Archival Specialist Overview

Required Education and Training To Become an Archival Specialist

Best Schools to become a Archival Specialist in U.S. 2024

Southern New Hampshire University

Manchester, NH

In-State Tuition:$15,000
Out-of-State Tuition:$15,000
Admission Rate:96%
Graduation Rate:41%
Total Enrollment:164,091

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

In-State Tuition:$15,467
Out-of-State Tuition:$15,467
Admission Rate:99%
Graduation Rate:66%
Total Enrollment:96,709

University of California-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

In-State Tuition:$11,564
Out-of-State Tuition:$41,636
Admission Rate:9%
Graduation Rate:92%
Total Enrollment:46,430

American Public University System

Charles Town, WV

In-State Tuition:$6,840
Out-of-State Tuition:$6,840
Admission Rate:N/A
Graduation Rate:55%
Total Enrollment:48,668

Arizona State University Digital Immersion

Scottsdale, AZ

In-State Tuition:$10,978
Out-of-State Tuition:$13,248
Admission Rate:64%
Graduation Rate:52%
Total Enrollment:62,551

Pace University

New York, NY

In-State Tuition:$48,152
Out-of-State Tuition:$48,152
Admission Rate:83%
Graduation Rate:61%
Total Enrollment:13,609
Archival Specialist Job Description:
  • Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Required Skills and Competencies To Become an Archival Specialist

Job Duties for Archival Specialists

  • Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.

  • Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.

  • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.

Technologies and Skills Used by Archival Specialists

Data base user interface and query software

  • Microsoft Access
  • Structured query language SQL

Information retrieval or search software

  • Archival databases
  • Smithsonian Institution digital archives

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Basic Skills

  • Reading work related information
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Current Job Market and Opportunites for an Archival Specialist

Additional Resources To Help You Become an Archival Specialist

FAQs About Becoming an Archival Specialist