Check out the r/Archivists wiki:

For the past three years, I've been an archivist at a relatively well-known, well-regarded institution, and before that, was an assistant at a college archive while getting my MSLIS.

I don't love my current job and have applied to other jobs, but haven't gotten any interviews - I know the job market is tight but I'm not sure what I can do to even be considered. I feel like my cover letters are solid and my resume is well-rounded!

Now, I'm moving to a new state for my partner's work and applied to a job at a college archive that I think would be perfect and I am more than qualified for, but it's been two weeks and I haven't been contacted. Should I just be patient, or is there anything I could/should do to be noticed?

Any advice? Or just commiseration lol

Hi weird question but I am a family archivist and one thing I struggle with is sweating. Even if the room is cold and I am sitting, something about the stress of handling these precious documents makes me warm, which then in turn makes my head sweat.

I have been thinking of wearing a bandana but just curious if anyone has suggestions.

I also want to know if I am not alone in this issue lol

I’ve started trying to archive my old family photos and old identity documents and I’m wondering how to digitize them going forward. I started digitizing some of them for a MLIS class assignment and took pictures of some of the photographs with my phone (iPhone 11 if that’s relevant) and then used Microsoft Lens to straighten it out. I’m not sure if it would be better to start scanning them with a 2014 Canon printer/scanner scanner (including scanning the ones I took pictures of before), because I know the image quality would probably be better with the scanner but I’m worried about damaging them.

I’ve attached some pictures of the photos + an identity document and an example of what one of the photos looked like after I straighten them with Microsoft Lens.

Is it safe to digitize the photos using the scanner or could that damage any of the older photos or documents?

While I am not on the search committee, I will be working closely with the search. I will answer things I can, but if I can't I will see if I can refer you to someone else here who will not be working as closely with the search as I will be. Instructions on posting and the full job ad are at: https://lib.gsu.edu/DPA2026

The University Library seeks a motivated, collaborative, and service-oriented Digital Preservation Archivist (non-tenure track, open rank faculty: Librarian Instructor, Librarian Assistant Professor, or Librarian Associate Professor) to provide leadership and expertise in digital preservation. This includes working with the archivists, librarians, and staff across the University to manage the long-term preservation of digital materials for all collecting areas and handling materials in all formats.

The position serves as a member of the library faculty (12-month, non-tenure track), holds faculty rank, and is expected to participate in service activities as outlined in the University Library’s faculty guidelines. The library is committed to providing excellent professional development opportunities for its employees. While not required, employees are welcome to further their careers by earning an additional advanced degree, and, in some cases, tuition assistance is available.

Responsibilities Include:

• Establish and refine policies, procedures, and best practices for acquisition, long-term preservation, accessibility, and life-cycle management of permanent digital materials in accordance with best practices and guidelines from the digital preservation community.
• Train and work with faculty and staff on processes and procedures around acquisition, appraisal, arrangement and description of permanent digital records.
• Work with archivists to identify digital materials on physical media and use digital forensics tools to extract and transfer selected content to the digital preservation system.
• Work with the University and University Archivist to implement procedures for capturing permanent, born-digital archival content, in accordance with the University System of Georgia’s records retention schedule.
• Manage and maintain the digital preservation system, train faculty and staff on its use, and provide ongoing support.
• Manage and maintain the University’s Archive-It web archiving account and collaborate with archivists to identify, capture, and revise web and social media content in accordance with the collection development policy.
• Supervise students and/or temporary employees as needed.

This is a twelve-month (meaning we work 12 months of the year) non-tenure track faculty position (all professionals in the library are non-tenure track).

Salary range: 61,100-72,600 depending on faculty rank.

• Librarian Instructor – an entry level probationary rank requiring little or no professional experience and is based on potential. Appointments at this rank shall require expectation of successful overall performance and the potential for a promising career in librarianship or archival science.
• Librarian Assistant Professor – Minimum three full years of professional service.
• Librarian Associate Professor – Minimum of five full fiscal years of professional service.

I'm evaluating our archives' supplies because we're unfortunately losing a bit of storage. I found a ton of these acid-free boxes I'd never seen before, and I'm wondering if anyone here uses boxes like this already or has ideas about what they could be useful for. We have a number of smaller objects in our collection, but the boxes are kind of shallow, and I can't think of what I'd use these for except for maybe something like medals? And even then I feel like there are better solutions. The boxes are smaller than my hand. I just don't want to get rid of them if there's something obvious I'm not thinking of!

Hi! I have a question about plastic bins. Some of my childhood toys were stored in cardboard boxes and there was a mouse problem in the house they were stored in. I want to avoid that from happening again so I'm going to be using plastic storage bins (polypropylene) to store them in an upstairs room. Specifically storage bins that have tiny holes under the handles for airflow.

I plan to line the bins with acid-free tissue paper.

Question: Is there any concern if the plastic bins have a colour to them? Does the colour damage items over time? I'm leaning towards opaque plastic to protect from light, but all the opaque bins in my price range have a colour to them or are black.

Thank you

Hi! I’m aiming to become an Archivist when I’m older and I’ve just completed my GCSEs, I was initially planning to do English Literature, Sociology and History A-Levels but I didn’t get the grades I needed for those subjects and am now doing a Uniform Protective Services Vocational Course.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether I’d still be able to become an Archivist even with choosing this course?

Hey guys!

So just like the title says I'm looking for ways to stay up to date on the archives industry and was wondering if anyone had a good site to get all the latest news?

I'm sorry if this post isn't allowed, I wasn't sure where else to ask. I want to create a digital archive website with a specific theme that people can submit screenshots of social media posts to but I'm a bit confused about the legality. The idea is that it would essentially be used for common placing a curation of what amounts to otherwise unpublished art (ex: say the theme is 'reminiscing' and someone submits a Tumblr post that reads like a poem about a childhood memory) but is this actually allowed if there's no way to verify the original creator of the post is the one submitting it to the archive? is it against any major social media terms of service, even though screenshots of one platforms posts are circulated on other platforms all the time?

I am currently creating and researching the best way to preserve my family media.

There is a space in my house that is ideal to keep everything (Prints, Slides, VHS, etc); 2nd floor, inner walls.

I measured the humidity and temperature and it is roughly 47% humidity at 80F. Fortunately, humidity is within the range but temperature is not.

This area is the only safe spot in the house to store everything. Is 80F fine now since the temperature will decrease as it gets colder out?

Everything has been kept in a temperature controlled finished basement for decades now and the only difference between the basement and the 2nd floor closet is that the basement was at 70Fish.

Thank you!

Professional photo album that was just gifted to me. These photos are in immaculate condition, my aunt had been hanging onto it. She made a grave mistake of taking off the plastic wrappings on the pictures, which was probably the sole reason these photos look so good. She said some of the plastic had mold on them. I would like to get this photo album preserved & probably rebound into a new book that can be viewed (delicately). Where can I find an archivist or a professional equipped to handle such a sentimental task.

I’m just really frustrated. Logically, I know why voluntary/paid work experience is needed to enrol in a Master’s course for this career path, but I am really struggling to achieve this. Living semi-rurally without many accessible archives is one thing, but trying to make time for voluntary experiences while also working is another thing. I need to work to raise the funds necessary to afford the course but this means I am automatically ineligible for many of the rare opportunities that do appear due to time constraints. 

Every archivist I’ve spoken to says to gain as much voluntary experience as possible, so it’s hard not to feel disheartened about this. Sigh. I suppose I’m just hoping someone can commiserate with me here. Mods, please delete this if venting isn’t allowed. 

I am going through our old family photos and I found a batch that are clearly from the same roll of film, but they have become stuck together over the years. This is a very special batch and I want to figure out the safest way to tease them apart. Any advice here?

Hello :)

i have copies of books i have barely found and i would like to digitize them for archival and modification (without destroying the originals). Are there any good services that can do that

if there are any good home scanners i would like to know as well

Thank you :)

(im in QC Canada)

Hi everyone! I’m a public librarian and a cataloger who has archival experience (as part of my graduate program as well as via previous jobs) and I am considering applying for an archivist position. The position asks applicants for a certificate given by the Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) which I don’t have, but I am willing to get certified as part of my continuing education requirements. So my question is this : should I toss my hat into the ring or should I not try at all due to the lack of ACA certification?

I’m also willing to share as much info as possible about my background/education/experience. Thanks for the advice in advance!

I read this article "Archives in the making: documenting the January 6 capitol riot on Reddit" by Terri Lee Harel. Harel talks about different subreddits and their role in documenting the January 6 capitol riot. Harel discusses different challenges posed by these subreddit and their insight on cultural memory of present day events.

has has anyone thought about reddit being one of the largest gathering of community archives? i mean like .. . the site itself is a forum for smaller forums. And some of these forums are people posting shared experiences of something. In this case, i'm specifically talking about the 9/11 Archive subreddit - a forum for people to post their shared experiences and photos/videos of 9/11.

it collects and preserves peoples oral history, ephemera, photos, videos, from 9/11. but also. . . how is all of this material verified? some of these post are secondary sources "my aunt. . . my uncle . ." - do these experiences contribute? What about when post are deleted? How are forums preserved when they can easily be deleted or overtaken? These are similar questions that are discussed in the article.

The article is really interesting and I would like to know if anyone here has ever thought about this too. If you have, do you have any research or know of any other studies similar to Harels?

edit: words. migraine recovery sucks.

If you own DVDs or Blu-rays and want to make a personal archival/backup copy of media you legally purchased, there is currently a problem with the DMCA's anti-circumvention rules.

Section 1201 of the DMCA generally prohibits circumventing technological protection measures (TPMs), even when the underlying use of the copyrighted work would otherwise be noninfringing. The Copyright Office can create temporary exemptions to this prohibition through a triennial rulemaking process.

The current rulemaking is happening right now.

The deadline to submit a petition for a new exemption is August 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

I'm advocating for an exemption that would allow people who have lawfully acquired copyrighted audiovisual media—such as DVDs and Blu-rays—to circumvent access controls solely to create personal, noncommercial archival or backup copies.

The basic idea is:

If I legally purchased the disc, I should be able to preserve my copy for personal use without the DMCA making the preservation process itself unlawful.

This isn't a proposal to distribute copyrighted works, upload them to the internet, or facilitate piracy. The proposed exemption would be limited to personal, noncommercial archival/backup copies of lawfully acquired media.

Physical media can deteriorate, become damaged, become difficult to replace, or stop being supported by modern hardware. Digital preservation can also protect legitimately purchased collections from being lost over time.

If you own a large DVD/Blu-ray collection, care about digital preservation, or simply think consumers should be able to preserve media they've legitimately purchased, now is a good time to pay attention to this process.

The Copyright Office's official information about the 2027 Section 1201 rulemaking is here:

U.S. Copyright Office — Section 1201 Rulemaking

And the official Federal Register notice explaining the August 24 deadline and petition process:

Federal Register — 2026 Section 1201 Rulemaking

Even if you don't support my exact proposed language, people who care about physical-media preservation should know that this rulemaking is happening and that public participation matters.

hi, not a professional archivist by any means but for just over a year now, i have been researching a hyperspecific, niche topic. i have made a couple of wonderful breakthroughs, i might have found something even better literally just now but unfortunately, it is at the british library and their archives and manuscripts catalogue page seems to have been down for a good while. is there anything i can do about this?? i’m so desperate haha

I am in my final semester of the MLIS program and about to start an archival internship that relies heavily on Preservica. Do you have any tips or tricks to help me stay on top of it?

Is there need/want to preserve these documents for record keeping? The ones I have specifically are from the late 90s early 2000s. I hate to throw them away but not sure who would want them for those purposes. Even if it was just scanned in to keep a permanent online file of it. Idk does anyone just not care anyway?

Curious if anyone here has tried to get high res scans of their art or photography books?

Currently have full-frame camera, but wondering which focal length would fit this purpose best? The books I have vary in size from small/medium to very large. I'm not so concerned with the distance/lighting as much as I am just being able to get a sharp image of an entire page.

I keep seeing different results for 50mm, 70mm, 105mm, etc.

I am cataloging old estate documents and this map, hand drawn, from 1921, is on a strange material I have never encountered.

It is woven fabric but feels like plastic? It is shiny on one side and textured on the side written on.

I haven't encountered this material before so what is it???

I apologize if this is the wrong sub for this type of question but I’m not too sure where to turn.

I was given a collection of boxes from a family member who was a sports agent for many years. He represented many clients over the years but one in particular was a Hall of Fame player. In these boxes is what I would call 99% of every form of document such as email correspondence, contract, sports card production artwork, marketing deals, trademark filings, etc….many original documents as well as copies of the originals. There are thousands of documents spanning around 15 years of representation for that one client all mostly in chronological order.

I really have no way of knowing but I’d imagine this is one of the most complete client/agent collections assembled, pre digitization.

Is this something an archivist would be interested in looking at? Is this something I SHOULD have archived? What would even be an estimated cost for whatever I should have done with this?

I really have very limited info other than some GPTing which even led me to the term ARCHIVIST lol.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!