Archivist Job Description: Comprehensive Role Outline

The archivist is responsible for acquiring, organising, preserving and providing access to records and collections of enduring value. This role suits candidates with specialist training in archives or records management, strong attention to detail and a commitment to ensuring long term accessibility and legal compliance of archival materials.

Archivist Job Profile

An archivist safeguards, documents and facilitates access to physical and digital records that support institutional memory, research and public engagement. The role involves appraisal, acquisition, cataloguing and preservation to maintain provenance, context and usability of collections over time.

The archivist works across teams and with external stakeholders to establish retention and access policies, support digitisation and conservation projects, and ensure compliance with relevant legal and professional standards.

Archivist Job Description

The archivist manages the lifecycle of records from appraisal and accessioning to arrangement, description and appraisal for retention or disposal. Core duties include producing accurate catalogue records, applying appropriate metadata and ensuring materials are stored in conditions that minimise deterioration. The role requires regular assessment of collection needs and implementation of preservation measures for both paper and digital formats.

The archivist provides reference services to internal and external users, responding to enquiries, facilitating access requests and preparing material for research or display. The post holder will support digitisation and access projects, prepare loan and exhibition documentation and liaise with conservators, curators and legal advisors where required.

Work is carried out in both office and repository environments and may involve handling fragile items. The archivist is expected to maintain accurate records of holdings, contribute to workflow development, and prepare reports on collection condition and activity levels to inform planning and resource allocation.

Archivist: Duties and Responsibilities

• Assess, appraise and accession records and collections according to documented acquisition policies
• Arrange and describe archival materials to recognised standards ensuring clear provenance and context
• Create and maintain catalogue and finding aids to facilitate discovery and access
• Implement preservation and conservation measures for physical and digital collections
• Manage digitisation workflows and quality control for digital surrogates
• Administer access and reference services, responding to enquiries and research requests
• Develop and apply metadata and descriptive standards to ensure interoperability and discoverability
• Prepare material for loans, exhibitions and external research visits, including handling and packaging
• Maintain environmental monitoring and storage protocols to protect collections
• Compile and maintain acquisition, accession and disposals records and inventories
• Support information governance, data protection and records retention schedules as they apply to archives
• Contribute to disaster preparedness and recovery planning for collections
• Provide training and guidance to staff and volunteers on handling and cataloguing archival material
• Prepare reports and statistics on collection activity, usage and preservation needs

Archivist: Requirements and Qualifications

• Degree in archives, library and information studies, history or a related discipline, or equivalent professional qualification
• Postgraduate qualification or specialist training in archives or records management preferred
• Relevant professional experience working with archives, special collections or records management, typically two years or more
• Familiarity with archival descriptive practices and metadata standards
• Knowledge of preservation and conservation principles for both paper and digital materials
• Understanding of information governance, records retention and access legislation
• Proven ability to produce clear and accurate catalogue records and finding aids
• Strong attention to detail and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks
• Good interpersonal and communication skills for working with researchers, colleagues and external partners
• Practical skills in handling fragile and historical materials safely
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, and to contribute to policy development
• Basic project management skills and experience contributing to digitisation or access projects