18 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
Most days mix hands-on work with computer tasks. Mornings often start by digitizing items—scanning a letter or photographing a photograph—and then creating metadata (descriptive data) in Microsoft Excel or a database like Microsoft Access.
Afternoons go to preserving and repairing items, answering researcher questions at the reference desk, or updating finding aids (documents that describe collections). You might also run public programs or training and spend time on cataloguing, conservation, or emails in Microsoft Outlook.
Start with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access for cataloguing and simple databases—hiring managers expect basic spreadsheet and database skills. Learn Adobe Acrobat for preparing PDFs and Adobe Photoshop for image cleanup and basic photo corrections.
Also get comfortable with XML (Extensible Markup Language) for metadata standards and Microsoft Office in general. Employers will train you on their specific collection-management system, but these tools are the foundation.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists archivists, curators, and records managers together. As of their 2025 data, about 7,970 were employed. Median pay is $64,550 per year, the lowest tenth earned $39,970, and the top tenth $110,550.
Pay varies a lot by employer type (university, government, museum), location, and experience. The BLS page is the source for these numbers.
A digital archivist focuses on preserving and providing access to unique, long-term historical records—applying archival theory, appraisal (deciding what to keep), conservation, and creating finding aids and metadata. They often digitize collections and use tools like Photoshop and XML.
Librarians manage circulating collections and help with instruction and reference in broader subjects. Records managers handle active business records and legal retention schedules. There’s overlap, but archives work centers on unique historical value.
AI can speed up transcriptions, suggest subjects, or generate preliminary metadata, but you must verify every output. Use AI as an assistant: run OCR in Adobe Acrobat, then check correctness against the original document.
Do not rely on AI for appraisal, legal questions, or privacy decisions. Always follow institutional ethics and legal policies when handling sensitive records, and document any AI-assisted changes in your workflow.
Take classes in history, computer skills (Excel, basic databases), and digital imaging or photography. Volunteer at a local archive, historical society, or library to learn cataloguing, digitization, and reference work firsthand.
Practical experience matters: learn to use Adobe Photoshop and Acrobat, practice scanning and making metadata spreadsheets, and attend workshops or free webinars from professional groups. Consider a library science or archival studies program later.
Must-have technical skills: basic cataloguing, creating metadata and finding aids, using Excel and Access, digitization workflows, and image work in Photoshop. You should know how to make PDFs in Acrobat and use email/calendar in Outlook.
Skills often learned on the job: the specific collection management system, advanced XML metadata schemas, conservation techniques beyond basic cleaning, and institutional legal procedures. Employers expect the basics and will train for specialized systems.