records and applying conservation techniques to those which are damaged or deteriorating.
- Providing expert advice on the care and management of specialized media, for example electronic records.
- Providing reference services to a variety of researchers with diverse topics of inquiry.
- Meeting legal obligations in areas such as copyright, patent protection, privacy and freedom of information.
- Offering records management advice to organizations, as required.
- Encouraging public awareness of the cultural significance of archives through various outreach activities.
Essentially, through their work, archivists ensure that the records of today are preserved for future generations. The records can then be used to show the life, ideas and thoughts of their original creators, linking the past, present and future.
What Do Archivists Do?
Archivists collect, organize, and maintain control over a wide range of information deemed important enough for permanent safekeeping. This information takes many forms: photographs, films, video and sound recordings, and electronic data files in a wide variety of formats, as well as more traditional paper records, letters, and documents.
Archivists maintain records in accordance with accepted standards and practices that ensure the long-term preservation and easy retrieval of the documents. Records may be saved on any medium, including paper, film, videotape, audiotape, computer disk, or DVD. They also may be copied onto some other format to protect the original and to make the records more accessible to researchers who use them. As various storage media evolve, archivists must keep abreast of technological advances in electronic information storage.
Archivists often specialize in an area of history so they can more accurately determine which records in that area qualify for retention and should become part of the archives. Archivists also may work with specialized forms of records, such as manuscripts, electronic records, photographs, cartographic records, motion pictures, and sound recordings.
Computers are increasingly being used to generate and maintain archival records. Professional standards for the use of computers in handling archival records are still evolving. Expanding computer capabilities that allow more records to be stored and exhibited electronically have transformed, and are expected to continue to transform, many aspects of archival collections.
How does archival work compare with librarianship?
Archivists appraise and accession. Librarians select and acquire.
Archivists arrange and describe. Librarians catalogue and classify.
Archivists provide equitable access. Librarians provide equitable access.
Archivists preserve for posterity. Librarians preserve for posterity.
Archivists deaccession. Librarians cull.
What kind of materials do archivist work with?
Usually unpublished material, e.g. paper documents, film clips, photographs, and electronic mail. An archives might also collect rare books, documentary art, objects, architectural plans, postcards, maps, and stamps, among other things.
What kind of materials do librarians work with?
Any kind of published material, e.g. books, newspapers, videos, journals, and musical recordings. A library might also subscribe to online resources, such as databases or interactive search tools.
What do Records Managers do?
Records managers maintain the records of an organization from the time they are created up to their eventual disposal. This may include classifying, storing, securing, and destruction (or in some cases, archival preservation) of records. A record can be either a tangible object or digital information: for example, birth certificates, medical x-rays, office documents, databases, application data, and e-mail. Records management is primarily concerned with the evidence of an organization's activities, and is usually applied according to the value of the records rather than their physical format. In many organizations, a records manager works closely with the archives to ensure that records of enduring informational or evidential value are transferred to the archives. Most records, however, are destroyed. Records managers might also be involved with the development of records retention policy and procedures. A good understanding of relevant legislation is usually necessary to perform this job.
What do Museum Curators do?
Curators administer museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, nature centers, and historic sites. The head curator of the museum is usually called the museum director. Curators direct the acquisition, storage, and exhibition of collections, including negotiating and authorizing the purchase, sale, exchange, or loan of collections. They are also responsible for authenticating, evaluating, and categorizing the specimens in a collection. Curators oversee and help conduct the institution’s research projects and related educational programs. Today, an increasing part of a curator’s duties involves fundraising and promotion, which may include the writing and reviewing of grant proposals, journal articles, and publicity materials, as well as attendance at meetings, conventions, and civic events.
Most curators specialize in a particular field, such as botany, art, paleontology, or history. Those working in large institutions may be highly specialized. A large natural history museum, for example, would employ separate curators for its collections of birds, fishes, insects, and mammals. Some curators maintain their collections, others do research, and others perform administrative tasks. In small institutions with only one or a few curators, one curator may be responsible for a number of tasks, from maintaining collections to directing the affairs of the museum.
What do Conservators do?
Conservators manage, care for, preserve, treat, and document works of art, artifacts, and specimens—work that may require substantial historical, scientific, and archaeological research. They use x rays, chemical testing, microscopes, special lights, and other laboratory equipment and techniques to examine objects and determine their condition and the appropriate method for preserving them. Conservators document their findings and treat items to minimize their deterioration or to restore them to their original state. Conservators usually specialize in a particular material or group of objects, such as documents and books, paintings, decorative arts, textiles, metals, or architectural material. In addition to their conservation work, conservators participate in outreach programs, research topics in their area of specialty, and write articles for scholarly journals.
What do Museum Technicians do?
Museum technicians assist curators by performing various preparatory and maintenance tasks on museum items. They also answer public inquiries and assist curators and outside scholars in using collections. Archives technicians help archivists organize, maintain, and provide access to historical documentary materials.
