I was well into my 30s when I first heard about archivists
and what they do. Considering that I
have a master’s degree in history this sounds weird even to me! I guess I never thought about how stuff in
somebody’s attic ends up in front of a researcher all neatly arranged in folders,
I just took it for granted. I think a
lot of people do.
Before I became an archivist I had a fairly chequered
career. I worked in a pet shop and a
post office, I ran a tearoom, edited and wrote a couple of books for a small
publishing company and then ended up working for a large engineering firm as a
researcher. Because we were involved in
a number of architectural projects, I ended up spending a lot of time in an archive
putting together building histories. As
one of these projects was nearing completion, the branch office I worked in was
closed down and I was made redundant. On
my last visit to the archive I told the Special Collections Librarian that I
would not be returning, and explained the reason why. He at once asked if I would be interested in
a short-term contract as an archivist. I
gave him a blank stare because I had no idea what he was talking about. He said he could tell I was a natural and
that he would teach me everything I needed to know to get me going. So I said yes without having the faintest
idea what I was letting myself in for. It
was a leap in the dark but it turned out to be the best decision I ever
made. Within a few days of starting I
knew I had found my dream job.
Pretty soon after completing my first assignment I decided to
get professional qualifications as an archivist. I got my degree through distance learning
while working three jobs. It was one of
the toughest and most demanding things I ever did and I feel really proud of
that achievement.
When I tell people I am an archivist most of them have no
idea what I’m talking about. Quite a few
take me for an archaeologist and think that I’ve just made some bizarre pronunciation
mistake. Come to think of it, the two
jobs are quite similar except that archivists avoid working outdoors! I like to compare my job to that of a
detective – it’s all about searching for clues and trying to draw the right
conclusions when much of the information is missing.
My only regret is that nobody told me about archivists when
I was at school! The job has its
downsides of course. You need patience,
perseverance and a high tolerance for monotony.
But it can be incredibly rewarding and much more dynamic than people
allow for, especially when combined with the challenges and opportunities brought
on by the rapidly expanding digital environment. I honestly cannot imagine any other job I’d
rather do.
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