Archivist

As an archivist, you'll ensure that information is protected and made accessible to users, increasingly in digital formats.

Archives may include historical books, papers, maps and plans, photographs and prints, and films and tapes. Many collections now also include born-digital material, which is created in digital format rather than digitised from paper records or analogue sources such as film or tape. This can include emails, images, videos, databases, 3D models and spreadsheets, for example.

Users range from researchers and academics to other professionals and members of the public.

Responsibilities

As an archivist, you'll need to:

• evaluate records for preservation, retention and disposal
• manage and preserve physical, digitised and born-digital records
• catalogue, arrange and describe archive collections
• prepare and support digitisation and digital preservation activities, including photographing and scanning
• identify and record any necessary conservation work
• apply appropriate preservation and storage measures
• acquire new archives and liaise with donors and depositors
• facilitate access to archives and supervise their use
• respond to enquiries, helping all users access and interpret records
• develop and advise on record-keeping systems and procedures
• promote engagement with archives through events, social media, outreach and learning activities to encourage a more diverse audience.

At a more senior level, you'll be expected to:

• bid for funds and manage budgets
• manage and supervise staff and volunteers
• take responsibility for reviewing policies and developing and implementing strategies
• lead or contribute to projects, partnerships and service development, including digital initiatives.

Salary

• The Archives and Records Association (ARA) recommend a minimum starting salary of £25,903 for archivists working in a support (paraprofessional) role.
• For archivists with experience and responsibility for a discrete area of work, ARA recommends a minimum salary of £33,478 to £39,678.
• Salaries for middle management archivists should start at £49,599, rising to a starting salary of £68,200 for senior management roles. Senior managers typically have a strategic remit and may be qualified as a Fellow of the ARA.

Salaries vary depending on factors such as the sector you work in, your location, level of experience and professional qualifications.

Archivists working on a freelance, contract or agency basis are often paid an hourly or daily rate. If working as a freelancer, you'll also need to factor in costs such as tax, pension contributions, sick leave, insurance and annual leave. Check the ARA Going Freelance Guide for advice on setting up as a freelancer.

Local authority and civil service grades are frequently tied to scales.

Income data from ARA's Salary Recommendations. Figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Archivists usually work standard office hours, typically Monday to Friday. However, archives that offer a public service may require some evening or weekend working, particularly in local government settings where record offices may share opening hours with libraries.

Career breaks, part-time and flexible working are possible, for example within the civil service, local government and other public sector organisations. There may be some opportunities for hybrid working.

What to expect

• You'll spend a lot of time working on a computer, particularly when cataloguing collections or managing digital records. You may also need to lift boxes and handle records using safe lifting and handling techniques.
• You may work for a large archive service that employs more than one archivist, often in specialist roles. However, many services are small, so you may be the only archivist and undertake a wide range of duties, sometimes overlapping with records management.
• Archive jobs are relatively limited in number and spread across the UK and Ireland. Some posts, particularly project-funded roles, may be temporary or fixed-term.
• There is currently a lack of diversity within the archives profession. ARA Diversity and Inclusion Allies work towards improving diversity and inclusion across ARA and the wider record-keeping community.
• Once you have experience, there may be opportunities for freelance or contract work with charities, religious organisations or private archives. There may be opportunities for international travel or secondments and posts overseas.

Qualifications

You'll usually need a first degree followed by a postgraduate qualification accredited by the Archives and Records Association (ARA). Although the subject of your first degree doesn't usually matter, subjects such as history, law, classics and English are popular. For specialist roles, for example in scientific or banking archive services, a relevant degree may be useful.

Competition for postgraduate courses is strong, and you'll normally need a good honours degree and some relevant work experience, either paid or voluntary. Courses are available at PGCert, PGDip and Masters level, and most combine archives and records management. Part-time and distance learning options are available at some institutions. A list of ARA-accredited courses is available on the ARA website.

You can apply for assistant (paraprofessional) roles without a postgraduate qualification. These posts are available in many archive services and may allow you to undertake further study while working or after gaining experience.

The Bodleian Libraries Digital Archivist Graduate Training Scheme is a specialist route that combines postgraduate study with on-the-job training in digital archiving.

The Level 3 Library, Information and Archive Services Assistant apprenticeship also offers an entry route into archive work.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• a genuine interest in preserving records and information for posterity
• strong communication, research and interpersonal skills to support and advise a wide range of users
• excellent organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise work and manage time effectively
• a logical and methodical approach to arranging, classifying and describing records
• strong attention to detail and accuracy
• the ability to assess and understand large volumes of varied material
• good problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing needs
• confidence using IT, databases and collections management systems
• an interest in digital technology, including digital records and digital preservation
• the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• an understanding of the principles of confidentiality, awareness of data protection and freedom of information legislation and its relevance to archive work.

Work experience

You'll need to have good-quality voluntary or paid work experience in an archives, records and information management or digital curation environment to get a place on a postgraduate course. The amount of work experience you need varies between course providers, so check before applying.

ARA advertises paid and voluntary placement opportunities across the UK and Ireland for those seeking experience before starting postgraduate study. There may also be limited opportunities to volunteer with ARA.

Assistant or trainee archive posts are also advertised online, through professional mailing lists such as the Archives-NRA List, and on archive and heritage sector job boards.

You can also approach archive services directly to ask about voluntary opportunities. Large archive services are often found in local government and universities, but you could also contact heritage organisations, museums, records offices and large businesses with archive collections. For contact details of archive services across the UK, see The National Archives - Find an archive.

Student membership of ARA is useful and is open to anyone studying an ARA-accredited course. Making contacts and developing your professional network is an important part of building a career in archives.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Opportunities are available with:

• local authority archive and records services
• The National Archives, National Records of Scotland and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
• The British Library and the national libraries of Scotland and Wales
• central government departments and government agencies
• universities and independent schools
• museums, galleries and other cultural and heritage organisations
• large charities and voluntary sector organisations
• NHS trusts, hospitals and health organisations
• religious bodies and foundations
• media organisations, publishers and broadcasters
• professional bodies and membership organisations
• specialist private sector repositories in large corporations, banks, law firms and industrial organisations
• community archives and specialist heritage groups
• private or family archives and work for individuals.

Competition for jobs is strong, and you may move from one sector to another and work for a range of employers during your career. With experience, it may be possible to work as a self-employed archivist.

Look for job vacancies at:

• ARC Recruitment - the Archives and Records Association's recruitment bulletin.
• Archives-NRA List
• The National Archives - sector jobs and opportunities.
• Jobs.ac.uk - particularly for university and research-based posts.
• University of Leicester, Museum Studies Jobs Desk

Vacancies are also advertised on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, on local authority and university websites, and in the local and national press.

Professional development

The ARA offers professional registration at three levels:

• Foundation (FMARA) - for those at the start or early stages of their career
• Registered (RMARA) - those at the early to mid-point in their careers
• Fellow (FARA) - the highest-level award for significant professional experience.

To get started, you'll need to review your current skills and experience, find a mentor and enrol on the ARA Professional Development Programme, which is based around a framework of professional competencies. You'll need to submit a portfolio of evidence showing how you meet the criteria for the level you're applying for. Once qualified, you will need to continue your professional development to maintain your registration.

It's also possible to gain accreditation through the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) once you have five years' experience or three years plus a recognised professional qualification. To apply, you'll need to submit either a written application or a shorter summary application and an interview. Accreditation entitles you to use the post-nominal letters AMIRMS.

Throughout your career you'll need to keep up to date with new technologies, digital preservation techniques, legislative changes and emerging best practice. The ARA provides a programme of courses, lectures and events to support professional development. You can also do further research at PhD level.

Career prospects

Many people start their careers as assistant archivists before progressing into full archivist roles. As your career develops, you may acquire a specialist interest, particularly if you work for a larger archive service with several departments.

You may find that some roles are project-based or offered on fixed-term contracts, often linked to cataloguing, digitisation or externally funded work. These posts can be a valuable way to gain experience, develop specialist skills and build professional networks.

With experience, it's possible to progress to senior posts with a stronger management focus. These roles typically involve responsibility for budgets, staff and strategic planning.

Professional registration through ARA can support career progression. It demonstrates that your skills, knowledge and experience meet recognised professional standards and that you're committed to ongoing professional development.

Archivists work within a relatively small professional network, so opportunities for promotion to senior posts may be limited. You're likely to work in a range of roles and environments during your career, and flexibility - both geographically and in the type of organisation you work for - can help improve long-term career prospects.

There are some opportunities for archivists in related roles such as archive conservation, genealogy and historical research.