LIAS@UOM Library, Information and Archive Studies@University of Malta  Division of Library & Information Studies Centre for Communication Technology

University of Malta

Centre for Communication Technology

University of Malta Library

Computer Services Centre

THE SKILLS OF ARCHIVISTS AND RECORDS MANAGERS

To work as archivists or records managers candidates must become competent in:

• Heritage and Information Management
• archives need identifying and sorting before they can be effectively interpreted or used;
• curatorial skills of selecting, arranging, and cataloguing archives.
• management skills and skills which enable them to play a full part in the development of the heritage sector;
• maintaining operational efficiency by controlling the volume of records created and stored;
• identifying those records to be preserved for historical and research purposes and eliminating the rest as early as possible;
• management tasks connected with budgets, staff and strategy.
  

• Undertaking Research
• archivists are not researchers but may occasionally need to research in order to interpret archives;
• a knowledge and interest in history is often advantageous.
  

• Customer Service & Satisfaction
• research skills as helpful for advising users;
• assisting users and answering enquiries;
• promotional work including exhibitions;
• presentations and media work.
  

• New Technology
• the ability to use and adapt to rapidly evolving ICT packages and systems.
  

• Understanding and Interpreting the Law
• Legislative developments, including the Data Protection Act, have created substantial demand from employers for qualified records managers;
• meeting legal obligations for the creation and retention of paper and electronic records

CAREER PATH

Dr Theresa Vann, Curator of the Malta Study Center, St John’s University, Minnesota, and Fulbright Professor, University of Malta, has emphasised the following areas:


Corporations

• Business records management is becoming more complex due to wide use of email and web-based commercial transactions.
• Businesses need to hire specialists to file and retrieve electronic records and maintain digital databases of stock for the website.

(Anytime you see a website that offers items for sale, consider that each item depicted on the website is photographed and described for the consumer.This text and image is stored in a database.  You need archival skills in order to keep the right text attached to the right image.)

(This is the fastest growing sector of the archival business, and one that businesses are likely to outsource, especially the archiving of electronic records)


Media/Newspapers

• Media outlets need to hire archivists to store, preserve, and keep track of photographs, moving images, and audio clips.

Government

• Government agencies will need to hire specialists in record management in the next few years
• This is a requirement due to grow with EU membership. It will also have a similar growth pattern in the private sector.

Museums

• The cultural sector is going to need specialists to preserve and provide access to written information and records about Malta's cultural heritage.

Non-public archives

• Malta has hundreds of non-public archives, containing a wide range of records and media. The caretakers of these archives require professional training.

IN ADDITION:

Local Councils and Statutory Authorities

• Increasingly large amounts of documentation being produced at the local or authority level need organising, accessing and preserving.

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   Page last updated: 16/09/05