Will “Historians” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 19-3093.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 60,990.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 29.00
• Currently, there are 2,950 people on this job

Also Known As…

• Researcher
• Research Associate
• Programs Director
• Historical Interpreter
• Historic Sites Registrar
• Historic Interpreter
• Historian
• County Records Management Officer (County RMO)
• County Historian
• Administrative Volunteer
• Supervisory Historian
• State Historical Society Director
• Research Director
• Reference Data Expert
• Protohistorian
• Music Historian
• Medical Historian
• Historiographer
• Historical Society Director
• Genealogist
• Film Historian
• Field Court Researcher
• Dramatic Arts Historian
• Dance Historian

Tasks for “Historians”

• Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
• Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.
• Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.
• Edit historical society publications.
• Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
• Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
• Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
• Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as use in CD-ROMs or Internet sites.
• Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
• Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
• Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories.
• Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.
• Translate or request translation of reference materials.
• Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
• Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
• Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
• Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
• Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
• Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.
• Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
• Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as collect data sources such as books, pamphlets, and periodicals.

Related Technology & Tools

• Analog-to-digital converters
• Computer inkjet printers
• Digital audio recorders
• Microphones
• Laptop computers
• Data input scanners
• Personal computers
• Photocopying equipment
• Computer laser printers
• Microfilm readers
• Microfiche readers
• Digital still cameras

• Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
• Digital image collections
• Corel WordPerfect
• Web Scrapbook
• Statistical analysis software
• Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
• Text mining software
• Audio editing software
• Archival databases
• ArchiveGrid
• Searchable online catalogs
• Web browser software
• Database management systems
• National Archives online databases
• National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)
• Adobe Systems Adobe Dreamweaver
• Page markers
• Google Books NGram Viewer
• Email software
• Scanning software
• Microsoft Excel
• Gutenberg-e
• Structured query language SQL
• ProQuest Archive Finder
• Geographic information system GIS software
• Digital mapping software
• TokenX
• Microsoft Word
• Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
• Reference management software
• Archives Wiki
• QuarkXPress
• Extensible markup language XML
• Microsoft Office
• Library of Congress digital collections
• Smithsonian Institution digital archives
• SPSS