A digital archivist is someone who adds to and organizes information in an electronic database, such as documents or photos. To be successful in this field, one must have a strong interest in history, be able to work with computers, and be well organized. A digital archivist is usually employed by a library, university, or other institution. Discussing archive needs with managers, locating materials, uploading and organizing materials on a database, assisting with retrieving relevant items, and giving presentations are just a few of the basic job responsibilities.
When a digital archivist begins a project, the first thing he or she will do is talk to the project manager about the archive’s needs. He may work with a wide range of materials, including documents, photographs, legal documents, and newspapers. A digital archivist working in a library might be given orders to upload newspapers from a specific year into a database. He must be able to carefully listen to instructions in order to do his job well.
A digital archivist will locate the materials that need to be archived once he knows which materials need to be archived. Depending on the nature and quantity of materials, this may be simple or difficult. In many cases, he will need to exercise caution and delicacy when dealing with sensitive materials such as important old documents.
After the necessary materials have been gathered, a digital archivist is responsible for uploading them to a computer database. This usually entails scanning each document and ensuring that it is legible when viewed on a computer. In addition, he will need to organize materials so that they can be found easily later. This usually entails some sort of classification or cataloging system. Uploading and classifying materials necessitates the use of a person with strong organizational skills.
A digital archivist’s other responsibilities include assisting people in retrieving relevant items from a computer database. While the database he creates should be simple to navigate, not everyone will know how to use it. In this case, a digital archivist will assist in acquainting a person with the database and locating a specific item.
In addition, he may give presentations from time to time. Because a digital archivist often has a history background, it’s not uncommon for him to give lectures on historical topics that he’s worked on. He will give lectures to students if he works for a university. He may give a lecture to patrons or the general public while working in a library.