Archivist

Archivists plan and organise records in such a way that they can easily be retrieved for research as well as for other purposes such as long-term safekeeping and protection. Any document that reflects the transactions of an organisation, procedures, structures, etc can be considered a record. Records may be saved or stored in or on a variety of media, such as film, videotapes, audiotapes, electronic discs or paper.

Other duties:

• plan the arrangement and cataloguing of records. Some records might need to be transferred to a different medium to avoid damage from repeated handling
• need to stay abreast of technological advances in electronic information storage
• be up-to-date on preservation methods, the elimination of hazards such as fire and water, and storage area pest control
• sometimes archivists need to restore damaged records themselves – they therefore need to be qualified in this aspect of their work as well