Editing Archivist (section)

==Duties and work environment==
[[File:Conservation Lab - DPLA - a20359c1c1005c8e5e9b7e15cd1f58c2.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Archivist at work.|Inside a conservation lab, items are being prepared.]]
Archivists' duties include acquiring and [[archival appraisal|appraising]] new collections, [[manuscript processing|arranging and describing records]], providing reference service, and preserving materials. In arranging records, archivists apply two important principles: [[provenance]] and [[original order]].<ref name="Society-of-American-Archivists" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-2/archives-in-context-and-as-context-by-kate-theimer/|title=Archives in Context and as Context|last=Theimer|first=Kate|date=26 June 2012|website=Journal of Digital Humanities|access-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117052216/http://journalofdigitalhumanities.org/1-2/archives-in-context-and-as-context-by-kate-theimer/|archive-date=17 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Greene|first1=Mark|last2=Meissner|first2=Dennis|date=2005|title=More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing|journal=The American Archivist|volume=68|issue=2|pages=208–263|doi=10.17723/aarc.68.2.c741823776k65863|issn=0360-9081}}</ref> 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 of ''[[respect des fonds]]'', which states that records from one corporate body should not be mixed with records from another.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/principles-of-arrangement.html|title=Principles of Arrangement|last=Schellenberg|first=Theodore R.|date=1951|website=[[National Archives and Records Administration]]|access-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126163438/https://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/archives-resources/principles-of-arrangement.html|archive-date=26 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

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 aid]]s 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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Roe|first=Kathleen D.|author-link1=Kathleen D. Roe|title=Arranging and Describing Archives and Manuscripts|year=2005|publisher=Society of American Archivists|location=Chicago, IL}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://saa.archivists.org/store/understanding-archives-and-manuscripts-afs-ii/339/|title=Understanding Archives and Manuscripts|last=O'Toole|first=James M. and Richard J. Cox|publisher=Society of American Archivists|year=2006|location=Chicago}}</ref>

Archivists' work encompasses a range of [[Ethics|ethical]] 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 a [[Primary sources|primary source]] of knowledge, and influence [[collective memory]] and identity.<ref>Danielson, Elena S. (2010). ''The Ethical Archivist''. Chicago: The Society of American Archivists. pp. 22–26, 46.</ref> In negotiating the ethical conflicts that arise in their work, archivists are guided by [[Ethical code|codes of ethics]].<ref>Danielson (2010), chapter 1, "Codes of Ethics", pp. 21–46.</ref> The Society of American Archivists first adopted a [https://www2.archivists.org/groups/committee-on-ethics-and-professional-conduct/code-of-ethics-history code of ethics] in 1980;<ref name="Horn">Horn, David E (1989). "[http://americanarchivist.org/doi/abs/10.17723/aarc.52.1.nk661527341j0610 The Development of Ethics in Archival Practice]." ''The American Archivist'', 2(1), pp. 64–71. It was based on an earlier statement produced in training programs at the National Archives, under Archivist of the United States [[Wayne C. Grover]], and published as "[http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015071393535;view=image;page=root;size=100;seq=713;num=307 The Archivist's Code]" (''American Archivist'', vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 307–308).</ref> the [[International Council on Archives]] adopted one in 1996.<ref>"[http://www.ica.org/?lid=5555&bid=225 ICA Code of Ethics] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929074919/http://www.ica.org/?lid=5555&bid=225 |date=29 September 2015 }}." International Council on Archives. Retrieved 2015-09-01. The ICA code is available in 23 languages.</ref>

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 as [[Manuscript processing|processing archivist]] and [[Reference interview|reference archivist]]) may be delineated.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=O'Donnell|first=Frances|year=2000|title=Reference Service in an Academic Archives|journal=The Journal of Academic Librarianship|volume=26|issue=2|pages=110–118|doi=10.1016/S0099-1333(99)00147-0}}</ref>

Archivists work for a variety of organizations, including [[government agency|government 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, [[genealogist]]s, or others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators.htm#tab-3|title= Archivists, Curators, and Museum Workers|date=1 September 2020|website=Occupational Outlook Handbook|publisher=[[Bureau of Labor Statistics]]|access-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129093348/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/curators-museum-technicians-and-conservators.htm|archive-date=29 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/donating-familyrecs|title=Donating Your Personal or Family Records to a Repository|date=1 September 2020|website=[[Society of American Archivists]]|access-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117143003/https://www2.archivists.org/publications/brochures/donating-familyrecs|archive-date=17 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.archivists.org/careers/beanarchivist|title=So You Want to Be an Archivist|date=1 September 2020|website=[[Society of American Archivists]]|access-date=15 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611194642/https://www2.archivists.org/careers/beanarchivist|archive-date=11 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> They can also work on the collections of a large family or even of an [[Personal archiving|individual]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Note |first=Margot |date=2019 |chapter=Introduction |chapter-url=http://files.archivists.org/store/SAA_Creating_Family_Archives_Preview.pdf |title=Creating Family Archives: A Step-By-Step Guide to Saving Your Memories for Future Generations |url=https://www2.archivists.org/publications/creating-family-archives |location=Chicago |publisher=[[Society of American Archivists]] |page=xiii |isbn=9781945246241}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Nick |last1=Barratt |title=Nick Barratt's guide to your ancestors lives |year=2010 |page=272 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books Limited |isbn=978-1-84884-056-0 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Why everyone has to be a historian in the digital age |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8999128.stm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528190655/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8999128.stm |archivedate=28 May 2014 |date=2010-09-17 |accessdate=2012-11-19 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 or [[outreach]] programs to further the ability of archive users to understand and access information in their collections. This might include such varied activities as [[Art exhibitions|exhibitions]], [[Advertising campaign|promotional]] events, community engagement, or even media coverage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archivists.org/governance/guidelines/cu_guidelines4.asp|title=Guidelines for College and University Archives, Section IV. Core Archival Functions, Subsection D. Service|access-date=23 April 2007|publisher=Society of American Archivists|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001732/http://www.archivists.org/governance/guidelines/cu_guidelines4.asp|archive-date=27 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The advent of [[Encoded 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 basic [[XML]] skills in order to make their finding aids available to researchers online.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/ead.shtml|title=Encoded Archival Description |access-date=23 April 2007 |publisher=Archives Hub| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070404125702/http://archiveshub.ac.uk/arch/ead.shtml| archive-date= 4 April 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>