◆ History

What a government archivist
really does.

19 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

19evidenced tasks
7,970in the US (2025)
$64,550median pay / year
10systems it runs on
See the 19 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Organise records and archives
Rearrange and index the municipal archive so records from 1900–1950 ar…4 sources agree

The shape of the day

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The work, task by task

19 tasks
Hands on the work16
Organise records and archives+
Rearrange and index the municipal archive so records from 1900–1950 are grouped by department and accession number, create a retention schedule summary, note preservation risks, and produce a folder-level inventory for the curator by Friday.
escojdonetwiki4 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Preserve records and archives+
Plan a preservation action for the council's paper register: assess material condition, list immediate stabilization steps, climate-control targets for long-term storage, and estimate vendor costs for digitisation and conservation over six months.
escojdwiki3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Acquire and catalog materials+
Acquire the donated private papers from Dr. Ellen Harper, verify provenance and legal transfer, catalogue each folder with title, date range, and access restrictions, and attach finding aids so researchers can request items next month.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Apply specialized knowledge to records+
Apply appraisal criteria to the city planning records from 1998–2005, flag files with long-term research value or personal data concerns, recommend retention periods and restricted access codes, and prepare the appraisal report for the collections committee.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Provide reference services+
Answer Dr. Hassan's email requesting access to the 1950s municipal correspondence: confirm which boxes are open for view, list the redaction rules we must apply, propose two appointment slots next Tuesday, and attach the digital finding aid and access form for signature before the visit.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.+
Assign staff duties for the next quarter: who will arrange incoming collections, who will catalogue new accessions, who will prepare exhibit mounts, and who will manage preventive conservation; include deadlines, training needs, and a weekly check-in on Friday with the collections manager.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes.+
Draft a six-month public program schedule listing docent-led tours, a lunchtime lecture series, three hands-on workshops for schools, target audiences, room capacities, promotion notes, and budget estimates, then circulate to Outreach and the Education Officer by Monday.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques.+
Prepare a short list of ten candidate items for the upcoming display, write curator notes that explain significance and condition, select photography needs and caption text, and send the list to Exhibitions and Conservation for sign-off by Friday.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Watch and assess2
Grow the practice1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
13 tasksMicrosoft Excelcompile the folder-level inventory and retention schedule as sortable spreadsheets for the curatorOpen its task library →
6 tasksMicrosoft Officedraft the accompanying retention schedule narrative and cover memo
3 tasksMicrosoft Outlookmanage the reference request email, send attachments and schedule appointments
2 tasksMicrosoft Accessmanage accession records and searchable catalog entries for collections
2 tasksAdobe Photoshopprocess item images for reproduction and retouching requirements
1 taskMicrosoft PowerPointcreate a clear program overview for meetings and public promotion
1 taskAdobe InDesignassemble edited text and images into a display-ready layout and captioned proofs
1 taskMicrosoft Worddraft the narrative appraisal report with embedded photosOpen its task library →
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

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ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a government archivist actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $64,550 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $39,970; the top tenth near $110,550
  • 7,970 people employed in this occupation

India

the occupation GROUP, not this job · PLFS via ILOSTAT 2025
  • ₹38,298 a month — the median for Professionals, the group this work sits in
  • India publishes pay by broad occupation group, so this covers many jobs besides this one. It is a shape, not a salary.
read this carefullyThese two numbers are not comparable and must not be converted into each other. One is a yearly figure for this job alone; the other is a monthly figure for a whole family of jobs. What travels between them is the pattern, not the amount: experience lifts pay almost everywhere.

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job6 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register4 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild14 of these tasks WikipediaHow the world describes this work4 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS LSIILARC7v2Acquire archive materials and collectionsnational standard UK NOS LSIILARA3v2Identify customer requirements for information and library services, anational standard

Close to this work

12 nearby
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Questions people actually ask

A day mixes hands-on work with desk tasks. Mornings often involve inspecting, cleaning, or conserving documents and photos, using gloves, brushes, and conservation supplies. You might digitize items that morning with a scanner or camera and log the files.

Afternoons often mean cataloguing and creating metadata or finding aids in systems like Microsoft Excel, Access, or XML-based tools, answering researcher requests by email or in person, and planning exhibits or outreach using PowerPoint or Adobe InDesign.

You’ll use Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint for reports, spreadsheets, scheduling, and presentations. Microsoft Access is common for small databases of holdings. XML (Extensible Markup Language) is used for structured metadata and finding aids.

For public displays and digitized images you’ll use Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, and InDesign to prepare PDFs, clean images, and lay out brochures or exhibit panels.

AI tools may help with OCR (turning scanned text into searchable text), automated transcription, or suggesting metadata tags. Staff still check the results because OCR and AI make mistakes, especially on old handwriting or damaged pages.

You must follow legal and ethical rules: verify identity-sensitive content, don’t let AI replace appraisal decisions (what to keep), and keep records of automated changes so researchers can see originals.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, 2025), there are about 7,970 people employed as archivists, curators, and museum workers. The median annual wage is $64,550.

BLS lists the lowest tenth at $39,970 and the top tenth at $110,550. These numbers cover archivists working in government and other settings; local pay varies by agency and seniority.

A common route is a bachelor’s in history, library science, or a related field followed by an MA or MLIS with archival coursework. Take classes in archival methods, preservation, and metadata (including XML).

Get practical experience through internships or volunteer work digitizing collections, making finding aids, or using Excel, Access, Photoshop, and scanning equipment. Many archives expect hands-on conservation and cataloguing experience.

Archivists focus on preserving, appraising, and providing long-term access to historical and permanent records and creating finding aids and metadata. They often work with rare documents and conservation.

Records managers handle active, current records management—schedules, retention, and disposal. Librarians usually manage published materials for lending and reference. Roles overlap: you may coordinate with records managers and librarians on access and legal issues.

All three matter, but day-to-day you’ll rely most on cataloguing and metadata skills—creating finding aids, using Excel/Access/XML, and digitizing in consistent file formats. Those tasks make collections searchable and usable.

Conservation skills matter for fragile items and emergency response. People skills are essential too: you’ll assist researchers, give tours, and coordinate with legal or outreach staff, so clear communication and basic customer service are required.