Archivist

How it is used

Archivists catalogue collections, write finding aids, manage digitisation and decide what is kept. Historians often thank archivists in their acknowledgements, and asking the archivist is usually the fastest way to find the right file.

Example sentences

1. The archivist helped me find the missing volume of the register.

2. She trained as an archivist and now manages the university's special collections.

Common collocations

• a professional archivist
• ask the archivist
• university archivist
• archivists and librarians

Related terms

• archiveA collection of historical records kept for long-term use, or the building or institution where such records are stored and made available to researchers.
• provenanceThe origin of a document or object and the record of who has owned or kept it since it was made, used to judge whether it is genuine and lawfully held.
• manuscriptA book or document written by hand, especially one produced before printing became common; also an author's text before it is published.
• primary sourceEvidence created at the time being studied or by people who witnessed it, such as letters, diaries, official records, photographs or objects.

More terms: Sources and Archives

• secondary source
• bias
• census
• chronicle
• source criticism
• oral history
• inscription