Archivists
Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.
7,970 people do this job in the US. $64,550 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 64%
- 7%
- 29%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 4%. Today's estimate: 7%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 13 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 14% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 14% | 1 work day1.7 h to 4.2 work days | 4%Half by Mar 2028 | |
| Specialize in an area of history or technology, researching topics or items relevant to collections to determine what should be retained or acquired.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 14% | 1 work day1.7 h to 4.2 work days | 4%Half by Mar 2028 | |
| Establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 14% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.5 work days | 8%Half by Sep 2027 | |
| Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h25 min to 6.7 h | 43%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Authenticate and appraise historical documents and archival materials.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 h50 min to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min13 min to 2.5 h | 86%Half by now | |
| Locate new materials and direct their acquisition and display.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 15%Half by Jun 2027 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).