- For other uses, see Archivist (disambiguation).
Image:Archivist Survey.jpg
An Archivist surveying an unprocessed collection of materials. Surveying is commonly done to determine priorities for preservation and/or conservation of materials before an archivist begins arrangement and description.
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media (photographs, video or sound recordings, letters, documents, electronic records, etc.). As Richard Pearce-Moses wrote, "Archivists keep records that have enduring value as reliable memories of the past, and they help people find and understand the information they need in those records." [1]
Determining what records have enduring value is not always easy. Archivists must also select records valuable enough to justify the costs of storage and preservation, plus the labor intensive expenses of arrangement, description, and reference service. [2] The theory and scholarly work underpinning archives practices is called archival science.
Duties and work environment
Archivists' duties include acquiring and appraising new collections, arranging and describing records, providing reference service, and preserving materials. In arranging records, archivists apply two important principles: provenance and original order, sometimes referred to as respect des fonds. Provenance refers to the origin of records, essentially who created them. The idea of respect des fonds is applied by keeping records in their original order as established and maintained by the creator(s). This also means that records from one corporate body should not be mixed with records from another. Original order is not always the best way to maintain some collections though, and archivists must use their own experience and current best practices to determine the correct way to keep collections of mixed media or those lacking a clear original arrangement. [3]
American archivists are also guided in their work by a code of ethics. [4] Alongside their work behind the scenes arranging and caring for collections, archivists assist users in interpreting collections and answering inquiries. This reference work can be just part of an archivist's job in a smaller organization, or consist of most of their occupation in a larger archive where specific roles (such as processing archivist and reference archivist) may be delineated. [5]
Archivists work for a variety of organizations, including government agencies, local authorities, museums, hospitals, historical societies, businesses, charities, corporations, colleges and universities, and any institution whose records may potentially be valuable to researchers, exhibitors, genealogists, or others. Alternatively, they could also work on the collections of a large family or even of an individual. Applicants for archives jobs usually outnumber positions available.[6]
Archivists are often educators as well; it is not unusual for an archivist employed at a university or college to lecture in a subject related to their collection. Archivists employed at cultural institutions or for local government frequently design educational or outreach programs to further the ability of archive users to understand and access information in their collections. This might include such varied activities as exhibitions, promotional events or even media coverage.[7]
The advent of Encoded Archival Description, along with increasing demand for materials to be made available online, has required archivists to become more tech-savvy in the past decade. Many archivists are now acquiring basic XML skills in order to make their finding aids available to researchers online.[8]
Skills
Because of the varied nature of the job and organisations and work environment, archivists need to have a wide range of skills:
- Those who work in reference and access-oriented positions need to be good with people, so that they are able to help them with their research.
- An ability to apply some basic knowledge of conservation is needed to help extend the useful life of cultural artifacts. Many different types of media (such as photographs, acidic papers, and unstable copy processes) can deteriorate if not stored and maintained properly. [9]
- Although many archival collections are comprised of paper records, increasingly archivists must confront the new challenges posed by the preservation of electronic records, so they need to be forward-looking and technologically proficient.[10]
- Because of the amount of sorting and listing, they need to be very logical and organised and be able to pay attention to detail.
- When cataloging records, or when assisting users, archivists need to have some research skills.
Educational preparation
The educational preparation for archivists varies from country to country.
Colombia
In Colombia, the Universidad de La Salle offers the degree of Professional in Information Systems, Library and Archival Sciences. It is a vocational training program, within existing legal standards aimed at providing knowledge, skills and abilities required for the design and management of information systems and documentation of various sorts. Its projection for the future is based on the application of new information technologies and communications for the management of information services economically viable. The program was created in 1971.
Graduates of this program have founded the Colombian College of Archivists - CCA, and the Colombian Society of Archivists - SCA; comprising the Alumni Association of Librarian and Archival Science (Asociación de Egresados de Bibliotecología y Archivística de la Universidad de La Salle - ASEBIAR); are officials of the General Archives of the Nation, the Archives of Bogota and the most prestigious public and private companies.
Other institutions that offers a degree in Archival Science are:
Some institutions, tech colleges and universities offers assignatures about Archival Science, but don't offers title of Archivist.
Republic of Ireland
In Ireland, the University College Dublin School of History and Archives offers a Masters of Arts degree in Archival Studies, recognised by the Society of Archivists.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, there are currently five full- or part-time professional Masters courses in archives administration or management which are recognised by the Society of Archivists. Students are expected to have relevant paid or voluntary work experience before obtaining a place on the UK courses; many undertake a year's traineeship. Also, in Great Britain, certification can be pursued via the Registration Scheme offered by the Society of Archivists.
United States
According to the most recent professional census of American Archivists published, most of those in the United States have earned a Masters degree.[11] However, the exact type of degree can vary; the most common sorts of advanced degrees held by archivists are in archival science, history, library science, or library and information science. It is also possible for archivists to earn a doctorate in library, or library and information, science. Archivists with a Ph. D. often work as teaching faculty or deans and directors of archival programs.[12] In 2002, the Society of American Archivists published Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies.[13]
Also in the United States, the Academy of Certified Archivists offers supplemental archival training by means of a certification program. Critics of ACA certification object to its yearly membership fees, the theoretical versus practical nature of its tests, and the need for members to re-certify every five years. Many positions in government archives require certification from the ACA, but due to its controversial nature, the ACA is not required by all employers in the United States.
Professional organizations and continuing education
Many archivists belong to a professional organization, such as the Society of American Archivists, the Association of Canadian Archivists, the Society of Archivists (UK/Ireland), the Colombian College of Archivists - CCA and the Australian Society of Archivists, as well as any number of local or regional associations. These organizations often provide ongoing educational opportunities to their members and other interested practitioners. In addition to formal degrees and or apprenticeships, many archivists take part in continuing education opportunities as available through professional associations and library school programs. New discoveries in the fields of media preservation and emerging technologies require continuing education as part of an archivist's job in order to stay current in the profession.[14]
History of the profession
In 1898 three Dutch archivists, Samuel Muller, Johan Feith, and Robert Fruin, published the first Western text on archival theory entitled "Manual for the Arrangement and Description of Archives". Produced for the Dutch Association of Archivists, it set out one hundred rules for archivists to base their work around. Notably within these rules the principle of preserving provenance and original order was first argued for as an essential trait of archival arrangement and description.[15]
The next major text was written in 1922 by Sir Hilary Jenkinson, the then Deputy Keeper of the British Public Records Office, entitled "Manual of Archive Administration". In this work Jenkinson states that archives are evidence and that the moral and physical defence of this evidential value is the central tenet of archival work. He further outlines his ideas of what an Archive should be and how it should operate.
In 1956, T. R. Schellenberg, who is known as the "Father of American Archival Appraisal",[16] published "Modern Archives". Schellenberg's work was intended to be an academic textbook defining archival methodology and giving archivists specific technical instruction on workflow and arrangement. Moving away from Jenkinson's organic and passive approach to archival acquisition, where the administrator decided what was kept and what was destroyed, Schellenberg argued for a more active approach by archivists to appraisal. His primary (administrative) and secondary (research) value model for the management and appraisal of records and archives allowed government archivists greater control over the influx of material that they faced after the Second World War. As a result of the widespread adoption of Schellenberg's methods, especially in the United States of America, modern Records Management as a separate but related discipline was born.[17]
In 1972, Ernst Posner published "Archives in the Ancient World". Posner's work emphasized that archives were not new inventions, but had existed in many different societies throughout recorded history.
In 1975, essays by Margaret Cross Norton were collected under the title of "Norton on Archives: The Writings of Margaret Cross Norton on Archival and Records Management". Norton was one of the founders of the Society of American Archivists, and wrote essays based on her decades of experience working in the Illinois State Archives.
Archives 2.0
Archivists, like librarians, are taking advantage of Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs,[18] wikis [19], and virtual environments[20] as well as open access and open source philosophies.
Footnotes
- ^ Pearce-Moses, Richard. "Identity and Diversity: What Is an Archivist?" Archival Outlook, March/April 2006.
- ^ Hunter, Gregory (2003). Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc..
- ^ O'Toole, James M. and Richard J. Cox (2006). Understanding Archives and Manuscripts. Chicago: Society of American Archivists.
- ^ SAA Code of Ethics. Society of American Archivists. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ O'Donnell, F. (2000). "Reference Service in an Academic Archives". The Journal of Academic Librarianship vol. 26 (no. 2): pp. 110-118. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Archivists, Curators, and Museum Technicians. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Guidelines for College and University Archives, Section IV. Core Archival Functions, Subsection D. Service. Society of American Archivists. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ Encoded Archival Description. Archives Hub. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ Ritzenthaler, Mary Lynn (1993). Preserving Archives and Manuscripts. Chicago: Society of American Archivists.
- ^ The Archival Paradigm—The Genesis and Rationales of Archival Principles and Practices. Council on Library and Information Resources [1]. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ Archival Census and Education Needs: Survey in the United States. Society of American Archivists. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Yakel and Bastian, Elizabeth and Jeannette (Fall/Winter 2007). "A*Census: Report on Archival Graduate Education". American Archivist 69 (2): 349-366. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies. Society of American Archivists. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Zimmelman, Nancy (Fall/Winter 2007). "A*Census: Report on Continuing Education". American Archivist 69 (2): 367-395. Retrieved on 2007-04-04.
- ^ Cook, Terry (1997). What is Past is Prologue: A History of Archival Ideas Since 1898, and the Future Paradigm Shift. Canada: Archivaria Vol.43, Association of Canadian Archivists.
- ^ http://archivopedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=Theodore_R._Schellenberg
- ^ Schellenberg, Theodore R. (1956). Modern Archives: Principles and Techniques. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- ^ Archivopedia list of blogs by archivists
- ^ Archivopedia wiki search
- ^ Virtual Campus
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
External links
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