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Archivists

Occupation · SOC 25-4011.00

Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.

Also called: Archivist · Records Manager · Registrar · State Archivist · Accessioning Archivist · Digital Archivist · Film Archivist · Museum Archivist · Reference Archivist · University Archivist · Archives Specialist · Archives Technician (Archives Tech)

Job family: Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

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Download .md

A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-25-4011-00/context.md directly.

AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

Often handed to AI

Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.

  • Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques. · 18.2%
  • Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. · 1.5%
  • Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology. · 0.4%
See how AI is used here →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. · 97.4% need a human
  • Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information. · 97.1% need a human
  • Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques. · 96.8% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

78th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,100 openings a year (+3.8% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4419% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate 63rd 0.7
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High 82nd 0.9
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High 85th 0.3

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.9). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.

Historical automation estimate (2013)

A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.

Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 62nd percentile among occupations · Moderate

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques. 78.1%
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. 3.7%
Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials. 2.1%
Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology. 1.8%
Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary. 1.0%
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information. 0.7%

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook About average · +3.8% by 2034
Projected annual openings 1,100
Employment 2024 → 2034 9,300 → 9,700

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

47% mean task exposure (2025)
86th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+4 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Archivists and Curators · 2621 47% Gradient 2

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 44.2% working with AI · 48.9% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction
Typical AI autonomy 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 29.9%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques. Directive 18.2%
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. Directive 1.5%
Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology. Directive 0.4%
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information. Directive 0.4%
Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials. 0.3%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. 97.4%
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information. 97.1%
Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques. 96.8%
Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials. 90.0%
Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology. 76.3%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques.

    From: Select and edit documents for publication and display, applying knowledge of subject, literary expression, and presentation techniques. · 18.2% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.

    From: Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. · 1.5% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology.

    From: Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology. · 0.4% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.

    From: Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information. · 0.4% of measured AI use · directive

Tasks

All 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Emerging tasks

Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.

  • Write grants and apply for funding to support archival work.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

History and Archeology 4.3
English Language 4.0
Customer and Personal Service 3.9
Computers and Electronics 3.8
Administration and Management 3.7
Administrative 3.5
Education and Training 3.4
Law and Government 3.2
Personnel and Human Resources 2.9

Essential skills

Reading Comprehension 4.1
Active Listening 3.9
Writing 3.9
Speaking 3.5
Critical Thinking 3.4
Active Learning 3.4
Monitoring 3.0
Learning Strategies 2.9

Abilities

Written Comprehension 4.0
Category Flexibility 4.0
Oral Expression 3.9
Written Expression 3.9
Information Ordering 3.9
Near Vision 3.9
Oral Comprehension 3.8
Deductive Reasoning 3.6
Inductive Reasoning 3.5
Speech Recognition 3.1
Fluency of Ideas 3.0
Problem Sensitivity 3.0
Selective Attention 3.0
Speech Clarity 3.0
Originality 2.9

Transferable skills

Complex Problem Solving 3.3
Service Orientation 3.1
Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
Coordination 2.9
Instructing 2.9
Systems Analysis 2.9
Systems Evaluation 2.9
Time Management 2.9

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Showing the top 40 of 44.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Outlook Electronic mail software Hot technology In demand
Adobe Acrobat Document management software Hot technology
Adobe Creative Cloud software Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Adobe Illustrator Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Adobe InDesign Desktop publishing software Hot technology
Adobe Photoshop Graphics or photo imaging software Hot technology
Extensible markup language XML Enterprise application integration software Hot technology
Hypertext markup language HTML Web platform development software Hot technology
Microsoft Access Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology
Archivists' Toolkit Data base user interface and query software In demand
Adlib Information Systems Adlib Archive Data base user interface and query software
Adobe Premiere Pro Video creation and editing software
Apple Final Cut Pro Video creation and editing software
Archon Data base user interface and query software
Corel Paint Shop Pro Graphics or photo imaging software
Database software Data base user interface and query software
DiMeMa CONTENTdm Data base user interface and query software
Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML Web platform development software
Encoded archival system EAD Development environment software
Esri ArcGIS Geographic information system
FileMaker Pro Data base user interface and query software
Gallery Systems The Museum System Data base user interface and query software
Geographic information system GIS systems Geographic information system
Omeka software Document management software
PREMIS Data base user interface and query software
Web browser software Internet browser software

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

E-Mail 5.0
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 4.9
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.7
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 4.2
Telephone Conversations 4.1
Contact With Others 4.1
Spend Time Sitting 4.0
Freedom to Make Decisions 4.0
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.0
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 4.0
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 4.0
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 3.7
Written Letters and Memos 3.3
Level of Competition 3.2
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 3.2
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.2
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 3.1
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 3.0
Time Pressure 2.9
Physical Proximity 2.9
Frequency of Decision Making 2.9
Exposed to Contaminants 2.8
Consequence of Error 2.7
Public Speaking 2.6
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 2.5
Spend Time Standing 2.4
Health and Safety of Other Workers 2.3
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.3
Degree of Automation 2.1
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 2.1
Conflict Situations 2.1
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled 2.0
Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions 2.0
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles 2.0
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling 2.0
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body 1.9
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment 1.9
Spend Time Walking or Running 1.9
Exposed to High Places 1.8
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets 1.8

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 5 — Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Preparation level
SVP (8.0 and above) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: History , Library Science , Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies , Visual and Performing Arts . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Master's Degree 83.9%
Bachelor's Degree 6.5%
Post-Master's Certificate 6.5%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 3.2%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Conventional 6.0
Investigative 4.7
Social 3.0
Artistic 2.9
Realistic 2.9

Interest areas

Humanities 5.2
Office Work 4.5
Social Science 2.8
Information Technology 2.7
Management/Administration 2.7
Teaching/Education 2.6
Public Speaking 2.4

Work styles

Dependability 5.0
Attention to Detail 4.0
Integrity 3.0
Intellectual Curiosity 2.3

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$39k10th$48k25th$62kMedian$80k75th$105k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
9k202410k2034 (proj.)+3.8% · About average
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $39,330
25th percentile $47,890
Median (50th) $61,570
75th percentile $79,850
90th percentile $104,780
People employed 7,050

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Educational Services · Sector 1,360 $62,640
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector 1,260 $48,920
Information · Sector 720 $59,590
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 490 $64,940
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector 420 $58,430
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 170 $57,110
Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry 120 $50,130
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 120 $58,770
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 70 $81,120
Engineering Services · National industry 50 $48,550
Temporary Help Services · National industry 50 $37,920
Wholesale Trade · Sector $75,910

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities · National industry 43.17× 120
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector 10.43× 1,260
Information · Sector 5.42× 720
Educational Services · Sector 2.18× 1,360
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector 2.08× 420
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 490
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 0.29× 120
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 0.16× 170

Part of the Education and Public Service & Safety career clusters.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Archivists sits at the 78th percentile of AI task-overlap and the 49th percentile of median pay, placed here against 12 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Archivists Museum Technicians and Conservators Library Technicians Anthropologists and Archeologists Social Science Research Assistants Historians Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary Statistical Assistants Digital Forensics Analysts AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Archivists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 86th percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Archivists show 78th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,100 annual U.S. openings

  • Archivists rank in the 78th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 1,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.8%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $61,570, across about 7,050 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 44% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Archivists show 78th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,100 annual U.S. openings

• Archivists rank in the 78th percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 1,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be about average (+3.8%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $61,570, across about 7,050 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 44% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Archivists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-4011-00
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Archivists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-4011-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Archivists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-4011-00

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-25-4011-00,
  title  = {Archivists},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-4011-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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