I Am An Archivist, Really - Part II

Last week (see Part I), I gave some background on my professional life, how I got to be where I am, what I have done before my current profession, etc. Next week, I will discuss those things that I would like to be doing. Feel free to come along and comment for the ride.

To confirm? deny? support? disavow? that what I am doing is the right thing, I am going to answer a few questions that were recently posed to friends in the profession and answered on their blogs. Geof, the first, is one of those people who is always operating at that higher plane. We can all aspire to be like him - or at least be liked by him. The second, who chose to answer the questions on his blog is also one of those "too cool for school" archivists. I am glad Terry agrees to be seen with me on occasion.

How did you become an archivist?

That's an interesting story. I went to school fully intending to become a social studies teacher. Which I did. For a few years. Then the education system and I had a disagreement and I found myself looking for something else to do. It came down to wanting to work with the records and being able to work with people with a genuine interest in history (the students only had a marginal interest, at best).

There is some conjecture in the archival profession that many of us suddenly find ourselves working in archives (starting work in libraries and other information-related positions, like teaching). I know of many of my colleagues who started work at some library, museum, etc., and then found themselves "in the archives" and then never left.

What's changed the most since you became an archivist?

When I started at my first archives position, we had only two computers that were connected to "the Internet." This was in 1995. For us, the web was still a series of pages that often contained the word [image]. I helped my repository update its computers, revolutionized the website and served as its webmaster until I left.

In my second archival position, I had the opportunity to work for a repository that was just getting its archives program up off the ground. Now, of course, I work primarily with electronic records (which I never thought I would). So, if you ask me what has changed since I became an archivist, it would be that everything has. Suddenly we are picking up steam and really barreling into the next generation. Finally.

What's stayed the same (for better or worse)?

I have long wondered why the national organization for our profession does not get behind and support an "official" archives degree and make sure that job vacancies call for that degree. I got a Masters in Library Science (MLS) because that's what I needed to get ahead in the field, but I am not a librarian.

Another thing that I would like to see start to change would be the competitive nature that exists between the various archivist types that populate our profession. In the end people, we are all really just trying to do the same thing. We don't need to be sniping at one another.

How did you become interested in electronic records?

I never expected to be where I am now, dealing primarily with electronic records of the federal government. While I think I have told this story before, it serves as a really good answer to the question. A few months into my position here I was sitting with two friends and colleagues and we were discussing our work and I began talking about this and that and actually making sense about electronic records. The two of them looked at one another and then looked at me and pretty much said together, "you remember when you said you didn't want to work with electronic records? Well, you're there now." So it would seem that I made the transition fairly easily.

What advice do you have for new archivists or those interested in the profession?

Get involved.

Our profession will only continue to be successful with us reaching out, speaking out, being involved in the issues that are important to us.