How to become archivist or archivist?

What are archivists dealing with?

The tasks in an archive are versatile and fascinating. The archivists select those documents which are kept in the long term from the quantities of official documents. They advise the public authorities in managing and securing their documents. You arrange the documents taken over and create directories that are provided to users for search and overview. Archives advise users to find relevant archives. They ensure that the archives are permanently secured and maintained, which means a whole new challenge in terms of digital documents. Finally, they convey historical knowledge and archival expertise through publications, public exhibitions and archives.

What do I bring for the archiving profession?

Future archivists should be interested in historical contexts and developments. A pronounced organizational institution as well as a careful procedure are necessary in ordering the archives as well as the exact content of the archives. In addition, digital change places new demands on the profession, after all electronic documents are already taken over and archived by public authorities, directories and archives are published on the Internet. An interest in information technologies such as databases and web presentations is therefore extremely helpful for handling digital documents. As a service provider for both the donors and users, the archivist should bring joy in interpersonal communication.

Entrants are courts and authorities in the public domain, which offer their documents (paper or digital) to the public archives. Local archives receive their documents from the registratures of cities and municipalities, economic archives from the various departments of a company or group, etc. Archivists choose from the documents offered, what is to be cancelled (evaluation). Archivists must therefore have good judgment and must not be afraid of far-reaching, final decisions.

And how to become archivists or archivar?

The path to the archivist profession basically leads to a specialist training. Three different levels of training are provided, depending on school or university education. A medium degree of education (main or real school) is a prerequisite for entering the second level of qualification (QE) in the field of education and science, focusing on archives. The path to the third level of qualification (QE) is opened with an Abitur. The training is offered in the form of a study at the University of Applied Sciences in Bavaria, the degree of study entitled to carry out the title “Diplom-Archivar/in”. After a university degree, ideally associated with a completed dissertation, the path to the fourth level of qualification (QE) is open.

The training period is 2 or 3 years. After passing examination, graduates are qualified to enter the public archive service.

The theoretical training part for the 2nd and 4th QE will be held at the Bayerische Archivschule. Established in 1821 as the “Archival Teaching Institute” at the Royal General Reichsarchive, the Bayerische Archivschule is still responsible for the training of the archive growth in Bavaria. The three-year study for the 3rd QE at the University of Applied Sciences is also dual. The teaching for all three QEs takes place in the rooms of the Directorate-General of the State Archives of Bavaria. The teaching of theory teaches the skills required for the exercise of the archivist profession. The curriculum includes, for example, basic knowledge of historical basic sciences (e.g. archival studies), archival studies, Bavarian history of state and government, legal history, archival law and public relations and paleography. In the practical part of the training, the archive students experience everyday work in the state archives, municipal archives and church archives. They record current file transfers from Bavarian authorities or older stocks such as documents, official books or historical maps and plans. They accompany the specialists during government visits and help evaluate the available documents. They are also familiar with the user consultation and the search for historical sources.

Another way to the archivist profession leads through training to/from the specialist for media and information services (FaMI), department archive. FaMIs review, evaluate and archive documents and other information carriers. They also organize and monitor the use of archives and take care of the appearance of the archive in the media and organize events. The training itself takes place in a non-governmental archivist, i.e. the training contract is concluded with a municipal or ecclesiastical archive or the archive of another public institution. There visiting FaMIs spend the practical part of the training. The theoretical part is completed at the vocational school for media professions in Munich. FaMIs are employed in municipalities, museums, universities, associations and organisations or in companies in the media and information industry, for example in publishers or in companies in the film industry.

Interested? Information on training courses and application dates is available at: www.gda.bayern.de