Anarchivist is aninformation professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access torecords andarchives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consist of a variety of forms, including letters, diaries, logs, other personal documents, government documents, sound or picture recordings, digital files, or other physical objects.
AsRichard Pearce-Moses wrote:
Archivists keep records that have enduring value as reliable memories of the past, and they help people find and understand the information they need in those records.[1]
Determining what records have enduring value can be challenging. Archivists must also select records valuable enough to justify the costs of storage and preservation, plus the labor-intensive expenses of arrangement, description, and reference service.[2] The theory and scholarly work underpinningarchives practices is calledarchival science.
The most common related occupations arelibrarians,museum curators, andrecords managers. The occupation of archivist is distinct from that of librarian. The two occupations have separate courses of training, adhere to separate and distinct principles, and are represented by separateprofessional organizations. In general, the librarian tends to deal with published media (where themetadata, such as author, title, and date of publication, may be readily apparent and can be presented in standardized form), whereas the archivist deals with unpublished media (which has different challenges such as the metadata not always being immediately apparent, containing complications and variety, and more likely to depend onprovenance). TheSociety of American Archivists (SAA) also notes that while both professions preserve, collect, and make materials accessible, librarians can often obtain "new copies of worn-out or lost books", while records in archival collections are unique and irreplaceable. The SAA further distinguishes libraries and archives based on the materials they keep and how they are accessed by patrons.[3]
Because archival records are frequently unique, archivists may be as much concerned with the preservation and custody of the information carrier (i.e. the physical document) as with its informational content. In this sense, the archivist may have more in common with themuseum curator than with the librarian. The SAA states that museumcurators and archivists sometimes overlap in their duties, but that curators often collect and interpret three-dimensional objects, while archivists deal with paper, electronic, or audiovisual records.[4] Even so, archival selections are sometimes exhibited inmuseums.
The occupation of archivist is also frequently distinguished from that ofrecords manager, although in this case the distinction is less absolute: the archivist is predominantly concerned with records deemed worthy of permanent preservation, whereas the records manager is more concerned with records of current administrative importance.[4]
The SAA additionally notes thathistorians and archivists have a long-standing partnership, as archivists preserve, identify, and make records accessible, while historians use those records for their research.
Archivists' duties include acquiring andappraising new collections,arranging and describing records, providing reference service, and preserving materials. In arranging records, archivists apply two important principles:provenance andoriginal order.[3][5][6] Provenance refers to the creation of records and keeping different records separate in order to maintain context. Many entities create records, including governments, businesses, universities, and individuals. Original order is applied by keeping records in their order as established and maintained by the creator(s). Both provenance and original order are closely related to the concept ofrespect des fonds, which states that records from one corporate body should not be mixed with records from another.[7]
There are two aspects to arrangement: intellectual and physical. Both aspects follow the principle of original order. Archivists process the records physically by placing them in acid-free folders and boxes to ensure their long-term survival. They also process the records intellectually, by determining what the records consist of, how they are organized, and what, if any,finding aids need to be created. Finding aids can be box lists or descriptive inventories, or indexes. Even if the original arrangement is unclear or unhelpful in terms of accessing the collection, it is rarely rearranged to something that makes more sense. This is because preserving the original order shows how the creator of the records functioned, why the records were created, and how they went about arranging them. Moreover, the provenance and authenticity of the records may be lost.[8] However, original order is not always the best way to maintain some collections and archivists must use their own experience and current best practices to determine the correct way to preserve collections of mixed media or those lacking a clear original arrangement.[9]
Archivists' work encompasses a range ofethical decisions that may be thought of as falling into three broad and intertwined areas: legal requirements; professional standards; and accountability to society in selecting and preserving documentary materials that serve as aprimary source of knowledge, and influencecollective memory and identity.[10] In negotiating the ethical conflicts that arise in their work, archivists are guided bycodes of ethics.[11] The Society of American Archivists first adopted acode of ethics in 1980;[12] theInternational Council on Archives adopted one in 1996.[13]
Alongside their work in arranging and caring for collections, archivists assist users in interpreting materials and answering inquiries. This reference work can be a small part of an archivist's job in a smaller organization, or consist of most of their occupation in a larger archive where specific roles (such asprocessing archivist andreference archivist) may be delineated.[14]
Archivists work for a variety of organizations, includinggovernment agencies,local authorities, museums, hospitals, historical societies, businesses, charities, corporations,colleges and universities, national parks and historic sites, and any institution whose records may potentially be valuable to researchers, exhibitors,genealogists, or others.[15][16][17] They can also work on the collections of a large family or even of anindividual.[18][19][20]
Archivists are often educators as well; it is not unusual for an archivist employed at a university or college to lecture in a subject related to their collection. Archivists employed at cultural institutions or for local government frequently design educational oroutreach programs to further the ability of archive users to understand and access information in their collections. This might include such varied activities asexhibitions,promotional events, community engagement, or even media coverage.[21]
The advent ofEncoded Archival Description (EAD), along with increasing demand for materials to be made available online, has required archivists to become more tech-savvy in the past decade. Many archivists are now acquiring basicXML skills in order to make their finding aids available to researchers online.[22]
Because of the varied nature of the job within different organizations and work environments, archivists need to have a wide range ofskills:
The educational preparation for archivists varies from country to country.
 | This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is: more university courses closed since 2017. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2024) |
TheAustralian Society of Archivists is the professional body for archivists, and is responsible for the accreditation of the various University courses.[26] The first University to offer archival training was theUniversity of New South Wales, starting in 1973. The course closed in 2000.
As of 2017,[update] courses are offered atCurtin University,Charles Sturt University,Monash University andUniversity of South Australia at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The course atEdith Cowan University is being phased out.[26]
The profession has been regulated since 1978.[27]
Many universities in Brazil, such as theFederal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), theFederal University of Espírito Santo (UFES),Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), and thirteen other universities, offer the degree in "archivology" which roughly translates to "archival science."[28][29][30][31][32][33]
There are various institutions which offer an archival science degree. One of those institutions is theUniversity of British Columbia.[34]
TheServicio Nacional de Aprendizaje – SENA – in chain training with theTecnológico de Antioquia Tecnológico de Antioquia[35] offers an archival science degree.
In France, the oldest Archivist School is theÉcole des chartes, founded in 1821.[36] This prestigiousgrande école (literally, "grand schools) offers a diploma in "Archivist-Paleography", created in 1849, after a three-year curriculum.[37][38] Many graduates become curators in archives, museums, and libraries or become researchers in universities.[38]
Some universities, likeUniversity of Angers,[39]Jean Moulin University Lyon 3,[40] andVersailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University,[41][42] offer a master's degree in Archival Science,while theBurgundy has a course for theirhistory degree focusing on archives of 20th and 21st century Europe.[43][44][45]
In the Republic of Ireland, theSchool of History of theUniversity College Dublin (UCD) offers a Masters of Arts degree in Archives and Records Management, providing the only recognized course in Ireland for the training of professional archivists, which is accredited by theArchives and Records Association.[46] UCD also offers certificates in Archives Management and Records Management.[47]
Victoria University of Wellington is the only tertiary institution inNew Zealand that provides postgraduate archival courses.[48][49] Victoria Information Studies qualifications with ARCR endorsement have been recognized by Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia.[50]The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand has an undergraduate course in archives management.[51]
In the United Kingdom, there are currently postgraduate courses in archives administration or management fromAberystwyth University,University College Dublin,University of Dundee,University of Glasgow,University of Liverpool, andUniversity College London[a] which are recognised by theArchives and Records Association (United Kingdom and Ireland).[52] Students are expected to have relevant paid or voluntarywork experience before obtaining a place on the UK courses, while professional certification (after qualifying) can be pursued via the Registration Scheme offered by the Archives and Records Association.[53]
The most common types of advanced degrees held by archivists are inarchival science,public history, history,library science, orlibrary and information science. It is also possible for archivists to earn a doctorate in library and information science. Archivists with a PhD often work as teaching faculty, deans, or directors of archival programs.[54] In 2002, theSociety of American Archivists published Guidelines for a Graduate Program in Archival Studies;[55] it also promotes and disseminates a code of ethics,[56] which has undergone several revisions since it was first adopted in 1980.[12]
TheAcademy of Certified Archivists offers supplemental archival training by means of a certification program.[57] When first established in 1989, some critics of ACA certification objected to its annual membership fees, the theoretical versus practical nature of its tests, and the need for members to re-certify every five years. However, in the decades since, it has been agreed that such requirements are comparable with certification programs in other professions, and that certification strengthens professional standards and individual competencies. While some positions in archives require certification and many employers view certification as preferred, it is not required by all employers in the United States. Approximately 1,200+ archivists were certified by ACA, as of 2016[update].[58]
A history of women in the archival professions detailed the Committee on the Status of Women in the political, social and cultural context of feminism and its lasting effect on the field.[59]
Many archivists belong to a professional organization, such as theSociety of American Archivists, theAssociation of Canadian Archivists, theArchives and Records Association (UK/Ireland), theColombian College of Archivists - CCA, and theAustralian Society of Archivists, as well as any number of local or regional associations. These organizations often provide ongoing educational opportunities to their members and other interested practitioners. In addition to formal degrees and or apprenticeships, many archivists take part in continuing education opportunities as available through professional associations and library school programs. New discoveries in the fields ofmedia preservation and emerging technologies require continuing education as part of an archivist's job in order to stay current in the profession.[60]
The first predecessors of archival science in the West are Jacob von Rammingen's manuals of 1571.[61] andBaldassarre Bonifacio'sDe Archivis libris singularis of 1632.[62]
In 1883, French archivist Gabriel Richou published the first Western text on archival theory, entitledTraité théorique et pratique des archives publiques (Treaty of Theory and Practice of the Public Archives), in which he systematized the archival theory of therespect des fonds, first published byNatalis de Wailly in 1841.[63]
In 1898, three Dutch archivists, Samuel Muller, Johan Feith, andRobert Fruin, published theHandleiding voor het ordenen en beschrijven van archieven (Manual for the Arrangement and Description of Archives). Produced for the Dutch Association of Archivists, it set out one hundred rules for archivists to base their work around. Notably, within these rules, the principle of preservingprovenance and original order was first argued for as an essential trait of archival arrangement and description.[64] Many of these principles were subsequently adopted and developed by the British archivistHilary Jenkinson in hisManual of Archive Administration, first published in 1922, with a revised edition appearing in 1937.
In 1956,T. R. Schellenberg, known as the "Father of American Archival Appraisal",[64] publishedModern Archives. Schellenberg's work was intended to be an academic textbook defining archival methodology and giving archivists specific technical instruction on workflow and arrangement. Moving away from Jenkinson's organic and passive approach to archival acquisition, where the administrator decided what was kept and what was destroyed, Schellenberg argued for a more active approach by archivists to appraisal. His primary (administrative) and secondary (research) value model for the management and appraisal of records and archives allowed government archivists greater control over the influx of material that they faced after the Second World War. As a result of the widespread adoption of Schellenberg's methods, especially in the United States of America, modernRecords Management as a separate but related discipline was born.[65]
In 1972,Ernst Posner publishedArchives in the Ancient World. Posner's work emphasized that archives were not new inventions, but had existed in many different societies throughout recorded history.[66] Due to his role in the development of Americanarchival theory and practice, he was sometimes called "the Dean of American archivists."[67] Norton promoted the establishment of archives as a profession separate from history or library science and developed the American archival tradition to emphasize an administrator/archivist rather than an historian/archivist. She encouraged learning through experimentation, practical usage, and community discussion.[68] While editor ofThe American Archivist she emphasized technical rather than scholarly issues, believing that archival records were useful in ways other than scholarly research.[69]
Archivists, like librarians, are taking advantage ofWeb 2.0 technologies such as blogs,wikis, as well asopen access andopen source philosophies. Archives 2.0, by extension, is more of a participatory online repository than a true-to-form established entity, although it has fallen considerably behind Web 2.0 in overall acceptance by archivists themselves.[70] While Archives 2.0 may refer to implementing new technologies, it is also a way of engaging with archives in an effort to promote openness and flexibility of archival materials. This can be achieved through community participation in archives, archivists actively engaging with their collections, and promoting archival benefits in the modern world.[71]
Kate Theimer writes that in order to understand Archives 2.0, it must be compared against Archives 1.0. She asserts that her representation of Archives 1.0 is by no means exhaustive or fully comprehensive of the breadth of archival experience. The following is a list of contrasts between 1.0 and 2.0.[71]
The technological tools of Archives 2.0 provide the foundational platforms to help the change from 1.0 to 2.0. When working in an archives that is dedicated to upholding 2.0 standards, the focus has shifted onto the user experience at an archives.[71]
Some archivists operate public libraries that are accessible on the Internet. Examples include the illegalshadow librariesLibrary Genesis andAnna's Archive – humanity's largest library of books – andSci-Hub – humanity's largest public library of scientific articles.[72] Proponents of these libraries have made use ofBitTorrent andIPFS technologies to make these sites decentralized, resilient and uncensorable.[73][74][75][76][77][78] There are also other projects that for instance archive digital games and make them accessible via the Internet or that keep content of defunct websites accessible.
The most comprehensive public archive on the Internet is theInternet Archive which provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites (via theWayback Machine), software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and books. As of September 2023, the Internet Archive holds over 39 million books and texts, 13.6 million movies, videos and TV shows, 1 million software programs, 15 million audio files, 4.7 million images, and 840 billion web pages.
Com a implementação dos cursos de Arquivologia e de Comunicação Social (Habilitação em Jornalismo, Relações Públicas e Publicidade e Propaganda), ainda na mesma década, e do curso de História, o Centro passou a ter a denominação atual.
Curso de Arquivologia...Secretaria do Curso de Arquivologia...Departamento de Arquivologia...Secretaria do Departamento de Arquivologia
O termo "Arquivologia" designa, ao menos na América Latina, o campo de estudos correspondente à área internacionalmente consolidada e conhecida como Archival Science
O bacharel em Arquivologia, também chamado no estrangeiro por archivist, archival scientist, e record manager, é reconhecido legalmente pelo termo "arquivista" e tem sido considerado um profissional da informação responsável pelos documentos arquivísticos, pela gestão documental, e por processos atinentes ao setor de arquivo ou instituições arquivísticas.
The School occupies a key position among the heritage institutions...the new institution's goal [founded in 1821] was to educate young people in how to organise document archives and renew the study of "accumulated archives"
The École nationale des chartes issues an Archivist-Palaeographer diploma and two Master's degrees: "Digital Technologies Applied to History" and "Transnational History", which were created for the 2016-2017 school year. The School also issues PhDs in its fields of expertise.
Media related toArchivists at Wikimedia Commons
