CAREER GUIDE

Preserve the Past, Shape the Future

Become a trusted steward of records, artifacts, and digital collections.

Understand typical salary ranges across key markets
See step‑by‑step career progression paths
Get ready‑to‑use resume bullet points and project templates
Average Salary (US)
$48,000
Annual median salary
Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 9% growth for archivists and curators from 2022‑2032, faster than average.
Education Required
Typically a Bachelor’s degree in History, Library Science, or a related field; many positions prefer a Master’s in Archival Studies or Library Science.

Salary Growth Trajectory

Expected earnings progression over your career

010203040$20k$40k$60k$80kYears of Experience
United States
$48,000
Canada
CA$55,000
United Kingdom
£35,000
Australia
A$70,000
Germany
€45,000
India
₹600,000

Career Progression Paths

Multiple routes to advance your archivist career

Path 1
1
Archival Assistant
2
Archivist
3
Senior Archivist
4
Archives Manager
5
Director of Collections

Essential Skills

Technical and soft skills to highlight on your resume

Must‑Have Skills
Records appraisalMetadata standards (Dublin Core, EAD)Preservation techniquesDigital asset managementResearch assistanceCollection organizationLegal and ethical compliancePublic outreach and education
Nice‑to‑Have Skills
XML/TEI encodingProject managementGrant writingData visualizationUser experience designMultilingual catalogingRisk assessmentStrategic planning
Common Job Titles
Archival Assistant
Archivist
Senior Archivist
Digital Archivist
Collections Manager
Preservation Specialist
Records Manager
Curatorial Assistant
Metadata Librarian
Head of Archives

Resume Impact Examples

Transform generic statements into powerful achievements

Preservation
Problem

Paper documents suffered water damage after a flood.

Solution

Implemented climate‑controlled storage and emergency response plan, reducing future damage risk by 85%.

Problem

Photographs were fading due to light exposure.

Solution

Introduced UV‑filter lighting and archival sleeves, extending lifespan by an estimated 30 years.

Problem

Magnetic tapes were deteriorating.

Solution

Migrated content to LTO tapes and cloud storage, preserving 12,000 hours of audio.

Problem

No disaster recovery protocol existed.

Solution

Created a comprehensive continuity plan, enabling rapid recovery within 48 hours.

Problem

Collections were stored in unsecured basements.

Solution

Secured climate‑controlled vaults, meeting ISO 14721 standards.

Project Examples

Real‑world initiatives that demonstrate impact

19th‑Century Newspaper Digitization
36 mo
Situation
A regional archive held 12,000 fragile newspaper issues with limited accessibility.
Action
Led a grant‑funded project to scan, OCR, and catalog each issue using METS/ALTO standards.
Result
Provided searchable digital access to the entire collection, increasing usage by 250%.
12,000 issues digitized95% OCR accuracy250% usage increase3‑year project completed on time
Cloud Preservation System
12 mo
Situation
Legacy digital assets were stored on aging on‑premises servers with high failure risk.
Action
Designed and migrated 8 TB of digital content to a secure, redundant cloud architecture with automated integrity checks.
Result
Reduced storage costs by 20% and achieved 99.9% data availability.
8 TB migrated20% cost reduction99.9% uptimeZero data loss incidents

Copy‑Ready Resume Bullets

Ready‑to‑use achievement statements organized by category

  • Cataloged over 15,000 archival items using EAD standards, improving retrieval speed by 40%.
  • Conducted accession processing for newly donated collections, ensuring proper provenance documentation.
  • Implemented a tiered storage strategy that reduced physical space needs by 25%.
  • Coordinated inter‑institutional loans, tracking over 200 items with zero loss incidents.
  • Developed a collection appraisal framework that identified 12% of holdings for de‑accession.
  • Managed a volunteer program of 15 assistants, providing training on handling protocols.
  • Created detailed collection inventories that served as reference for grant applications.
  • Integrated barcode tracking, decreasing item misplacement incidents by 90%.
Key Certifications
  • Certified Archivist (CA) – Academy of Certified Archivists
  • Digital Preservation Certification – Society of American Archivists
  • Records Management Specialist (RMS) – ARMA International
  • Metadata Standards Training – Library of Congress
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) – PMI
Career Transitions
  • Archivist → Records Manager
  • Archivist → Digital Preservation Specialist
  • Archivist → Museum Collections Manager
  • Archivist → Information Governance Consultant
  • Archivist → Academic Librarian

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