Archivist Duties & Responsibilities

The role and function of an Archivist includes the following duties and responsibilities:

  • Evaluating records for retention and preservation;
  • Arranging acquisition or retrieval of records;
  • Liaising with donors, depositors or owners of archives;
  • Cataloguing collections;
  • Managing records and information;
  • Advising users how to access, use or interpret archives;
  • Answering enquiries from the public or other users (via phone, e-mail or letters);
  • Arranging exhibits or visits;
  • Facilitating access through computer-aided searches or other methods of remote access;
  • Producing teaching or training materials;
  • Facilitating seminars about archival procedures;
  • Identifying ways to protect or preserve collections;
  • Managing junior staff.

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Archivist duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Archivist roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.