Archivists are not librarians: Understanding the differences [Part 2]
Continued from part 1
Peridot goes through an old file system to find information about the Cluster in the Steven Universe episode "It Could've Been Great"
While archivists undoubtedly also create and use databases, help patrons do research, organize materials, and maintain collections, it is unlikely that a librarians would be teaching classes or researching what equipment will be purchased. In some smaller archives, it is likely that librarians would be planning programs, training and supervising other staff, and preparing budgets. One fundamental difference is that archives preserve materials which have long-term value, not just something like the latest smash hit from Hollywood that a local public library would have, that no one will likely care about in five years.
Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Dec. 9, 2021.
Libraries and archives have their own important functions, but they are not the same. This is clear from the skills that archivists usually have. This includes a broad (and deep) knowledge of records, special preservation and access training, passion for history, eye for detail, and strong commitment to service. Just as important is collaboration with others, using innovative methods, working independently and on a team, strong research and writing skills, and creative problem solvers. It is also said that archivists show a natural curiosity, have an in-depth knowledge of digital preservation, general understanding of cataloging, web archiving, delivery, and web site preservation, and an understanding of how different system parts contribute to the job. [2]
Librarians, on the other hand, help "people conduct research or find information" and have a wide range of responsibilities, as noted by Maryville University. The aforementioned BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook states that job duties for librarians "vary based on the type of library they work in, such as a public, school, or medical library," adding that in small libraries, librarians are "often responsible for many or all aspects of library operations" but in large libraries they "usually focus on one aspect of the library, such as user services, technical services, or administrative services." There are some similarities to archivists at small archives, or archives-lite, like Historical societies, rare book collections, and special collections. More specifically, there are:
Academic librarians
Administrative services librarians
Public librarians
School librarians (also called school library media specialists)
Special librarians (also called information professionals) and can include corporate librarians law librarians, and medical librarians
Technical services librarians
User services librarians
There are, similarly, different types of archivists, whether those who work in colleges and universities, corporations, governments, historical societies, museums, religious institutions, and special collections. [3] However, librarians can said to be much more public-facing than archivists, but this is sometimes not the case, with archivists dealing with the public as much as librarians, especially if they work at a small institution or their archive is within a library.
© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.
Continued in part 3
Notes
[2] For this paragraph, see "What's an Archivist?" on the NARA website, "Who is an archivist?" on the International Council of Archives (ICA) website, "Archivist vs. Librarian: Which Career Path Is for You?" from Maryville University, Jennifer Wright's "Some Archival Career Advice" post, and Peter Chan's "What Does it Take to Be a Well-rounded Digital Archivist?" post.
[3] See "Types of Archives" page on the SAA website.
