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Archivist

An archivist is a professional who works to asses, collect, organize, preserve, maintain, and provide access to records and archives housed by an organization. The origin of the word archivist, as used in conjunction with the information professional, comes from the French archiviste and dates back to 1745.

The records and media maintained by an archivist can include, but are not limited to, corporate records, manuscripts, ephemera, scrapbooks, photographs, video or sound oral histories, letters, and electronically saved material. An archivist will work to determine if a record has enduring value and should be preserved in the long-term. A museum or organizations archives will serve as the institutional memory of the museum or organization. An archivist is not concerned with the monetary value of the record, but with the value of the record’s content in association with their organization or collection. An archivist must understand the limits of their storage and the expenses associated with acquiring and preserving records when determining whether or not to acquire records.

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Duties

-	Acquisition

In the acquisition process, an archivist is guided by the mission and collection goals of the institution. An archivist must be able to assess the educational and informational value of potential material in regards to the institution, regardless of the financial value or importance a record or piece of media may have. When a record is acquired through purchase or donation to the organization, an archivist helps in the accession process to legally acquire the records.

-	Arrangement

In arranging the archived material, and archivist must be able to provide access to researchers or staff of the organization. The records will be organized intellectually in a computerized inventory catalogue (may be a paper catalogue in smaller or older organizations). The physical organization of the records and materials will reflect the intellectual arrangement in storage. While completing the arrangement process, the archivist will be focused on the concepts of provenance and original order. The provenance refers to the origin of the records and the original order is keeping the records in the same order as established and maintained by the creators of the records. The original order is maintained to preserve the provenance and authenticity of the original records and the creator/collection which last owned the records.

-	Description

In the process of intellectually arranging the records, the archivist must include descriptions to create accurate representations of the content and material included in the physical arrangement. The description of the record will help in research of the archives, and will provide all pertinent information regarding creator, context, and subjects. Many major archives will not describe materials on the item level or provide details of the material included in the object. As part of the growing usage of digital tools for research, archivists are become more tech-savvy in order to provide their archives to researchers online or through digital databases housed in the institution.

-	Preservation

A key element of any collection is the preservation of the material placed in their trust. During the arrangement process, the archivist will evaluate the condition of the material and transfer the records and media to archival, acid-free housing. Any issues that may need stabilization will be handled and the records will be stored in temperature and humidity controlled facilities.

-	Reference and Outreach

The afore mentioned duties are all completed in order to make the archives accessible for the future. The archivist will assist researches in the handling and searching of the archive. The archivist will also do outreach to universities or other institutions to provide the materials in the archive for research. Beyond the research inquires, a archivist may interact with the general publics questions regarding the collection and archive, and supervise the collaboration with staff members inside of their organization.

Education

The educational preparation varies across the globe. An undergraduate degree in a related field is one of the first steps to becoming an archivist. Most of the archivist in the United States have a Master’s degree, usually in Library Science. Other master’s degrees that are useful to archivists are in the field of art history, library and information sciences, and archival sciences. Many teaching institutions will employ archivists with a PhD as the director of their archival programs and work as a teaching faculty member. As part of the education process, archivists must understand and adhere to the published standards and ethics as provided by local and national associations dedicated to archivists and their work.

Professional organization and continuing education

In North America, the leading professional organizations are the Society of American Archivists, the Association of Canadian Archivists and the Academy of Certified Archivists. Most archivists will belong to numerous local and regional associations for support, guidance and ongoing educational opportunities. Professional organizations will provide certifications or updates to previously learned information. With the every evolving technology used to store and preserve data and records, continuing education is a must for any archivist.

Reference:

An undergraduate degree in a related field is one of the first steps to becoming an archivist. Most of the archivist in the United States have a Master’s degree, usually in Library Science. (Schlatter p.67). Retrieved: Ambrose, T. & Paine C. (2006). Museum Basics. New York, NY: Routledge. About.com. (2014). What IS A Museum Archivist? Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://fineart.about.com/od/Museums/p/Job-Profile-Of-Art-Museum-Archivist.htm Council on Library and Information Resources. (2014). The Archival Paradigm: The Genesi and Rationales of Archival Principles and Practices. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub89/archival.html George C. Marshall Foundation. (2014). Job Description: Assistant Librarian and Archivist. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.marshallfoundation.org/news/librarianandarchivistjobdescription.htm National Archives. (2014). What’s an Archives? Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.archives.gov/about/info/whats-an-archives.html MoMA. (2014). About the Archives. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.moma.org/learn/resources/archives/archives_about National Archives. (2014). What’s an Archivist? Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.archives.gov/about/info/whats-an-archivist.html Philadelphia Museum of Art. (2014). Archives of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.philamuseum.org/archives/ Salary.com. (2014). Archivist – U.S. National Averages. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www1.salary.com/Archivists-Salary.html San Diego Aerospace Museum. (2014). Job Description. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/museum/standards/4-associate%20archivist-SDASM.pdf Schlatter, N. E. (2008). Museum Careers. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press Society of American Archivists. (2014). Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www2.archivists.org/gpas Society of American Archivists. (2014). So You Want to Be an Archivist: An Ovierview of the Archives Profession. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www2.archivists.org/profession Society of American Archivists. (2014). Standards Portal. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www2.archivists.org/standards/code-of-ethics-for-archivists Wikipedia. (2014, January 30). Archivist. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivist