Occupation
Archivist
Archivists appraise which records have lasting value, arrange and describe them so they can be found, and preserve them in usable condition. The work covers paper, photographs, audiovisual material, and increasingly digital files whose formats can become unreadable if nothing is done.
Also known as: Archives officer · Digital archivist
Occupation content
Part of Government, policy and administration
What the work involves
- Appraise incoming records and decide what warrants permanent retention.
- Arrange and describe collections so that researchers can locate material.
- Prepare finding aids and catalogue entries to recognised descriptive standards.
- Monitor storage conditions and carry out preservation and reformatting work.
- Assist researchers, departments, and the public with access requests to holdings.
- Manage digital preservation, including format migration and integrity checking.
How people commonly enter
- A graduate qualification in archival studies, library and information science, or history.
- A bachelor's degree in history or a related field followed by archival certification.
- Progression from a records management, library, or museum collections position.
- A supervised internship or practicum placement in an archive or special collection.
Typical training: Postgraduate or professional degree
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Typical work context
Quiet focus · Desk based · Works independently · Predictable routine
Related interests
Investigative (analytical) · Conventional (organizing) · Artistic (creative)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
- Attention and concentration
- Reading comprehension
- Data checking and clerical accuracy
- Learning and information retention
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Government, policy and administration.
Official sources
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- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: archivist · United States
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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- Canada Job Bank — Search job profiles (search: archivist) · Canada
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Government, policy and administration in Canada, not a figure for Archivist. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
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Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: education pathways
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Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Government, policy and administration: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)