Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Archivist

🎯 Role Definition

An Archivist is responsible for acquiring, appraising, arranging, describing, preserving, and providing access to historical records and special collections in both physical and digital formats. This role combines archival theory and standards (EAD, Dublin Core, MARC21) with practical collections management, digitization, conservation, and public services to ensure long-term discovery, authenticity, and access for researchers, staff, and the public.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Library Technician or Library Assistant with special collections exposure
Museum or Cultural Heritage Assistant (collections support)
Research Assistant or Graduate student in History/Information Studies

Advancement To:

Senior Archivist / Lead Archivist
Head of Archives, Special Collections Librarian, or Collections Manager
Digital Preservation Manager or Continuity/Records Program Manager

Lateral Moves:

Records Manager / Records Management Analyst
Metadata Librarian or Cataloging Specialist
Museum Curator or Collections Conservator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement, and maintain accessioning policies and procedures to evaluate incoming gifts, deposits, and transfers, document provenance, and create legally enforceable donor agreements and deeds of gift.
Appraise potential acquisitions against institutional collecting policies, making recommendations for retention, deaccession, or transfer in consultation with curators, legal counsel, and stakeholders.
Arrange and describe manuscript collections, organizational records, photographs, audio-visual materials, and born-digital content to archival standards, producing hierarchical collection inventories and intellectual controls.
Create and update finding aids and collection-level descriptions using Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and publish them to discovery systems to maximize researcher access and SEO visibility.
Apply metadata standards (Dublin Core, MARC21, EAD, PREMIS) to physical and digital objects to ensure consistent discovery, interoperability, and long-term preservation.
Manage the ingestion, organization, and preservation of born-digital materials using established workflows and tools (e.g., BitCurator, BAGIT, Archivematica) to prevent data loss and maintain authenticity.
Operate and administer collections management and archival information systems such as ArchivesSpace, DSpace, CONTENTdm, or other institutional repositories; perform data entry, quality control, and system maintenance.
Lead digitization projects: plan digitization priorities, set technical specifications (resolution, file formats, capture metadata), perform quality checks, and coordinate vendor or in-house scanning and OCR workflows.
Assess physical storage requirements, implement environmental monitoring, pest management, and preventive conservation measures to protect paper, photographic, and mixed-media collections.
Develop and implement disaster preparedness and recovery plans for collections, coordinate emergency response for collections salvage, and maintain continuity protocols with facilities and risk management.
Provide reference and research services to internal staff, scholars, students, and the public; manage reading room operations, enforce access policies, and deliver high-quality patron assistance.
Prepare and deliver instruction sessions, research consultations, and outreach programs (exhibitions, lectures, social media) to increase use and visibility of collections and support institutional teaching and learning objectives.
Negotiate and manage intellectual property, copyright, and access rights for collections; prepare rights statements, licensing agreements, and permissions documentation for digitized materials.
Supervise, train, and coordinate volunteers, interns, student assistants, and temporary staff in archival processing tasks, digitization, and patron services while maintaining quality standards.
Conduct condition assessments and coordinate conservation treatments with professional conservators for high-value or fragile items, preparing treatment requests and estimates.
Create and monitor budgets for acquisitions, preservation projects, digitization, and supplies; write or support grant proposals and manage awarded project funds and reporting requirements.
Maintain comprehensive accession, deaccession, and transfer records; prepare legal and procedural documentation for custody changes and audit trails.
Perform regular collection surveys and backlog remediation projects to bring uncataloged or under-described materials into public discovery systems, documenting work and impact metrics.
Coordinate interdepartmental initiatives to integrate archival resources into institutional digital strategy, learning platforms, and exhibitions, advocating for archival priorities in cross-functional planning.
Analyze usage statistics, reference queries, and digital analytics to inform collection development, digitization priorities, and outreach strategies that increase access and engagement.
Implement security, confidentiality, and restricted access procedures for sensitive or protected records, ensuring compliance with privacy laws, donor restrictions, and institutional policies.
Prepare provenance research, accession histories, and acquisition reports to support curatorial decisions, provenance integrity, and ethical collecting practices.
Participate in professional networks, standards development, and continuing education to stay current with archival best practices, digital preservation frameworks (OAIS), and legal/regulatory changes.
Coordinate the transfer and migration of digital collections across platforms, ensuring metadata continuity, fixity checking, and documentation of migration processes.
Draft and maintain public-facing policies, terms of use, and user guides related to archival access, reproduction requests, fees, and citation guidance.

Secondary Functions

Consult with IT and digital infrastructure teams to ensure adequate storage, backups, and server configurations for digital preservation and public access platforms.
Assist curators and educators in developing digitized exhibits, virtual collections, and online storytelling that highlight archival materials and drive web traffic.
Provide policy input and support for records retention schedules, e-discovery, and regulatory compliance in cooperation with legal and records management departments.
Manage vendor relationships for conservation, digitization, and cloud storage services; prepare scopes of work and evaluate vendor deliverables.
Support fundraising and development efforts by preparing collection highlights, impact statements, and content for donor cultivation and stewardship.
Deliver workshops and trainings for staff, students, and community partners on archival research methods, primary source literacy, and handling of special materials.
Assist with oral history projects including project planning, interviewer training, metadata capture, transcription oversight, and long-term preservation.
Prepare regular reports on archival activities, collection usage, project milestones, and KPIs for senior leadership and funders.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in ArchivesSpace, Archives Management Systems, or other collections management systems; strong data entry and metadata curation skills.
Expertise with Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Dublin Core, MARC21, PREMIS, and related descriptive/preservation metadata schemas.
Hands-on experience with digitization workflows, image capture standards (TIFF/JPEG2000), OCR processing, and quality assurance for digital surrogates.
Familiarity with digital preservation tools and workflows (Archivematica, BitCurator, BagIt, fixity checking) and principles of OAIS/LOCKSS.
Practical knowledge of accessioning, appraisal, arrangement, description, and deaccessioning procedures and documentation best practices.
Working knowledge of conservation and preventive care practices for paper, photographic, audiovisual, and mixed media collections.
Experience managing born-digital materials, email archives, and file system collections; comfortable with basic scripting or command-line tools for digital forensics workflows.
Strong understanding of copyright law, rights management, licensing, donor agreements, and permissions research.
Experience preparing finding aids, online descriptive metadata, and publishing content to discovery platforms and institutional repositories.
Proficiency with digitization hardware (scanners, cameras), image processing software (Adobe Photoshop, SilverFast), and basic IT liaison skills.
Ability to prepare grant proposals, budget justifications, and manage externally funded archival projects.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to high-quality descriptive and preservation standards.
Strong verbal and written communication skills for interacting with donors, researchers, colleagues, and public audiences.
Project management skills: planning, scheduling, prioritization, and delivery of multi-phase archival projects on time and within budget.
Customer-service orientation with patience and professionalism when assisting researchers, students, and community members.
Collaborative mindset and ability to work across departments, with external vendors, and with volunteer teams.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to assess collections, resolve access restrictions, and design practical preservation solutions.
Ethical judgment and discretion when handling sensitive or restricted materials and when negotiating donor expectations.
Flexibility and adaptability to evolving digital standards, platforms, and institutional priorities.
Training and mentorship aptitude for supervising interns and student employees in archival practices.
Advocacy and outreach skills to promote collections, increase visibility, and support institutional goals.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in History, Library Science, Museum Studies, Archives, Information Science, or a related humanities field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS/MLS) with an archival specialization, MA/MS in Archives/Records Management, or Certificate in Archival Studies.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Archival Studies
Library and Information Science
History / Public History
Museum Studies / Cultural Heritage Management
Records Management / Information Governance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–7 years of professional experience in archives, special collections, records management, or cultural heritage institutions; early-career positions may accept 1–2 years with strong practicum experience.

Preferred:

3–5+ years of demonstrated experience in archival accessioning, arrangement and description, digital preservation workflows, and public services; experience with ArchivesSpace and EAD strongly preferred.
Experience leading digitization projects, grant-funded initiatives, or supervising students/volunteers is a significant advantage.