The archivists at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Kentucky are also blogging about archives month.  Archivist Jennie Cole has written a fantastic, clear description of what the work of an archivist entails.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, I thought I would share her well written summary:

“I am an archivist. You are familiar with librarians’ work?  Providing access to books, audio-visual recordings, journals, and other information through in person assistance, online library catalogs, recommended reading lists, etc.? My work entails similar functions, but I usually do not work with items that have duplicates readily available.  I work with mostly one-of-a-kind items – correspondence, photographs, diaries, contracts, voice recordings, digital files – records capturing personal, community, and organizational history. I work to provide access to yesterday’s world for today, and to capture today’s world for tomorrow. I write descriptions of this material so that it can be discovered. Through descriptions, as well as phone calls, emails, and in-person discussions, I provide connections between users and primary source material. I select documents to preserve for the future; I determine whose papers to collect, and what portion of the tidal wave of records created daily is worth preserving for the future. I provide accountability – I document functions, activities, and decision-making to ensure transparency and answerability. I embrace the importance of diversity, and seek to document the broadest range of human experience possible within my institution’s mission. I believe that I have a responsibility to society, and while I serve the needs of my institution, I also keep in mind that the archival record I am preserving is part of the history of our entire society. I believe that I provide an essential service to the public good, and I am proud of my profession.”

The Filson Historical Society’s blog is at http://blog.filsonhistorical.org/.