Working as an archivist in Canada

Working as an archivist in Canada

Do you have experience in this field? Find out more about the working conditions and salary of an archivist in Canada.

Today, every organization has an archive of documents, the preservation of which needs to be monitored. It is important for firms to ensure that all valuable documents are dated, described and sorted. This is what an archivist does.

The great news is that with experience in this field, you can immigrate to Canada with or without a job offer!

According to , the province of Ontario offers the most employment opportunities

Salaries of archivists

The salary of an archivist in Canada depends on different factors: job requirements, qualifications, working conditions and the location of the employer. Experienced professionals earn more than beginners.

According to official information, archivists in Canada earn on average $47,116 CAD per year or 3,926 per month.

As for the highest hourly rates, the province of Quebec wins, where the average hourly rate starts from

Archivists in Canada — what do they do?

According to the Canadian Occupational Handbook, archivists in Canada

  • develop policies and procedures for the management of current and semi-current archives, in particular corporate cataloguing, planning and records disposal systems, and information retrieval tools;
  • design programmes for the management, distribution and storage of archives of all types (documents, photographs, maps, audiovisual materials, manuscripts, etc.)
  • plan for computerized archive management;
  • Evaluate and acquire archival materials to build and develop an archival collection for research purposes;
  • verify the authenticity of documents and records, and investigate the provenance and significance of archival materials;
  • organize non-periodic archives and develop cataloguing and retrieval systems to provide access to archival materials;
  • help people in their search.

Where and how archivists work in Canada

Archivists manage, process, store and disseminate information contained in the archives of organizations. They acquire, maintain and research textual material, photographs, maps, architectural documents, electronic material, film and video, and sound recordings and multimedia materials. Archivists work in archives, public, semi-public and private sector organisations.

Archivists usually have a standard work schedule. They are often part of multidisciplinary teams that include information technology professionals, lawyers and finance staff.

Providing reference services, they work with a wide range of researchers and may sometimes need to work evenings and weekends. Archivists also have to travel to places where records are created or kept to carry out initial appraisals or to discuss processes for transferring or donating documents.

Examples of posts:

  • archivist;
  • assistant archivist;
  • archivist of collections;
  • corporate archivist;
  • archivist of fine art objects;
  • archivist of history items;
  • a member of the multimedia archive staff.

Employment requirements

There are no high requirements for working as an archivist. A degree in archives or a university degree with a certificate in archives is sufficient. in some cases a master's degree in archival science, computer science, library science or history may be required.

Archivists should also have the following skills:

  • Strong organizational and analytical skills;
  • strong computer skills;
  • good oral and written communication skills;
  • good interpersonal skills;
  • good time-management skills;
  • interest in research and scientific endeavour;
  • An interest in helping people and preserving historical documents.

License

In Canada, the profession is not regulated, so there is no strict need to get an additional license or certificate. But you can get them if you want, it can increase your chances of employment.

How to immigrate to Canada

If you have experience as an archivist, you can immigrate to Canada under one of the immigration programs suitable for this profession.

Many Canadian immigration programs are suitable for archivists, such as:

For more Canadian immigration programs for archivists, see here

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