What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Archivists in the U.S. earn more than $64,550 a year — the middle 80% land between $39,970 and $110,550. About 7,970 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Archivists”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$64,550typical pay / year
7,970people in this work
$110,550+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Keeping the record6
Organise records and archives
+Create a new hierarchical finding aid for the twentieth-century municipal records, arrange entries by series…
Organise records and archives
+Create a new hierarchical finding aid for the twentieth-century municipal records, arrange entries by series and date, add retention and access restrictions where required, then export a printable inventory for the reading room by Friday morning.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLESCOjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Preserve records and archives
+Quarantine the water-damaged council minutes, document condition reports, assign priority stabilisation…
Preserve records and archives
+Quarantine the water-damaged council minutes, document condition reports, assign priority stabilisation treatments, prepare acid-free enclosures, and schedule conservation work with the lab for next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeESCOjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Assess records and archives
+Sample a box from the 1980s correspondence, run appraisal checks against the retention schedule, flag items…
Assess records and archives
+Sample a box from the 1980s correspondence, run appraisal checks against the retention schedule, flag items for permanent retention or disposal with justification, and update the accession register.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelESCOWikipedia
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Collect records and archives
+Inventory the donated photographic prints, capture creator, date and format fields, note any donor…
Collect records and archives
+Inventory the donated photographic prints, capture creator, date and format fields, note any donor restrictions and digital reproduction rights, then produce a transfer checklist and accession receipt to send to the donor.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft AccessESCOWikipedia
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Acquire and catalog materials
+Purchase the ledgers offered by the parish, verify provenance and gaps in runs, create catalogue records with…
Acquire and catalog materials
+Purchase the ledgers offered by the parish, verify provenance and gaps in runs, create catalogue records with scope and content notes, and assign barcodes and shelving locations before payment clears.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Accessjob descriptionsO*NET
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Apply specialized knowledge to records
+Review the chemical hazard statements on the photographic collection, annotate catalogue records with…
Apply specialized knowledge to records
+Review the chemical hazard statements on the photographic collection, annotate catalogue records with handling restrictions and PPE requirements, update user guides for staff, and log the changes in the preservation register.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
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The daily work13
Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.
+Schedule and assign shift duties for the conservation technicians and volunteer registrars for next quarter,…
Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.
+Schedule and assign shift duties for the conservation technicians and volunteer registrars for next quarter, include primary contacts, handover notes, display rotation responsibilities, and escalate unresolved staffing gaps to Maria in Collections by Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes.
+Draft the annual outreach calendar linking three curator talks, two hands-on workshops, and weekly guided…
Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes.
+Draft the annual outreach calendar linking three curator talks, two hands-on workshops, and weekly guided tours, include target audiences, estimated visitor numbers, budget line items, and email the proposal to James in Education and the marketing lead by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ExcelO*NET
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Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques.
+Prepare a set of fifteen items for the upcoming display: choose texts and images, draft display labels with…
Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques.
+Prepare a set of fifteen items for the upcoming display: choose texts and images, draft display labels with historical context and conservation notes, proofread entries, and send the package to the exhibitions manager Emma for approval by Friday.
The tools that do the workAdobe InDesignO*NET
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Authenticate and appraise historical documents
+Authenticate and appraise the 18th-century letters from the Hartwell estate: establish provenance, note…
Authenticate and appraise historical documents
+Authenticate and appraise the 18th-century letters from the Hartwell estate: establish provenance, note material makeup and condition, record appraisal value and recommended retention status, and forward the report to the archives director and Legal within seven days.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions
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Create metadata and finding aids
+Create detailed metadata and a finding aid for the newly acquired missionary correspondence series: include…
Create metadata and finding aids
+Create detailed metadata and a finding aid for the newly acquired missionary correspondence series: include standardized subject headings, dates, physical description, access restrictions, and upload the final finding aid to the catalog with a copy to the digital archivist by Monday.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLjob descriptions
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Provide reference services
+Answer Dr. Patel's query about the 19th-century shipping logs: locate each item's catalog record, confirm…
Provide reference services
+Answer Dr. Patel's query about the 19th-century shipping logs: locate each item's catalog record, confirm access restrictions, summarise provenance and condition in plain language, and send the summary and recommended handling notes to Research Services by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Officejob descriptions
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Participate in professional development and training
+Register for the regional archives training on digital preservation, list three learning goals tied to our…
Participate in professional development and training
+Register for the regional archives training on digital preservation, list three learning goals tied to our appraisal policy, secure departmental approval from Head of Collections, and add the session and reading list to the staff development calendar by next Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptions
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Digitize collections
+Digitize the borrower ledger, capture high-resolution images, apply file names that follow our accession…
Digitize collections
+Digitize the borrower ledger, capture high-resolution images, apply file names that follow our accession schema, validate OCR accuracy against the original text, embed basic rights metadata, then deliver the searchable master and a preservation copy to the shared archive by Thursday.
The tools that do the workAdobe Acrobatjob descriptions
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Assist researchers and the public
+Prepare a single-page access brief for the Smith family papers showing scope, access conditions, and…
Assist researchers and the public
+Prepare a single-page access brief for the Smith family papers showing scope, access conditions, and sensitive redactions, attach thumbnail images of key items, and email the brief and viewing instructions to Professor Ahmed and the public enquiry inbox by Monday morning.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptions
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Locate records in stacks
+Find record box 47A in the south stacks, confirm its accession matches the online catalogue entry, pull the…
Locate records in stacks
+Find record box 47A in the south stacks, confirm its accession matches the online catalogue entry, pull the requested file, note the shelfmark and any mis-shelved items, and leave it on the retrieval trolley labelled for Dr. Lee by noon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Accessjob descriptions
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Clean, repair, and conserve documents
+Stabilise the water-damaged invoices by surface cleaning, mend tears with archival tape where necessary,…
Clean, repair, and conserve documents
+Stabilise the water-damaged invoices by surface cleaning, mend tears with archival tape where necessary, flatten under light weights for 48 hours, record the treatments in the conservation log with photos, and return the items to box 12 for reboxing Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions
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Apply archival theory, methods, and appraisal
+Apply appraisal rules to the newly donated estate papers: separate personal correspondence from…
Apply archival theory, methods, and appraisal
+Apply appraisal rules to the newly donated estate papers: separate personal correspondence from administrative records, recommend retention periods for each series, justify selections in a one-page report citing appraisal criteria, and submit the recommendation to the archives committee next Tuesday.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLjob descriptions
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Assist with legal concerns and ethics
+Draft a memo explaining privacy and copyright risks in the Minton collection, propose redaction or restricted…
Assist with legal concerns and ethics
+Draft a memo explaining privacy and copyright risks in the Minton collection, propose redaction or restricted access for sensitive files, cite relevant legislation and our code of ethics, and send the memo to Legal Counsel and the Head Archivist by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Officejob descriptions
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Says who?
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Activities this job lives in
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Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.
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Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.
The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses