Archives and Records Management

[Ballsbaill]

Asking for a friend who isn't on MN.

Her daughter has a history degree. Is really interested in historical archives and records. She's considering a career in it however from what her mum and she can see there's little money in it.

Obvs money isn't the only consideration. Career satisfaction is important but one has to consider that you seem to need a post graduate in this. She'd be paying £££ for an MA and of the salaries are low then it's maybe not worth it.

Any idea and what are the job prospects like if anyone knows?

Thanks

I did the Dundee course whilst working full time in an archive. They will be expected to be working/volunteering in an archive/records management department whilst doing the course but Dundee only expect an afternoon a week minimum (can't speak for the other courses). You also have an option of long distance or face to face courses depending on university.

You are right in that there isn't much money in archives. I suggest looking at the ARA website to get an idea of salary levels but not all organisations adhere to this as its only a suggestion. There is more money in records management as it's a legal requirement for companies to maintain certain records for a certain period of time so that might be a path to consider. It's not necessarily the fun route but may be more financially viable.

Competition can be fierce for jobs and whilst pay isn't everything with the cost of living at the moment it should be something to consider. It's also a sector that gets cut when the going gets tough economically. My department has seen 6+ roles cut in the last few years and we're a well staffed department in comparison to other archives. Also expect a lot of short term contracts within the industry and its helpful to be prepared to move around for jobs (though if in a city there's always archives/RM roles going).

Don't get me wrong, I love my job (and that makes it worthwhile) but I can see the flaws in the sector and it requires a lot of qualifications which isn't necessarily reflected in income.

She needs to start getting some practical experience before applying for the MA. This can be as a volunteer to start with.

If she can get an archives assistant job she might be able to study by distance learning while earning, or save a bit before doing the course full time.

You do need to be geographically flexible, especially early career.

OK so for an assistant job you don't need the MA first?

.No, Archives Assistant (as opposed to Assistant Archivist, used in some places for a more junior but fully qualified professional) is a paraprofessional role and is ideal as an entry level position. Some are specifically advertised as being pre-course/internships/training posts, while others are permanent roles you can do as long as you need. However, most successful applicants will have some voluntary experience of some kind - we always get masses of applicants and can only shortlist those with it. Increasingly, some are part time so could be combined with study, but make it trickier to move for them.

She should approach local archives to see if there are any work experience or volunteering opportunities.

She might like to look at the ARA New Professionals blog as well to get some hints:

My daughter did a History degree, followed by a History MA, went travelling and then Covid hit. Once home, she signed on with a temp agency and got some work at a local authority archiving files. She subsequently applied for an entry level job with the National Archives (TNA) in London, worked at a minimal wage for about six months and then got a higher paid, more specialist job following a secondment within the organisation. She's since become more specialist and had specific training with TNA. She hadn't envisaged an archive based career. Just stumbled into it, having unintentionally picked up some relevant/helpful experience along the way. An MA based around archive management or such wouldn't have made any difference to her career path, and a colleague at TNA is currently stuck in their entry level job, inflexibly waiting for the "right " opportunity to come up. My daughter just took the opportunities that came her way, is enjoying doing work she hadn't actually realised was a thing and earns just about enough money to sustain the lifestyle of a twentysomething living in London. She now has skills that she can take to other organisations in time, once she's got the travelling bug out of her system.

Would they perhaps consider Library & Information Science? Lots of well paid jobs in law firms. I know Research Librarians on £60k and Library Managers on £100k. Best route in is do the degree, look for a role that is a 'graduate library trainee' (or similar title) do the year's work experience and many employers will pay for the PG qualification on a day release basis. The British & Irish Association of Law Librarians have a £5k bursary for one student for their Masters for where the employer doesn't pay.

All very helpful info. I don't think she has considered librarian / information science.

Former (retired) archivist here. First the negatives ... the job market is very variable, and often it is necessary to travel to find a job. Local authority archives, which used to be the bedrock of the sector, are massively underfunded and often fail to meet even the ARA minimum pay scales - as a fully qualified, experienced archivist my salary was barely above my DD's initial grad scheme salary. Management in the sector can be poor, as good archivist's don't always make good managers!

The positives ... the job is varied and interesting. I absolutely loved what I did! Working hours are reasonable. There is a huge range of different types of archive - business, local authority, educational, charities, special interest - so lots of possibilities.

Every year there are a number of paid internships in the sector, which allow new graduates to work for a year before starting a PG course. I think they are advertised on the ARA website. Experience as a volunteer is really important to get onto either an internship or a PG course. Most archives are happy to be approached about work experience or volunteering. Dundee and Aberystwyth both offer PG courses by distance learning, which many people take while working in a non-professional role in an archive. There are also a few full time one year courses, of which Liverpool and UCL are the best known.

I'd suggest your friend's DD gets in touch with a local archive to get a taste of what it is all about.

I did the same route-history then the MA. I went into information management-starting off in the 20ks then progressively more senior.
The skills you learn in the job are useful to then move sideways e.g the ability to interpret information, research etc. Lots of jobs want people with these skills

I now earn six figures in a closely related role

Not well paid but public rights of way work for a local authority would entail working with historical archives and records and old maps.