[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: inquiry



Monica,
First of all, I recommend that you check the archives of the listserv for job announcements and try to get a handle on what employers are seeking.
I'll give you a hint.  Almost everyone wants someone with a master's degree, most often in library and information science or history with some specialization in archives.  
Next they want someone who can lift, carry, and place on library shelves higher than one's head boxes of records weighing up to 40 lbs.
Increasing numbers of employers are seeking employees who have been designated Certified Archivists through the exam offered by the Academy of Certified Archivists.  Check out the ACA Web site at Certifiedarchivists.org for requirements.
Employers also want employees with excellent written and oral skills who are well organized and can bring organization out of chaos, and who work well alone (since many archivists are in positions where they are the only archivist).  Nevertheless they also want people who are outgoing and have good people skills.
Hence you need to be both an introvert and an extravert!
The above might be considered credentials.  There are other factors that archivists need to consider.
Archivists continue to be misunderstood although they will be working at a job that the public traditionally perceives as an "interesting" job.
Archivists are frequently supervised by a "traditional librarian" who knows virtually nothing about archives and is not interested in learning about archives yet expects the impossible.
Archivists increasingly have to try to explain to bosses and users why we cannot simply digitize everything and make everything available on the Web.  Even worse, some untutorted users already think everything they need is already there.
Archivist commonly have to live with being underappreciated and therefore often being underpaid.

In spite of all of these things, I am still glad that I became an archivist more than 35 years ago.  Most of it has been fun.  The worst part has been working for supervisors who did not understand and did not want to learn.  Hopefully that factor will be decreasing.




Charles R. Schultz, CA
Professor and Clements Archivist
Cushing Library
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX  77843-5000
c-schultz@tamu.edu
409-862-1555
FAX 409-845-1441

State-of-the-art automation will never beat the wastebasket 
when it comes to speeding up efficiency in the office.
Ann Landers Gem of the Day, July 27, 1994

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>