Archivist Job Description

What is the job description of an Archivist? What are the duties and responsibilities of an Archivist? What does an Archivist do?

Job description of an Archivist

The job of an archivist involves acquiring, managing and maintaining documents or other materials with historical important to people, organizations and even nations. He/she is responsible for organizing, maintaining and preserving books, maps, papers, photographs, films, newspapers, prints and computer-generated records.

Archivists are responsible for assembling, cataloguing, preserving and managing historically valuable collections of information, which exist in a wealth of formats. Archivists work within a wide variety of public and private sector organizations, and once qualified, may move between a variety of organizations, roles and specializations.

This Archivist job description example includes the list of most important Archivist duties and responsibilities as shown below. It can be modified to fit the specific Archivist profile you're trying to fill as a recruiter or job seeker.

Archivist Duties and Responsibilities

Archivist job description should contain a variety of functions and roles including:

  • 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.

Archivist Requirements / Skills / Qualifications

Archivist job description should include these common skills and qualifications:

  • A degree in Archival Science
  • Technical skills and critical reasoning.
  • Ability to think systematically and logically is vital;
  • Adaptive to technology.

As a hiring manager, recruiting an ideal Archivist starts with crafting a good job description. Use this Archivist job description template to save yourself time and help you attract the most qualified candidates. Feel free to revise it to meet your specific needs.

Job seekers interviewing for the role of an Archivist may also reference it in preparation for the interview.