Executive Summary

Five thousand, six hundred and ninety-nine archivists and memory workers across the United States took the time to share their experiences within the archives profession by completing the A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey. The All Archivists Survey, fielded 17 years after the original A*CENSUS collected foundational data for the field, provides a measure of how far the field has come in nearly two decades as well as introduces new or expanded areas of exploration, including sections on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, community archives, and student loan debt.

This report shares findings on the current employment, education, and demographic characteristics of archivists and memory workers. It examines their perspectives and experiences on topics including job placement, salaries, sector differences, attrition, and key issues in the field. Further, it compares demographic data across time, with a particular focus on how the distribution of race/ethnicity and gender has changed since the original A*CENSUS in 2004.

A*CENSUS II demonstrates the power of collaboration across the archives profession. In addition to the 5,699 individuals who responded to the All Archivists Survey, the project was made possible through the volunteer work of a dedicated project team, working group, and several partner organizations. This research study is funded by the Institution for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and was jointly developed by the Society of American Archivists, Ithaka S+R, and the A*CENSUS II working group, whose members represent diverse sectors and roles within the archives profession.

It is our hope that the findings in this first report be shared widely and freely with the archives community so that they may be leveraged to positively impact the profession. The data may be used in myriad ways, from workforce planning, to diversifying the profession, increasing funding, to advocating for resources, to meeting professional development needs. Here we highlight the most striking key findings from the All Archivists Survey:

  • The large majority (81 percent) of respondents are employed full-time and 9 percent are employed part-time. Eighty-nine percent of employed respondents are in permanent roles, and 71 percent of respondents in permanent roles are salaried.
  • The MLS/MLIS degree has risen in importance in the archives profession while also being more likely to result in student loan debt. The proportion of MLS/MLIS degree holders increased 52 percent since 2004, representing the highest increase of any degree-type. Simultaneously, respondents with an MLS/MLIS degree are more likely to graduate with student loan debt compared with respondents graduating with other degrees, including those with a comparable degree such as an MA/MS/MFA.
  • The proportion of BIPOC individuals in the archives profession has doubled since 2004. While the overwhelming majority of the archives profession is White and BIPOC respondents continue to be underrepresented in the archives profession, the proportion of BIPOC respondents doubled from 8 percent in 2004 to 16 percent in 2021.
  • One in five respondents are considering leaving the archives profession within the next five years. An additional one in four respondents are not sure if they will stay or leave. Of the 20 percent of respondents planning to leave, the top three reasons are retirement, burnout, and limited compensation/salary or better compensation/salary elsewhere.
  • The majority (61 percent) of respondents employed full-time make between $40,000 and $79,999 annually. The majority (69 percent) of respondents employed part-time make $29,999 or less each year.
  • Approximately one in four respondents do not believe decisions related to salary, promotion, and hiring are equitable. And nearly four times as many respondents disagree that the archives profession has adequately addressed issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access than respondents who agree.
  • While diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility goals have not yet been achieved in the archives profession, there is encouraging evidence that steps are being taken to reach them. Half of all respondents have witnessed others taking action to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the archives profession.
  • The top three challenges community archives face are funding, collection storage space, and generating awareness of the archives. Respondents, including both those who do and do not work in community archives, are relatively split on whether the challenges and opportunities in community archives are similar to the challenges and opportunities in traditional archives. Fifteen percent of respondents agree that they are similar while 18 percent disagree.
  • The archives profession is highly educated. The overwhelming majority (86 percent) of respondents have an advanced degree. And more than one in four (27 percent) have two or more advanced degrees.
  • The archives profession has become more women-dominated over time. Since 2004, the proportion of women in the archives profession has increased from 65 percent to 71 percent, representing a 6 percentage point increase. Conversely, the proportion of men in the archives profession has decreased by 11 percentage points, dropping from 34 percent in 2004 to 23 percent in 2021.

Introduction

The A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey is the only national survey of individual archivists and memory workers in the US that has been fielded in the past 17 years. This census was administered in 2021 and builds on the foundation of the first A*CENSUS, which collected data for the archives profession in 2004. Five thousand, six hundred and ninety-nine individuals in the archives profession completed the All Archivists Survey in order to provide insight into their experiences within the archives profession. By sharing their experiences and perspectives, survey participants have created a strong dataset representative of the archives community.

The All Archivists Survey expands upon the first A*CENSUS by including new areas of exploration, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, community archives, and student loan debt. This survey gathered data on key topics such as employment, salaries, educational background, and demographics as well as job placement, sector characteristics, attrition, and individual perspectives on key issues in the field. Importantly, the data collected in the survey also allows us to summarize changes in the demographic composition of the archival profession across time, with a particular focus on race/ethnicity and gender.

The findings brought forth from the All Archivists Survey can be leveraged across the field in myriad ways. The data provides evidence that can assist with workforce planning, benchmarking against peer institutions, advocating for resources, and diversifying the profession, among others. This report on the A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey is the first of two A*CENSUS reports. Results from the second A*CENSUS II survey, the Archives Administrators Survey, will be published in the coming months. It is our hope that the data in this report be shared widely and freely with the archives community so that it may positively impact the profession.

Methodology

Survey Instrument Development

The first A*CENSUS, administered in 2004, provided the foundation for the A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey. Through an iterative process, the project team and working group provided guidance and input on themes and issues important to the archives profession in the US. Based on this process, the A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey expanded or added new sections to the survey instrument on topics including diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, community archives, and student loan debt. As new questions were added to the survey instrument, other questions were retired.

After the survey instrument was drafted, it went through an extensive review process that included gathering feedback from the project team and working group and updating the survey draft. In a final review process, the survey was tested through cognitive interviews with 16 individuals representing different sectors (e.g. academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, community archives) points in career (e.g. student, early-, mid-, late- career, and retired) and levels of seniority (e.g. individual contributor, manager/supervisor, senior administrator) within the archives profession. The cognitive interviews provided further feedback that strengthened the survey instrument. The final survey instrument was administered through the Qualtrics platform and included survey logic that activated depending on individual responses to specific questions. Additionally, answers to survey questions without a natural order were randomized to eliminate order bias.

Population and Distribution

The A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey population includes all archivists, memory workers, and every person in the US who works with archival materials in any capacity, regardless of employment status or title. In order to obtain the broadest possible response, we constructed a two-pronged outreach approach.

First, the Society of American Archivists collaboratively generated an invitation list through the help of a number of partner organizations. This list was cleaned and deduped and ultimately resulted in 44,884 distinct emails, which received the initial invitation. Of the 44,884 email invitations, 5,401 bounced or failed, bringing the updated sample to 39,483.

Second, since our goal was to reach as many archivists, memory workers, and individuals working with archival materials in the US as possible, we created and distributed open-access links to the survey questionnaire. These links were widely publicized on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn by SAA, Ithaka S+R, the working group, and partner organizations. Some partner organizations, who were not able to participate in building the direct invitation list, generously helped promote the All Archivists Survey by publicizing an open-access link through their membership channels as well. All partner organizations participated in publicizing open-access links through social media channels.

Data gathered through both the direct email invitations and the open-access links is completely anonymous. Names and email addresses were used for the purposes of distribution of the survey only and are not linked to survey responses. Survey platform settings automatically removed names and email addresses before creating the resulting dataset, so at no point was personally identifiable data attached to survey responses. Neither researchers at Ithaka S+R nor project leads at SAA have access to survey responses that are linked to names or email addresses.

The survey launched on October 19, 2021, and closed December 13, 2021.

Participation

Of the 39,483 people who received survey invitations through direct email, 4,362 completed the survey. In addition to these responses, 1,348 individuals completed the survey via an open-access link, providing a combined total of 5,710 responses. After the data was cleaned, the final sample resulted in 5,699 valid, complete responses. Due to the nature of open-access links (i.e., since it is unknown how many archivists, memory workers, and persons who work with archival materials saw the open-access link and chose not to take the survey) it is not possible to calculate a response rate for the full sample of survey respondents.

The majority of All Archivists Survey respondents are White (84 percent), employed full-time (81 percent), women (71 percent), and straight/heterosexual (69 percent). The report and accompanying graphs and tables relay other demographic and employment characteristics in detail.

Data Analysis and Reporting

This report contains aggregate and stratified findings from the All Archivists Survey. We analyzed the findings using frequency and descriptive analyses. For questions where respondents were directed to generate a number (e.g. At what age did you retire?), we used the average (median) and used frequencies for all other questions. In figures, either we include all answer options, the top options, or, for figures relying on Likert scales, we include the high and low end of the scales used. For example, in a 7 point agreement Likert scale, we combine “Agree” and “Strongly agree” to indicate agreement and “Disagree” and “Strongly disagree” to indicate disagreement.

Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number throughout the report; due to this, figure percentages may not add up to 100 percent and answer options with very low selection rates may round down to 0 percent. For unrounded percentages, see the aggregate tables in the appendix.

In order to protect the anonymity of survey participants when stratifying the data, categories with a low number (defined as having an n of 30 or less) were rolled up or removed. This approach mitigates the risk of re-identification by ensuring no individual participant can be recognized by their responses.

Given the length of time that passed from the administration of the first A*CENSUS (17 years), the language or answer choices of many survey questions have changed, making comparison across time difficult. However, there are several questions from the first A*CENSUS that were brought forward intact, or with minimal changes, which allow data to be analyzed over time. To that end, in some instances we have included frequencies over time in this report in order to see how the archives profession has changed or stayed the same since the first A*CENSUS in 2004. Additionally, in keeping with the methodology of the original A*CENSUS, retired individuals were directed to answer employment questions from the vantage of their last position.

The A*CENSUS II dataset will be deposited with the SAA Dataverse for long-term preservation and access. The Society of American Archivists is committed to encouraging and supporting archivists, students, and scholars to use and leverage the A*CENSUS II data in myriad ways to benefit the profession. The data can be used to create evidence-based and strategic action in a variety of ways from workforce planning to advocating for resources to benchmarking against peers to continuing education.

Collaboration

This research study was led by the project team, who guided the survey development process, facilitated working group meetings, created partner organization relationships, established subcommittees, shared and promoted content, and provided feedback on the analysis and accompanying report. The members of the project team are:

  • Jacqualine Price Osafo, Executive Director, Society of American Archivists
  • Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections, Smith College
  • Rachel Vagts, Special Collections and Digital Archives Manager, Denver Public Library
  • Makala Skinner, Senior Surveys Analyst, Ithaka S+R

Earlier members of the Project Team included:

  • Nancy Beaumont, Former Executive Director, Society of American Archivists
  • Christine Wolff-Eisenberg, Former Manager, Surveys and Research, Ithaka S+R

The A*CENSUS II working group provided guidance and feedback on this research study by reviewing and discussing previous survey instruments and findings to determine what information should be captured to enable longitudinal analyses, identifying new areas of interest to incorporate into the survey, developing thematic areas of interest for a new survey of archival institutions, and assisting in identification of groups and institutions that should be invited to participate in the survey. Through several discussion and playback sessions, the working group helped determine the scope of and themes included in the survey instrument, provided feedback at key stages of the process, and mobilized their networks to participate in the All Archivists Survey. The members of the A*CENSUS II working group are:

  • Cheryl Beredo, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library
  • Paul Conway, University of Michigan
  • Meredith Evans, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
  • Jennifer Johnson, Cargill Incorporated
  • Meredith Lowe, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Jamie Martin, IBM Corporation Archives
  • Greta Pittenger, National Public Radio
  • Aaron Ramirez, Pueblo City-County Library District
  • Tom Ruller, New York State Archives
  • Gayle Schechter, Council on Library and Information Resources
  • Erin Passehl Stoddart, Michigan State University
  • Audra Eagle Yun, University of California, Irvine Special Collections & Archives

Partner organizations across the profession generously helped to promote the A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey through their membership and social media channels to ensure the survey reached the widest possible audience. The groups that make up the partner organizations are:

  • Academy of Certified Archivists
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Arizona Archives Alliance
  • Association for the Study of African American Life and History
  • Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists
  • Association of Hawai’i Archivists
  • Association of Moving Image Archivists
  • Association of St Louis Area Archivists
  • Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
  • Chicago Area Archivists
  • Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists
  • Council of State Archivists
  • Delaware Valley Archivists Group
  • Kentucky Council on Archives
  • Los Angeles Archivists Collective
  • Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association
  • Miami Valley Archives Roundtable
  • Michigan Archival Association
  • Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
  • Midwest Archives Conference
  • National Archives and Records Administration
  • National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators
  • New England Archivists
  • Northwest Archivists
  • Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, ACRL Libraries, ALA
  • Seattle Area Archivists
  • Society of California Archivists
  • Society of Florida Archivists
  • Society of Georgia Archivists
  • Society of Indiana Archivists
  • Society of Mississippi Archivists
  • Society of North Carolina Archivists
  • Society of Ohio Archivists
  • Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists
  • Society of Southwest Archivists
  • Society of Tennessee Archivists
  • South Carolina Archival Association
  • Twin Cities Archives Roundtable

Survey Findings

Employment Profile

The majority of respondents (81 percent) are employed in full-time positions (see Figure 1), 9 percent are employed in part-time roles, and 4 percent are retired from an archives-related position or career. Of archivists in full time or part-time positions, or who are retired from an archives-related position or career, 89 percent are in permanent roles, while 11 percent are in contract positions (see Figure 2). Of those in permanent positions, 71 percent are salaried. Only 2 percent of those with a full time position also have another paid role, including a part time position, a paid internship, or self-employment.

Figure 1 – Which of the following describes your current employment status? Please select all that apply. Percentage of respondents that selected each item.

Figure 2 – Which of the following best describes your current job type?

Fifteen percent of respondents in full-time positions held in addition to, or prior to their current role, a part-time position since January 1, 2017 (see Figure 3). Of these respondents, 40 percent ended up with a full-time permanent position with the same employer (see Figure 4). Of the 11 percent of full-time respondents with a short-term contract position since 2017, only 30 percent ended up in a full-time permanent position. The short-term work that was most likely to result in a full-time permanent position was a long-term contract. Though only 3 percent of full-time employees had a long-term contract since 2017, 62 percent of those that did ended up in a full-time permanent position with the same employer. Volunteering was the least likely to result in a full-time permanent position (19 percent).

Figure 3 – You indicated that you are currently in a full-time permanent position. In addition to, or prior to your current position, have you been in any of the following position types in an archives-related position since January 1, 2017? Please select all that apply.

Figure 4 – You indicated that, prior to your current position, you were employed in the following position type(s). At any point during or after your work in that role, have you had a full-time permanent position with the same employer? Percentage of respondents who did and did not have a full-time permanent position with the same employer.

Of all individuals with a part-time position, two-thirds (67 percent) have one part-time position, and 33 percent have two or more part-time positions (see Figure 5).

Figure 5 – You indicated that you are employed part-time. How many part-time positions do you currently hold?

The majority of respondents who are employed in a part-time position (83 percent) did not report having an additional income-generating role, such as a full-time position, a paid internship, or self-employment. Of these respondents, about one third (34 percent) are currently seeking full-time work, while 55 percent are not (see Figure 6).

Figure 6 – You indicated that you are employed part-time. Are you currently seeking full-time work? Percentage of respondents who are solely employed part-time; excluding respondents who have another paid position in addition to their part-time employment.

More than half (56 percent) of respondents are in an individual contributor role and a quarter are a manager or supervisor (see Figure 7). Senior administrators or executives make up 17 percent of respondents. Of individual contributors, 44 percent are in an entry-level position requiring five years or less experience and 36 percent are in mid-level roles requiring six to 14 years of experience (see Figure 8). Only 11 percent of individual contributors are in a senior-level position requiring 15 or more years of experience.

Figure 7 – Please select which of the following best describes your current position.

Figure 8 – You indicated that you are an individual contributor (i.e., a non-managerial role). Please select the level of your position.

Only 17 percent of respondents are a member of a union compared with 81 percent who are not. Respondents who are not union members are split as to whether they would like to join one. About one third of respondents are interested in becoming a member of a union (33 percent), about one third are not interested (35 percent) and about one third are not sure (32 percent) (see Figure 9).

Figure 9 – Are you interested in becoming a member of a union?

Sector

Employed respondents most commonly work for academic institutions (38 percent), government agencies (28 percent) and nonprofit organizations (21 percent) (see Figure 10). Fewer respondents are employed at for-profit organizations, community archives, or are self-employed.

Figure 10 – Which of the following best describes your current employer?

Academic institutions

The vast majority (96 percent) of respondents working for an academic institution are employed at a college or university (see Figure 11). A very small proportion of respondents work at an elementary or secondary school (1 percent) or a seminary (1 percent). Of respondents who work at a college or university, only 1.2 percent are employed by a historically black college or university (HBCU) and only 0.6 percent are employed by a Tribal college or university. The majority of respondents work at a public institution (58 percent) and nearly two in five (39 percent) work for a private not-for-profit academic institution (see Figure 12). The overwhelming majority (97 percent) of respondents work at four-year institutions with only a small percentage of individuals coming from the two-year space (2 percent) (see Figure 13).

Figure 11 – Which of the following best describes the academic institution that is your current employer?

Figure 12 – Which of the following best describes the college or university that is your current employer?

Figure 13 – Which of the following best describes the college or university that is your current employer?

Archives/special collections are by far the most common functional units employing respondents within an academic institution (75 percent) (see Figure 14). An additional 8 percent of respondents work in the library/information science department and 5 percent work in another library unit.

Figure 14 – Which of the following best describes the functional unit within the academic institution that is your current employer?

Government agencies

Forty-seven percent of respondents working for government agencies work at the federal level of government (see Figure 15). Approximately one fourth each work at the state or territory government level (28 percent) and the local government level (23 percent). Just 1 percent of respondents work for a tribal government agency. The majority of government employees work for an archives, historical society, and/or records management agency (59 percent) (see Figure 16). Twenty-six percent work for a library, and 10 percent work for a museum.

Figure 15 – Which of the following best describes the level of the government agency that is your current employer?

Figure 16 – Which of the following best describes the type of government agency that is your current employer? Please select all that apply.

Nonprofit organizations

Unlike for academic institutions and government agencies where a clear majority of respondents work in a particular area, respondents from nonprofit organizations are spread out across several different employer types. Twenty-two percent work for a historical society or archival repository, 20 percent work for a library, and 20 percent work for a religious organization (see Figure 17). Further still, 19 percent work at a history museum, and 17 percent work for another kind of museum. Relatively few nonprofit organization employees work for a medical institution (3 percent) or genealogical society (2 percent).

Figure 17 – Which of the following best describes the nonprofit organization that is your current employer? Please select all that apply.

For-profit organizations

Of respondents working at for-profit organizations, 19 percent work for an archives-related organization, while 81 percent work for an archives or records function within a for-profit organization. Of those working for an archives-related organization, more than half (54 percent) work for an archival consulting firm/service provider and 14 percent work for a conservation/preservation consulting firm/service provider (see Figure 18). Respondents performing an archives or records function within a for-profit organization are in a variety of different industries. Nearly one in four (24 percent) are in art, media, publishing, or entertainment (see Figure 19). Twelve percent are in consumer products, and 10 percent are in financial services, banking, or securities.

Figure 18 – Which of the following best describes the for-profit organization that is your current employer?

Figure 19 – Which of the following best describes the for-profit organization that is your current employer?

Self-employment

Of respondents who are self-employed, archival consultant is the most common role (44 percent) (see Figure 20). Fewer individuals are self-employed as audio/visual specialists (7 percent), digitization specialists (7 percent) and conservation/preservation specialists (6 percent).

Figure 20 – Which of the following best describes the focus of your self-employed work?

Job role

Two-thirds (66 percent) of respondents are currently working as an archivist or memory worker and 18 percent are managing a unit or department that employs archivists or memory workers (see Figure 21). There is also some overlap between the archives profession and other related occupations. This is shown through the 12 percent of respondents who work in another profession or occupation but who hold archives-related responsibilities. Very few respondents are teaching in a graduate archival education program (2 percent), administering a program serving archival interests but not working directly with archival records (3 percent), or retired from an archives-related position or career (4 percent).

Figure 21 – Please indicate if you are currently doing any of the following in regard to archival and/or memory work. Please select all that apply.

While all respondents received the question in Figure 21 and were encouraged to select all answer choices that apply to them, in Figure 22 respondents were directed to select the position that is most central to their role in the organization. Figure 22 was also only asked of respondents who are employed, self-employed, or retired from an archives-related position. Of these respondents, 43 percent indicated that their primary position is archivist. The second and third most common roles are those who are both managing archivists and are archivists themselves (13 percent) and librarians (10 percent).

Figure 22 – Please indicate your primary position below.

Within the last 12 months, the most common function respondents have spent time one is reference services and access (52 percent), followed closely by arrangement and description (46 percent) (see Figure 23). The wide distribution among functions illustrates that most respondents fulfill multiple roles within their organization.

Figure 23 – Identify the functions you have spent the most time on during your primary employment within the last 12 months. Please select up to five items.

Respondents work with a large variety of physical and digital materials. Most commonly, with physical materials, respondents work with textual archival records such as documents and manuscripts (88 percent), photographs (83 percent), and objects (68 percent) (see Figure 24). Among physical materials, respondents reported working with data sets the least (21 percent). Among digital records, respondents are most likely to work with photographs (71 percent), textual archival records (69 percent), and moving image and sound media (61 percent), and least likely to work with rare books (13 percent).

Figure 24 – Which of the following kinds of records do you work with? Please select all that apply and indicate if the records you work with are physical or digital. If you do not work with a particular kind of record, select N/A.

Salary

Full-time salary

There is considerable range in the salaries of full-time respondents. While the majority (61 percent) of respondents in full-time positions make between $40,000 and $79,999 a year, 27 percent make $80,000 or more a year and 10 percent make less than $40,000 each year (see Figure 25).

Figure 25 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 for your full-time position.

For most pay ranges, there are no major salary differences between men and women. There are two exceptions. The first is at the $40,000-$59,999 salary level, where women (34 percent) are more likely than men (29 percent) to earn a salary in this range (see Figure 26). The second is when we look closely at who is making salaries above $100,000. Eighteen percent of men in full-time positions earn six figures compared with only 11 percent of women. This may be partially explained by differences in position, with men being overrepresented in leadership positions (see Figure 60). The ratio of women to men among all respondents is 3.07 compared with the ratio at the senior administrator or executive level, which is 2.44.

Figure 26 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 for your full-time position. Percentage of respondents that selected each item by gender.

There are no major differences in salary between White and BIPOC respondents in full-time positions (see Figure 27). The same proportion of White and BIPOC respondents make less than $40,000 a year (10 percent), and $40,000-$59,000 a year (33 percent). The largest difference is still quite small, only differing by 4 percentage points with 33 percent of BIPOC respondents reporting earning a salary between $60,000-$79,999 versus 29 percent of White respondents. Even when we roll up the data further and look at who is making $100,000 or more, the difference is still quite small, with 13 percent of White respondents earning six figures and 10 percent of BIPOC respondents earning this amount.

Figure 27 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 for your full-time position. Percentage of respondents that selected each item by race/ethnicity.

Full-time salaries vary considerably by sector. One third of respondents working for nonprofits earn less than $50,000 annually (see Figure 28). Comparatively, only 15 percent of respondents at for-profit organizations earn that amount. Full-time respondents at academic institutions are most likely to earn between $50,000-$59,999 (21 percent) or $60,000-$69,999 (20 percent). Government agencies perhaps have the greatest variation; while the highest proportion of government agency employees earn less than $50,000 (26 percent), the next highest proportion earn $100,000 or more (19 percent). Respondents employed at government agencies (19 percent) and for-profit organizations (21 percent) are considerably more likely to earn $100,000 or more than employees of nonprofit organizations (7 percent) and academic institutions (10 percent).

Figure 28 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 for your full-time position. Percentage of respondents that selected each item by sector.

Approximately half of respondents in all regions make between $50,000 and $79,999 a year, with the Midwest (45 percent) having the smallest proportion of respondents in this range and the West having the highest proportion (53 percent) (see Figure 29). Forty-nine percent of both respondents in the South and New England fall in this category, and 46 percent of those in the Mid-Atlantic region do as well. While the bulk of respondents fall within this middle range across regions, there are significant differences between regions for those who earn the least as well as those who earn the most. Respondents living in the Midwest (38 percent) and South (35 percent) are much more likely to earn less than $50,000 annually compared with respondents in the Mid-Atlantic (14 percent), New England (15 percent), or West (19 percent). Conversely, respondents in the Mid-Atlantic (21 percent) and New England (17 percent) are the most likely to earn $100,000 or more a year compared with other regions. And those in the West (12 percent) are more likely to earn six figures compared with those in the South (7 percent) and Midwest (6 percent).

Figure 29 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 for your full-time position. Percentage of respondents that selected each item by region.

Part-time salary

Of all people with a part-time position, including those who hold another paid position, 43 percent made less than $20,000 in gross employment-related wages in 2021 and about a quarter (26 percent) make between $20,000 and $29,999 (see Figure 30). Nine percent make more than $50,000 annually. When we exclude individuals who have additional paid positions, such as a full-time role or a paid internship, and focus on respondents who exclusively have a part-time role for their income, the results are nearly identical.

Figure 30 – Please indicate your expected total gross employment-related wages for 2021 for your part-time position(s). Percentage of respondents that selected each item by all respondents with a part-time position and respondents who exclusively have a part-time position.

The total number of respondents with a part-time position, regardless of whether they have another income-generating role, who also provided salary information is 502. Since this is a relatively small n, we rolled up the salary categories to be less than $20,000 and $20,000 or more to eliminate risk of identification when we stratified part-time salary by other variables. There is no difference in part-time income by gender, with 43 percent of men and 42 percent of women earning less than $20,000 and 57 percent of men and 58 percent of women earning $20,000 or more. The n is too small for BIPOC part-time employees to be able to conduct salary analysis by race/ethnicity. There are no significant differences in part-time income for respondents working at academic institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations (see Figure 31).

Figure 31 – Please indicate your expected total gross employment-related wages for 2021 for your part-time position(s). Percentage of respondents that selected each item by sector.

Part time employees in the Mid-Atlantic are the most likely to earn $20,000 or more (63 percent) and the least likely to earn less than $20,000 (37 percent) (see Figure 32). Conversely, part-time employees in the South are the most likely to earn less than $20,000 (52 percent) and the least likely to earn $20,000 or more (48 percent). Respondents located in the West and Midwest have similar proportions earning less than $20,000 (43 percent and 45 percent respectively) as well as earning $20,000 or more (57 percent and 55 percent respectively). New England was excluded from this analysis due to a low n.

Figure 32 – Please indicate your expected total gross employment-related wages for 2021 for your part-time position(s). Percentage of respondents that selected each item by region.

Education

The archives field is highly educated. An overwhelming majority of respondents (86 percent) have an advanced degree, and more than one in four (27 percent) have two or more advanced degrees. Fewer respondents hold an Archives Certification (22 percent) and just 3 percent of respondents have a Records Manager Certification. The proportion of archivists holding high school, Associate, BA/BS/BFA, and MLS/MLIS degrees increased since the original A*CENSUS (see Figure 33). The MLS/MLIS degree has become particularly important in recent years. Since 2004, the proportion of archivists with an MLS/MLIS degree has increased from 39.4 percent to 60 percent—the largest rise of any degree-type (52 percent increase).

Figure 33 – Please indicate ALL of the degrees you hold. Please select all that apply. Percentage of respondents that selected each item in 2021 and 2004.

Degrees held A*CENSUS II 2021 A*CENSUS 2004
High school 79.7% 61.8%
Associate 8.9% 8.1%
BA/BS/BFA 86.4% 76.3%
MA/MS/MFA 43.6% 46.3%
MLS/MLIS 60.0% 39.4%
MBA 0.7% 0.9%
PhD 6.0% 8.4%
JD 0.6% 0.7%
None of the above 0.1% 0.1%
I prefer not to answer this question/Rather not say 0.1% 0.7%
n 5,696 5,620

Much of the increase in MLS/MLIS degrees has taken place in recent years. More than half (58 percent) of respondents with an MLS/MLIS earned their degree since 2010 compared with 37 percent of MA/MS/MFA and 38 percent of PhD degree holders over the same time period (see Figure 34). From 2000-2009 to 2010-2021, the proportion of people earning their MA/MS/MFA increased 34 percent compared with a staggering 124 percent increase in people earning their MLS/MLIS. When we look at currently enrolled students (3 percent of all respondents) it becomes clear that the proportion of archivists with an MLS/MLIS degree is likely to continue to rise. Of currently enrolled students, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) are enrolled in an MLS/MLIS program.

Figure 34 – Please indicate in what year you were awarded the following degrees. Percentage of respondents that selected each item by degree.

Respondents are educated in a variety of disciplines, but history is far and away the top major of study for both MA/MS/MFA (37 percent) (see Figure 35) and PhD (39 percent) (see Figure 37) degree holders. Since 2004, the proportion of those studying history for their MA/MS/MFA degree decreased slightly from 43 percent. At the same time, public history has increased from 4 percent in 2004 to 10 percent in 2021. Fifty percent of MLS/MLIS degree holders concentrated in library and/or information science and 47 percent concentrated in archives (see Figure 36).

Figure 35 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. Frequency and percentage of respondents selecting each item for MA/MS/MFA degrees.

Total number who identified major % of total reporting majors
Total reporting MA/MS/MFA degrees 2,481
Total identifying major/concentration 2,452 100%
History 912 37.2%
Public history 252 10.3%
Museum studies 153 6.2%
Archives 148 6.0%
Literature 112 4.6%
Library and/or information science 88 3.6%
Fine arts 73 3.0%
Education 61 2.5%
American studies 50 2.0%
Religious studies 38 1.6%
Film studies 37 1.5%

Figure 36 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. Frequency and percentage of respondents selecting each item for MLS/MLIS degrees.

Total number who identified major % of total reporting majors
Total reporting MLS/MLIS degrees 3,417
Total identifying major/concentration 3,369 100%
Library and/or information science 1699 50.4%
Archives 1597 47.4%

Figure 37 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. Frequency and percentage of respondents selecting each item for PhD degrees.

Total number who identified major % of total reporting majors
Total reporting PhD degrees 340
Total identifying major/concentration 337 100%
History 132 39.2%
Library and/or information science 41 12.2%

Student Loans

With the national student loan debt standing at approximately 1.6 trillion dollars,[1] it is no surprise that student loan debt is a widely discussed topic not only on the national stage but within the archives profession. As shown above, archivists are highly educated, with the majority (86 percent) holding an advanced degree. Thus it should come as no surprise that student loan debt is highly relevant to many individuals in the archives profession. Of respondents who provided student loan information, 67 percent graduated, or left their degree program prior to graduation, with student loan debt for at least one degree. In addition, of respondents who acquired graduate credits but did not complete the degree, 41 percent accrued student loan debt at the time of leaving their program while 59 percent did not accrue debt.

Whether loans were taken out varies considerably by degree type (see Figure 38). More than three quarters (79 percent) of those with Associate degrees and almost two-thirds (60 percent) of those with PhDs graduated without any student debt, for example, while BA/BS/BFA and MA/MS/MFA holders were more evenly split. Approximately half of BA/BS/BFA degree holders graduated with student debt (49 percent) and about half did not (51 percent); the same is true for MA/MS/MFA degree holders. Importantly, MLS/MLIS degree holders were more likely to graduate with student debt (61 percent) compared to respondents with any other degree.

Figure 38 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? Percentage of respondents who reported having and not having student loan debt.

That MLS/MLIS degree holders are more likely to graduate with student debt compared with other degree types is partially a reflection of the fact that MLS/MLIS degree holders are more likely to have graduated relatively recently. However, even when we look at individuals who graduated since 2000, respondents with an MLS/MLIS degree were more likely to have taken out student loans than both MA/MS/MFA and BA/BS/BFA holders (see Figure 39). Only 36 percent of MLS/MLIS degree holders who graduated from 2000-2021 did so without debt compared with 41 percent of MA/MS/MFA degree holders from the same period. And while 32 percent of MA/MS/MFA degree holders graduated with $30,000 or more in student debt, 39 percent of MLS/MLIS degree holders did. This has important implications for the archives profession as the proportion of MLS/MLIS degree holders saw the largest percentage point increase of any other degree since the first A*CENSUS. If the MLS/MLIS degree is becoming more central to the archives profession, and it also is more likely to require student loans to finance the degree, this may increase the proportion of archivists with student debt over time.

Figure 39 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? Percentage of respondents that selected each item by degree-type from 2000-2021.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

Findings from the All Archivists Survey reveal a nuanced picture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access within the archives profession. Responses indicate that while the archives profession has not yet reached its goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), some steps are being taken to reach those goals.

More than one third of respondents disagree that archival collections are inclusive of diverse communities (36 percent) or that the archives profession has adequately addressed issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (35 percent) compared with approximately 1 in 10 respondents who do agree with these statements (see Figure 40). Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of respondents disagree that rewards such as recognitions or promotions are distributed fairly in the archives profession to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or other identities, while 11 percent agree. Conversely, respondents are split on agreeing (17 percent) and disagreeing (17 percent) that anti-racism initiatives—defined as initiatives aimed at opposing racism and racial intolerance—are clearly established as key strategic priorities in the archives profession. Notably, this statement had the highest level of agreement among these four statements. This suggests that the archives profession has made more progress on establishing some DEIA-related goals as key priorities than on achieving those goals at this juncture.

Figure 40 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with each statement.

Interestingly, the same proportion of BIPOC and White respondents agree that the archives profession has adequately addressed issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access; however, BIPOC respondents were more likely to disagree (44 percent) compared with White respondents (35 percent) (see Figure 41).

Figure 41 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. The archives profession has adequately addressed issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with this statement by race/ethnicity.

While DEIA goals have not yet been achieved, there is encouraging evidence that steps are being taken to reach them. Half of all respondents have witnessed others taking action to improve DEIA in the archives profession, and 37 percent have personally taken action in this area (see Figure 42). Nearly one third of respondents understand how to contribute to DEIA (32 percent) and anti-racism initiatives (30 percent) in the archives profession, compared with just 5 and 6 percent respectively who do not understand how to contribute to these areas. Significantly more people feel included in (45 percent) and represented (42 percent) by the archives profession as well.

Figure 42 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with each statement.

Since the archives profession is overwhelmingly White and female, further analysis is needed to understand if inclusion and representation is felt evenly across respondents with different demographic backgrounds. When we dive further into the data, a significant difference arises by race/ethnicity in regard to feeling included in the archives profession. While 49 percent of White respondents agree that they feel included in the archives profession, just 25 percent of BIPOC respondents feel the same (see Figure 43). Similarly, BIPOC respondents were almost three times as likely to disagree with this statement compared with White respondents. Interestingly, there is little difference by gender, with men (49 percent) and women (45 percent) reporting similar levels of agreement in regard to feeling included.

Figure 43 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. I feel included in the archives profession. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with this statement by race/ethnicity.

There are also differences in feeling included by other demographic variables, such as disability. Respondents who have a disability (including but not limited to physical, psychological, developmental, and sensory disabilities) are less likely to feel included (35 percent) in the archives profession than respondents without a disability (48 percent) (see Figure 44).

Figure 44 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. I feel included in the archives profession. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with this statement by disability status. “Yes” means respondents reported having a disability and “No” means respondents reported not having a disability.

Though there are more significant gaps of inclusion between White and BIPOC respondents, and respondents with and without a disability, there is also a gap of inclusion between straight/heterosexual respondents and LGBTQ respondents. Straight/heterosexual respondents are more likely to feel included (48 percent) compared with LGBTQ respondents (40 percent) (see Figure 45). LGBTQ respondents (10 percent) are twice as likely to disagree that they feel included in the archives profession compared with straight/heterosexual respondents (5 percent).

Figure 45 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. I feel included in the archives profession. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with this statement by sexual orientation.

Even more so than inclusion, there is a gap between BIPOC and White respondents in regard to feeling represented by the membership of the archives profession. BIPOC respondents are nearly six times more likely to disagree that they feel represented compared with White respondents (see Figure 46). And while 48 percent of White respondents agree that they are represented by the membership of the archives profession, only 16 percent of BIPOC respondents feel this way. There was not a noticeable difference between men and women, with 41 percent of men and 44 percent of women reporting feeling represented.

Figure 46 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. I feel represented by the membership of the archives profession. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with this statement by race/ethnicity.

Some respondents have had personal experiences within the archives profession that have led them to doubt that pay/salary decisions are made equitably (see Figure 47). Only 16 percent of respondents agree that decisions related to pay/salary are equitable in the archives profession based on their personal experience, compared with 25 percent who disagree with this statement. Similarly, more respondents disagree than agree that decisions regarding promotion/advancement or hiring are equitable. Conversely, more respondents (27 percent) agree that decisions regarding benefits are equitable compared with those who disagree (16 percent).

Figure 47 – Please read the following statement and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree. “Based on my personal experience with the archives profession, I believe decisions related to _____________ are equitable—in other words, they result in fair processes and outcomes without disparities between groups.” Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with each statement.

Forty-two percent of respondents agree that diversity is valued in the archives profession compared with just 6 percent of respondents who disagree. Likewise, respondents were more likely to agree that equity (35 percent) and inclusion (38 percent) are valued in the archives profession than not. While the numbers for each item in this figure (see Figure 48) are similar, a small but important difference exists between diversity and equity, with more respondents believing that diversity, defined as the representation of all identities and human differences, is valued more than equity, defined as taking differences into account to ensure fair processes and outcomes without disparities between groups.

Figure 48 – Please read the following statements and tell us the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with each statement.

On all three measures, White respondents had higher agreement than BIPOC respondents (6 to 8 percentage point differences) (see Figure 49). Gender saw a slightly larger gap, with men reporting 8 to 9 percent higher levels of agreement than women (see Figure 50).

Figure 49 – Please read the following statements and tell us the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with each statement by race/ethnicity.

Figure 50 – Please read the following statements and tell us the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. Percentage of respondents that Agree or Disagree with each statement by gender.

Community Archives

Just one percent of survey respondents work in a community archive. A community archive is defined as a documentation of a group of people that share common interests, and social, cultural, and historical heritage, usually created by members of the group being documented and maintained outside of traditional archives. One in five (20 percent) archivists agree that the archives profession is inclusive of community archives compared with 9 percent of respondents who disagree that this is the case.

Respondents are relatively split on whether the challenges and opportunities in community archives are similar to the challenges and opportunities in traditional archives. Fifteen percent of respondents agree that they are similar while 18 percent disagree. In write-in responses, respondents who agree that challenges and opportunities are similar between community and traditional archives point out that most archives face issues regarding funding, staffing, accessibility, sustainability, preservation, and community buy-in regardless of being a community or traditional archives.

Conversely, respondents who disagree point out that while on the surface challenges are similar, the scale and impact of those challenges are vastly different. For example, a lack of funding and staffing does not typically prevent traditional archives from operating, while it may cause community archives to close. These respondents also note that community archives have greater proportions of their archives run by impermanent staff such as volunteers or grant-funded roles, and many have different institutional structures than traditional archives. Some respondents also note perceived advantages of community archives, such as more significant dialogue with the community they serve and sometimes operating as more effective advocates for diverse voices.

The top three most significant challenges facing community archives right now are funding (75 percent), collection storage space (56 percent), and generating awareness of the archives (46 percent) (see Figure 51).

Figure 51 – You indicated that you work at a community archive. What are the most significant challenges facing your archives? Please select up to three. Percentage of respondents that selected each item; top three choices.

Attrition

One in five respondents are considering leaving the archives profession within the next five years and an additional one in four are not sure if they will leave or stay, leaving just 55 percent of respondents who are confident they will stay in the archives profession in the next five years (see Figure 52). It is important to contextualize these findings. The All Archivists Survey was fielded in late fall 2021, arguably at the height of the Great Resignation or the Great Reshuffle, which saw staff departing employers at a rapid rate. Further, without being able to directly compare these numbers with other professions, it is difficult to say whether the archives profession is facing higher or lower rates of potential attrition.

Figure 52 – Are you considering leaving the archives profession within the next 5 years? Percentage of respondents that selected each answer choice.

White and BIPOC respondents are just as likely to plan on staying (56 percent and 55 percent respectively) as well as to consider leaving (20 percent and 18 percent respectively). And while there are no major differences by gender in regard to respondents who plan to stay in the archives field, more men (24 percent) are planning to leave compared with women (19 percent) (see Figure 53). This difference is partially explained by retirement. Of respondents who are considering leaving the profession in the next five years, 57 percent of men said they are retiring, compared with only 39 percent of women.

Figure 53 – Are you considering leaving the archives profession within the next 5 years? Percentage of respondents that selected each answer choice by gender.

Respondents’ interest in leaving or staying in the archives profession was generally similar across sectors with two notable exceptions. Individuals employed by for-profit organizations (13 percent) are less likely to consider leaving the profession in the next five years compared with most other sectors (see Figure 54). And fewer respondents working at academic institutions (53 percent) plan to stay in the archives profession for five years compared with respondents in the for-profit sector (60 percent), which has the greatest proportion of employees planning to stay in the archives profession.

Figure 54 – Are you considering leaving the archives profession within the next five years? Percentage of respondents that selected each answer choice by sector.

The most important correlation between those who plan to stay in the archives profession for the next five years and those who are considering leaving is whether they are excited about the work they are doing. While 77 percent of respondents planning to stay in the archives profession agree that they are excited about the work they do, only 47 percent of respondents considering leaving are excited about their work (see Figure 55). Intuitively, more people planning to stay (61 percent) are satisfied with their career than those planning to leave (34 percent). Similarly, 54 percent of respondents planning to stay feel valued by their employer compared with only 32 percent of respondents who are considering leaving. Employers that make employees feel valued and provide employees with meaningful work that keeps them engaged will experience less attrition and greater retention than employers that do not successfully do these things.

Figure 55 – To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Percentage of respondents who Agree with each statement, by whether they are considering leaving the archives profession within the next five years. “Yes” indicates they are planning to leave the profession and “No” indicates they are not planning to leave the profession.

Regardless of whether the archives profession is facing attrition at greater or lower rates compared with other professions, understanding why respondents are considering leaving the archives field is crucial to improving retention. Of individuals who plan to leave the archives field in the next five years, the number one reason is retirement (see Figure 56). This encourages a close look at the age distribution within the archives profession to see if the profession is disproportionately older. However, the archives field has an overall younger population today compared with the original A*CENSUS in 2004 (see Figure 57). Particularly in the 30-34 and 35-39 age brackets, there is a 6 percentage point increase each in the 2021 census compared with 2004. And fewer archivists are in the 50-54 and 55-59 age brackets today compared with 2004. Though the archives profession is younger today than in 2004 overall, the proportion of respondents closest to retirement—those 60 and over (17 percent)—is the same as it was in 2004.

While retirement is the number one reason people may leave the archives profession in the next five years, burnout (35 percent), limited compensation/salary (35 percent), and lack of opportunity for career advancement (33 percent) are also top reasons for considering leaving. The responses do differ based on the demographics of the respondents. While the number one reason men are considering leaving the archives profession is retirement (57 percent), the number one reason women are considering leaving the archives field is burnout (39 percent), which edges out retirement by just 0.5 percentage points. Similarly, while the top reason White respondents plan to leave is retirement (44 percent), the top reason BIPOC respondents give for leaving is limited compensation/salary or better compensation elsewhere (43 percent).

Figure 56 – What are the top reasons you are considering leaving the archives field? Please select all that apply.

Figure 57 – What is your age? Percentage of respondents that selected each item in 2021 and 2004.

Demographic Changes Over Time

Gender

The archives profession is largely women dominated: 71 percent of respondents are women compared to 23 percent who are men (see Figure 58). This represents an 11 percentage point decrease in the proportion of men in the field and a 6 percentage point increase in the proportion of women in archives since the 2004 A*CENSUS (see Figure 59). The A*CENSUS II introduced non-binary (3 percent) and another option not listed here (0.4 percent) as additional gender answer choices.

Figure 58 – Please indicate your gender(s). Select all that apply.

Figure 59 – Please indicate your gender(s). Select all that apply. Percentage of respondents that selected each item in 2021 and 2004.

Gender(s) A*CENSUS II 2021 Gender(s) A*CENSUS 2004 Sex US 2020 Census
Man 23.3% Male 34.0% Male 49.2%
Woman 71.1% Female 64.6% Female 50.8%
Non-binary 2.9%
Another option not listed here 0.4%
I prefer not to answer this question 3.0% Rather not say, no answer 1.4%
n 5,635 n 5,134 n ~331 million
US 2020 Census numbers are taken from this webpage: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/POP010220#POP010220.

There are three times (3.07 ratio) more women than men in the archival profession overall, however, this ratio shifts when we look at respondents’ current position (see Figure 60). Women are slightly overrepresented in individual contributor roles (3.36 ratio) and slightly underrepresented in senior administrator or executive roles (2.44 ratio). The ratio of women to men in manager or supervisor roles, however, is approximately on par with the ratio of all respondents.

Figure 60 – Please select which of the following best describes your current position. Frequency of respondents that selected each item by gender.

Number of respondents who selected man or woman Men Women Ratio of women to men
All Respondents 4,812 1,182 3,630 3.07
Individual contributor 2,740 629 2,111 3.36
Manager or supervisor 1,256 316 940 2.97
Senior administrator or executive 816 237 579 2.44

Race/ethnicity

The vast majority of the archives profession is White (84 percent) (see Figure 61). Sixteen percent of the profession are BIPOC. While 16 percent is small, it is double the proportion of BIPOC respondents in the 2004 A*CENSUS (8 percent). Asian or Asian American respondents increased from 1 percent in 2004 to 3.6 percent in 2021, representing the largest percent change over time (259 percent increase) (see Figure 62). Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx individuals increased from 2.1 percent in 2004 to 5.2 percent in 2021, representing the second largest percent change over time (149 percent increase). White respondents saw the largest decrease of any race/ethnicity category since 2004, however, this was relatively small (4 percent decrease). A*CENSUS II introduced Middle Eastern or Northern African (0.7 percent) as an additional race/ethnicity answer choice.

By comparing the race/ethnicity survey results to the US 2020 CENSUS we can estimate which groups are over and underrepresented within the archives profession. While 71 percent of the US is White, 84.4 percent of the All Archivists Survey respondents are White. All BIPOC categories are underrepresented. Individuals who are Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx are the most underrepresented, with just 5.2 percent of respondents selecting this category compared with the national proportion of 18.7 percent. Respondents who are Black or African American are the second most underrepresented group, with only 4.5 percent of archivists selecting this category even though 14.2 percent of the US population is Black or African American.

Figure 61 – Please indicate your race-ethnicity(ies). Select all that apply.

Figure 62 – Please indicate your race-ethnicity(ies). Select all that apply. Percentage of respondents that selected each item in 2021 and 2004.

*NOTE: The 2021 A*CENSUS II survey had one option that included both American Indian or Alaska Native whereas the 2004 A*CENSUS had two options, one for Native American and one for Alaska Native.

Race-ethnicity(ies) A*CENSUS II 2021 Race-ethnicity(ies) A*CENSUS 2004 Race by Ethnicity & Hispanic Origin US 2020 Census
American Indian or Alaska Native* 1.50% Alaska Native 0.10% American Indian and Alaska Native 2.90%
(See above) (See above) Native American 1.90% (See above) (See above)
Asian or Asian American 3.60% Asian 1.00% Asian 7.20%
Black or African American 4.50% African American 2.80% Black or African American 14.20%
Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx 5.20% Latino/Hispanic 2.10% Hispanic or Latino 18.70%
Middle Eastern or Northern African 0.70%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.30% Pacific Islander 0.40% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.50%
White 84.40% White/Caucasian 87.70% White 71%
Another option not listed here 1.70% Other 2.90% Some Other Race 15.10%
I prefer not to answer this question 4.90% Rather not say 5.00%
n 5,630 n 5,133 n ~331 million

There are nearly six times (5.63) more White individuals than BIPOC individuals in the archives profession. However, this ratio changes when we look at employment level (see Figure 63). BIPOC respondents are overrepresented at the individual contributor level (5.06) and underrepresented at the manager or supervisor level (6.8). BIPOC respondents are more underrepresented at the manager or supervisor level than at the senior administrator or executive level; however, they are slightly underrepresented at the senior administrator or executive level (6.3) as well.

Figure 63 – Please select which of the following best describes your current position. Frequency of respondents that selected each item by race/ethnicity.

Number of respondents who selected White or a BIPOC race/ethnicity category BIPOC White Ratio of White to BIPOC
All Respondents 4,802 724 4,078 5.63
Individual contributor 2,759 455 2,304 5.06
Manager or supervisor 1,240 159 1,081 6.80
Senior administrator or executive 803 110 693 6.30

Sexual orientation

About two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) are straight/heterosexual and one in ten (22 percent) are bisexual/pansexual (see Figure 64). Six percent of respondents are gay/lesbian and 3 percent are asexual. This is a new demographic question in A*CENSUS II, and therefore there is no prior data to compare from the 2004 A*CENSUS. There are nearly four times as many straight/heterosexual respondents as LGBTQ respondents (3.89) (see Figure 65). LGBTQ respondents are overrepresented at the individual contributor level (3.23) and underrepresented at the manager or supervisor level (5.1) and the senior administrator or executive level (5.36). This large ratio difference at management and senior management levels is partially explained because LGBTQ respondents are younger than straight/heterosexual respondents on average. Sixty-three percent of LGBTQ respondents are 39 years old or younger compared with 37 percent of straight/heterosexual respondents in the same age bracket (see Figure 66).

Figure 64 – Please indicate your sexual orientation(s). Select all that apply.

Figure 65 – Please select which of the following best describes your current position. Frequency of respondents that selected each item by sexual orientation.

Number of respondents who selected straight/ heterosexual or an LGBTQ category LGBTQ Straight/ heterosexual Ratio of straight/ heterosexual to LGBTQ respondents
All Respondents 4,434 907 3,527 3.89
Individual contributor 2,549 603 1,946 3.23
Manager or supervisor 1,134 186 948 5.10
Senior administrator or executive 751 118 633 5.36

Figure 66 – What is your age? Percentage of respondents that selected each item by sexual orientation.

Conclusion

The A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey provides a snapshot of the archives profession at the end of 2021. Seventeen years after the first A*CENSUS was administered, the All Archivists Survey collected much-needed data in a vastly different world. Respondents were nearing the end of the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the dip between the Delta summer surge and at the very beginning of Omicron’s winter wave. The workplace had shifted substantially from 2004 with strides in technology, a rise in remote work accelerated by the pandemic, and a job market filled with open positions. The period from October to December 2021 was arguably the peak period of employment transitions in the United States, which saw employees leaving old positions and seeking new opportunities at rapid rates.

During this period of protracted adjustment and transition, 5,699 individuals took the time to complete the All Archivists Survey and provide insights into their experiences in the archives profession. They answered 90 questions on their employment, education, professional development needs, salary, student loan debt, and perspectives on key issues in the field, most notably diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. This 90 question census of thousands of people produced a wealth of data and information. Due to the size and scope of the survey, the analysis included in this report necessarily focuses on aggregate findings with select stratifications. It is our hope that the archives profession will continue to dig into the data and unearth further findings. The dataset will be deposited with the SAA Dataverse and made publicly available.

The potential for further analysis is vast. Here are some possible research questions that warrant further investigation:

  • How does the profile of near-retired and retired archivists compare to students or early-career career archivists?
  • Do years of experience in the archives profession correlate to salary or position level?
  • What are the professional development needs of respondents by position level or sector?
  • How does average student loan debt upon graduation compare with the salaries of early-career professionals? Who is most likely to take out a student loan to complete a degree?
  • How do the experiences of respondents differ by demographics such as sexual orientation, age, or disability?
  • How does the profile of respondents who have household income in addition to their salary (e.g. spouse/partner income, financial support/gifts from family, etc.) differ from respondents without additional household income?
  • What are the salaries and benefits of union versus non-union respondents?
  • To what extent do benefits differ by institutional type? Or by position level?
  • What are the differences in experiences for archivists based on geography?

These are just a few of the possible areas for further analysis. And even more crucial than the analysis itself is how the archives profession will translate these findings into evidence-based actions that benefit the field. The All Archivists Survey and this accompanying report provide a starting point from which the archives profession will determine the best path forward through iterative change. The archivists and memory workers who participated in this survey provided data that help us understand not only how far the archives profession has come, but where it wants and needs to go in the coming years.

 

Appendix: Aggregate Charts and Tables

The A*CENSUS II All Archivists Survey contains 90 survey questions. The aggregate findings of each survey question are included in a graph and table below, with the exception of open-ended questions, which have been removed to preserve anonymity. As you explore the graphs and tables below, please keep in mind that these are the aggregate findings, and thus large majorities within the archives profession may obscure the trends and patterns of respondents who make up a smaller proportion of the archives profession. Importantly, the majority of All Archivists Survey respondents are White (84 percent), employed full-time (81 percent), women (71 percent), and straight/heterosexual (69 percent). Further stratification analysis may be needed to provide a more nuanced understanding of the results below.

Figure 67 – Please indicate if you are currently doing any of the following in regard to archival and/or memory work. Please select all that apply. (Q1) Percentage of respondents that selected each response option.

Answer Frequency Percentage
Working as an archivist or memory worker 3,761 66.0%
Managing a unit or department that employs archivists or memory workers 1,001 17.6%
Working in another profession or occupation, but with archives-related responsibilities 703 12.3%
Working as a technical or support staff member with archives-related responsibilities 529 9.3%
Seeking employment as an archivist or memory worker 426 7.5%
Volunteering as an archivist or memory worker 284 5.0%
Studying to be an archivist 226 4.0%
Retired from an archives-related position or career 221 3.9%
Administering a program serving archival interests but not working directly with archival records (e.g., granting agency, education provider, professional association) 161 2.8%
Teaching in a graduate archival education program 127 2.2%
Other (please specify): 249 4.4%

Figure 68 – Please indicate the state or territory in which you work. If you are not currently employed, indicate where you reside. (Q2)

Answer Frequency Percentage
California 595 10.44%
New York 533 9.35%
Massachusetts 342 6.00%
Texas 306 5.37%
District of Columbia 252 4.42%
Maryland 252 4.42%
Illinois 246 4.32%
Pennsylvania 225 3.95%
Missouri 224 3.93%
Ohio 182 3.19%
Michigan 172 3.02%
Virginia 166 2.91%
Georgia 159 2.79%
Washington 136 2.39%
North Carolina 133 2.33%
Florida 114 2.00%
Minnesota 112 1.97%
Colorado 108 1.90%
Connecticut 97 1.70%
Indiana 87 1.53%
Wisconsin 84 1.47%
New Jersey 82 1.44%
Oregon 80 1.40%
Kentucky 78 1.37%
Utah 74 1.30%
Arizona 67 1.18%
Louisiana 62 1.09%
Tennessee 62 1.09%
South Carolina 61 1.07%
Kansas 51 0.89%
New Mexico 47 0.82%
Iowa 46 0.81%
Alabama 44 0.77%
Arkansas 36 0.63%
Oklahoma 36 0.63%
Maine 32 0.56%
Other 316 5.55%

Figure 69 – Which of the following describes your current employment status? Please select all that apply. (Q3)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Employed, full time 80.86% 4601
Employed, part time 8.93% 508
Retired from an archives-related position or career 3.85% 219
Volunteer 3.51% 200
Student 3.51% 200
Self-employed 2.62% 149
Unemployed, seeking full-time work 1.83% 104
Unemployed, seeking part-time work 0.95% 54
Retired from a non-archives related position or career 0.72% 41
Intern, paid 0.70% 40
Intern, unpaid 0.37% 21
Other (please specify): 2.11% 120
I prefer not to answer this question 0.12% 7

Figure 70 – At what age did you retire? If you do not want to answer this question, you may leave the box blank. (Q4)

Min Answer Max Answer Median Answer Count
37 79 65 206

Figure 71 – Which of the following best describes your student status? (Q5)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Full time 110 55.00%
Part time 90 45.00%

Figure 72 – You indicated that you are employed part-time. How many part-time positions do you currently hold? (Q6)

Answer Frequency Percentage
1 340 66.93%
2 127 25.00%
3 32 6.30%
4 7 1.38%
5 or more 2 0.39%

Figure 73 – You indicated that you are employed part-time. Are you currently seeking full-time work? (Q7)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 174 34.80%
No 270 54.00%
Don’t know/not sure 56 11.20%

Figure 74 – Which of the following best describes your current job type? (Q8)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Permanent (i.e., no set end date) 4670 88.51%
Short-term contract (i.e., less than 1 year) 132 2.50%
Medium-term contract (i.e., 1 to 3 years) 335 6.35%
Long-term contract (i.e., more than 3 years) 139 2.63%

Figure 75 – Which of the following best describes your pay type? (Q9)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Salaried, exempt (i.e., not eligible for overtime pay) 3311 70.93%
Salaried, non-exempt (i.e., eligible for overtime pay) 604 12.94%
Hourly 689 14.76%
Other (please specify): 64 1.37%

Figure 76 – You indicated that you are currently in a full-time permanent position. In addition to, or prior to your current position, have you been in any of the following position types in an archives-related position since January 1, 2017? Please select all that apply. (Q10)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Part time 586 14.62%
Short-term contract (i.e., less than 1 year) 428 10.68%
Medium-term contract (i.e., 1 to 3 years) 395 9.86%
Long-term contract (i.e., more than 3 years) 100 2.50%
Volunteer 486 12.13%
None of the above 2,744 68.46%

Figure 77 – You indicated that, prior to your current position, you were employed in the following position type(s). At any point during or after your work in that role, have you had a full-time permanent position with the same employer? (Q11)

Answer Yes, I have had a full-time permanent position with the same employer – Frequency Yes, I have had a full-time permanent position with the same employer – Percentage No, I have not had a full-time permanent position with the same employer – Frequency No, I have not had a full-time permanent position with the same employer – Percentage Don’t know / not sure – Frequency Don’t know / not sure – Percentage
Part time 229 39.69% 341 59.10% 7 1.21%
Short-term contract (i.e., less than 1 year) 126 29.86% 293 69.43% 3 0.71%
Medium-term contract (i.e., 1 to 3 years) 177 45.15% 214 54.59% 1 0.26%
Long-term contract (i.e., more than 3 years) 61 61.62% 37 37.37% 1 1.01%
Volunteer 88 18.41% 382 79.92% 8 1.67%

Figure 78 – When you were hired by your current employer, did you relocate to accept the offer? (Q12)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes, with full financial support from my employer 287 5.44%
Yes, with some level of financial support from my employer 619 11.73%
Yes, with no financial support from my employer 941 17.83%
No, I did not relocate to accept the offer 3431 65.01%

Figure 79 – Are you a member of a union? (Q13)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 927 17.33%
No 4328 80.93%
Don’t know/not sure 93 1.74%

Figure 80 – Are you interested in becoming a member of a union? (Q14)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 1463 33.22%
No 1546 35.10%
Don’t know/not sure 1395 31.68%

Figure 81 – On average, how many total hours per week do you work? If you do not want to answer this question, you may leave the box blank. (Q15)

Min Answer Max Answer Median Answer Count
4 90 40 4,973

Figure 82 – Which of the following best describes your current employer? (Q16)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Academic institution (e.g., public, private, or for-profit college or university) 2,046 38.19%
Government agency (e.g., local, state, federal, or Tribal organization) 1,498 27.96%
Nonprofit organization (e.g., 501[c][3] or other nonprofit/not-for-profit tax designation, excluding academic institutions) 1,121 20.93%
For-profit organization (e.g., corporate or business archives, excluding academic institutions) 286 5.34%
Community archives 51 0.95%
Self employed 106 1.98%
Other (please specify): 245 4.57%
Don’t know/not sure 4 0.07%

Figure 83 – Which of the following best describes the academic institution that is your current employer? (Q17)

Answer Frequency Percentage
College or university 1967 96.14%
Other academic institution (please specify): 32 1.56%
Elementary or secondary school 26 1.27%
Seminary 21 1.03%
Don’t know/not sure 0 0.00%

Figure 84 – Is your current employer a Tribal college or university? (Q18)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 11 0.6%
No 1,953 99.44%

Figure 85 – Is your current employer a historically black college or university (HBCU)? (Q19)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 24 1.2%
No 1,939 98.78%

Figure 86 – Which of the following best describes the college or university that is your current employer? (Q20)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Public 4-year 1095 55.67%
Public 2-year 42 2.14%
Public less than 2-year 0 0.00%
Private not-for-profit 4-year 762 38.74%
Private not-for-profit 2-year 3 0.15%
Private not-for-profit less than 2-year 0 0.00%
Private for-profit 4-year 46 2.34%
Private for-profit 2-year 4 0.20%
Private for-profit less than 2-year 1 0.05%
Don’t know/not sure 14 0.71%

Figure 87 – Which of the following best describes the functional unit within the academic institution that is your current employer? (Q21)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archives/special collections 1,537 75.20%
Department, library/information science 173 8.46%
Other library unit 107 5.23%
Department, other (please specify): 86 4.21%
Administration 30 1.47%
Records management 21 1.03%
Information technology services 19 0.93%
Department, history/public history 11 0.54%
Other (please specify): 54 2.64%
Don’t know/not sure 6 0.29%

Figure 88 – Which of the following best describes the level of the government agency that is your current employer? (Q22)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Federal 705 47.06%
State or territory 417 27.84%
Local (e.g., city, town, village, county, or parish) 350 23.36%
Tribal 14 0.93%
Other level of government (please specify): 11 0.73%
Don’t know/not sure 1 0.07%

Figure 89 – Which of the following best describes the type of government agency that is your current employer? Please select all that apply. (Q23)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archives, historical society, and/or records management agency 871 58.73%
Library (including federal, state, and public libraries) 386 26.03%
Museum 142 9.58%
Historic site or house 46 3.10%
Other type of agency (please specify): 230 15.51%
Don’t know/not sure 7 0.47%

Figure 90 – Which of the following best describes the nonprofit organization that is your current employer? Please select all that apply. (Q24)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Historical society or archival repository 247 16.08%
Library 228 14.84%
Religious (e.g., diocese, synod, church, parish, congregation, order, community) 224 14.58%
Museum, history 208 13.54%
Museum, other 187 12.17%
Foundation or grant-funding organization (non-governmental) 101 6.58%
Historic site or house 73 4.75%
Professional association 38 2.47%
Conservation/preservation service provider 32 2.08%
Medical institution, nonprofit (e.g., hospital, clinic, medical research facility) 31 2.02%
Genealogical society 17 1.11%
Union 3 0.20%
Other nonprofit (please specify): 143 9.31%
Don’t know/not sure 4 0.26%

Figure 91 – Which of the following best describes the for-profit organization that is your current employer? (Q25)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archives (or archives/records function) within a for-profit organization 222 81.32%
Archives-related organization 51 18.68%

Figure 92 – Which of the following best describes the for-profit organization that is your current employer? Of respondents who answered “Archives-related organization” to Q25. (Q25a)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archival consulting firm/service provider 27 52.94%
Conservation/preservation consulting firm/service provider 7 13.73%
Records or information management consulting firm/service provider 4 7.84%
Archival education provider 0 0.00%
Manufacturer/vendor/supplier of archival supplies or equipment 0 0.00%
Other archives-related organization 12 23.53%

Figure 93 – Which of the following best describes the for-profit organization that is your current employer? Of respondents who answered “Archives (or archives/records function) within a for-profit organization” to Q25. (Q25b)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Art, media, publishing, entertainment 53 24%
Consumer products 26 12%
Financial services, banking, securities 22 10%
Automobile 8 4%
Clothing, textiles 8 4%
Information technology, computers, software 8 4%
Manufacturing 8 4%
Insurance 7 3%
Telecommunications 7 3%
Food service/manufacturing, beverage, restaurant 6 3%
Architecture 5 2%
Engineering 5 2%
Utility, power/water 5 2%
Health care 3 1%
Aerospace 2 1%
Oil/gas 2 1%
Advertising, public relations 1 0%
Agribusiness 1 0%
Transportation, shipping 1 0%
Chemical 0 0%
Wood/paper products 0 0%
Other 40 18%
Don’t know/not sure 0 0%

Figure 94 – Which of the following best describes the focus of your self-employed work? (Q26)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archival consultant 47 44.34%
Audio/visual specialist 7 6.60%
Digitization specialist 7 6.60%
Conservation/preservation specialist 6 5.66%
Records management 4 3.77%
Rare books and bibliographic description 1 0.94%
Other (please specify): 32 30.19%
Don’t know/not sure 2 1.89%

Figure 95 – Which of the following best describes the locale in which your current employer is located? (Q27)

Answer Frequency Percentage
City 3,863 72.03%
Suburb 678 12.64%
Town 609 11.36%
Rural 213 3.97%

Figure 96 – How many years have you been with your current employer? If you are self-employed, enter the number of years you have been self-employed. If you do not want to answer this question, you may leave the box blank. (Q28)

Min Answer Max Answer Median Answer Count
0 60 6 5,178

Figure 97 – Identify the functions you have spent the most time on during your primary employment within the last 12 months. Please select up to five items. (Q29)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Reference services and access 2,762 51.55%
Arrangement and description 2,449 45.71%
Accession, appraisal, or acquisition 1,867 34.85%
Administrative work 1,805 33.69%
Digitization 1,598 29.82%
Supervising those carrying out archives-related activities 1,577 29.43%
Digital asset management 1,262 23.55%
Preservation and conservation 1,136 21.20%
Internal outreach, advocacy, or engagement (e.g., within your organization) 1,106 20.64%
Professional development (e.g., attending conferences or continuing education programs, reading professional literature, participating in professional associations) 960 17.92%
External outreach, advocacy, or engagement (e.g., with communities or stakeholders outside of your organization) 916 17.10%
Exhibition curation 658 12.28%
Donor relations 589 10.99%
Consulting or collaborating with other organizations on archives-related topics or practices 547 10.21%
Teaching archives-related courses 332 6.20%
Information technology management (e.g., configuring servers, linking application programming interfaces (APIs), troubleshooting system errors, etc.) 330 6.16%
External fundraising 139 2.59%
Other archives-related activities (please specify): 518 9.67%
Activities not directly related to archives 570 10.64%

Figure 98 – Which of the following kinds of records do you work with? Please select all that apply and indicate if the records you work with are physical or digital. If you do not work with a particular kind of record, select N/A. (Q30)

Answer Physical – Frequency Physical – Percentage Digital – Frequency Digital – Percentage N/A – Frequency N/A – Percentage
Textual archival records (e.g., documents, manuscripts) 4552 88.29% 3553 68.91% 292 5.66%
Photographs 4184 82.98% 3590 71.20% 496 9.84%
Objects 3094 68.07% 935 20.57% 1310 28.82%
Moving image and sound media 2919 62.53% 2839 60.82% 1104 23.65%
Art / graphic materials 2776 62.12% 1429 31.98% 1432 32.04%
Cartographic or architectural records 2664 60.49% 1120 25.43% 1559 35.40%
Rare books 2452 56.19% 576 13.20% 1822 41.75%
Data sets (e.g., large case files, databases, metadata) 888 20.58% 2473 57.31% 1634 37.87%
Other (please specify): 175 21.06% 127 15.28% 596 71.72%

Figure 99 – Please select which of the following best describes your current position. (Q31)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Individual contributor (i.e., a non-managerial role) 2,933 55.74%
Manager or supervisor 1,329 25.26%
Senior administrator or executive (e.g., senior leader, director, head of department or unit, etc.) 869 16.51%
I prefer not to answer this question 131 2.49%

Figure 100 – You indicated that you are an individual contributor (i.e., a non-managerial role). Please select the level of your position. (Q32)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Entry-level (i.e., position requires 0-5 years of experience) 1275 43.55%
Mid-level (i.e., position requires 6-14 years of experience) 1041 35.55%
Senior-level (i.e., position requires 15+ years of experience) 333 11.37%
Don’t know/not sure 257 8.78%
I prefer not to answer this question 22 0.75%

Figure 101 – Please indicate your primary position below. (Q33)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archivist 2,300 42.89%
Manager/administrator, archivist (supervises archivists and is an archivist) 688 12.83%
Librarian 535 9.98%
Digital archivist 289 5.39%
Records and/or information resources manager 208 3.88%
Curator 185 3.45%
Manager/administrator, non-archivist (supervises archivists but is not an archivist) 95 1.77%
Digital asset specialist 92 1.72%
Government official or employee, appointed 76 1.42%
Consultant 68 1.27%
Historian 65 1.21%
Conservation/preservation specialist 64 1.19%
Educator, college, or university 54 1.01%
Information technician (IT) 29 0.54%
Oral historian 24 0.45%
Church worker/religious worker/clergy 22 0.41%
Grant program administrator 18 0.34%
Exhibit specialist 15 0.28%
Genealogist 15 0.28%
Independent researcher 14 0.26%
Educator, K-12 12 0.22%
Historic site administrator 12 0.22%
Folklorist 1 0.02%
Government official, elected 0 0.00%
Other (please specify): 435 8.11%
I prefer not to answer this question 46 0.86%

Figure 102 – Please read the following statement and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree. “The work that I do in my role matches my job description.” (Q34)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 1,260 24.18%
Agree 2,227 42.74%
Somewhat agree 923 17.72%
Neither agree nor disagree 164 3.15%
Somewhat disagree 333 6.39%
Disagree 182 3.49%
Strongly disagree 121 2.32%

Figure 103 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 for your full-time position. (Q35)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Less than $30,000 95 2.07%
$30,000-$39,999 362 7.87%
$40,000-$49,999 636 13.83%
$50,000-$59,999 830 18.05%
$60,000-$69,999 754 16.40%
$70,000-$79,999 578 12.57%
$80,000-$89,999 371 8.07%
$90,000-$99,999 281 6.11%
$100,000-$109,999 229 4.98%
$110,000-$119,999 94 2.04%
$120,000-$129,999 85 1.85%
$130,000-$139,999 49 1.07%
$140,000-$149,999 30 0.65%
$150,000 or more 81 1.76%
I prefer not to answer this question 123 2.68%

Figure 104 – Please indicate your expected total gross annual salary/income in 2021 from your self-employment. (Q36)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Less than $10,000 45 30.20%
$10,000-$19,999 26 17.45%
$20,000-$29,999 16 10.74%
$30,000-$39,999 16 10.74%
$40,000-$49,999 7 4.70%
$50,000-$59,999 9 6.04%
$60,000-$69,999 5 3.36%
$70,000-$79,999 1 0.67%
$80,000-$89,999 4 2.68%
$90,000-$99,999 1 0.67%
$100,000-$109,999 2 1.34%
$110,000-$119,999 0 0.00%
$120,000-$129,999 1 0.67%
$130,000-$139,999 1 0.67%
$140,000-$149,999 0 0.00%
$150,000 or more 1 0.67%
I prefer not to answer this question 14 9.40%

Figure 105 – In addition to your gross annual salary/income in 2021 from your full-time position, do any of the following contribute to your household’s financial picture? Please select all that apply. (Q37)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Spouse/partner income 2,461 69.28%
A second job or “side hustle” 670 18.86%
Investment(s) income/return (including accrued interest, dividends, etc.) 601 16.92%
Financial support/gifts from family 415 11.68%
Other (please specify): 182 5.12%
I prefer not to answer this question 288 8.11%

Figure 106 – Please indicate your expected total gross employment-related wages for 2021 for your part-time position(s). (Q38)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Less than $20,000 205 40.84%
$20,000-$29,999 123 24.50%
$30,000-$39,999 71 14.14%
$40,000-$49,999 35 6.97%
$50,000-$59,999 17 3.39%
$60,000-$69,999 13 2.59%
$70,000-$79,999 6 1.20%
$80,000-$89,999 1 0.20%
$90,000-$99,999 2 0.40%
$100,000-$109,999 0 0.00%
$110,000-$119,999 1 0.20%
$120,000-$129,999 0 0.00%
$130,000-$139,999 0 0.00%
$140,000-$149,999 1 0.20%
$150,000 or more 1 0.20%
I prefer not to answer this question 26 5.18%

Figure 107 – What benefits does your employer offer? Please select all that apply. If you are employed by multiple organizations, please select the benefit(s) that are offered by your primary employer. (Q39)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Paid vacation days 4,545 89.98%
Health insurance 4,538 89.84%
Paid sick days 4,486 88.81%
Retirement contribution/pension 4,214 83.43%
Dental insurance 4,202 83.19%
Vision insurance 3,791 75.05%
Flexible Spending Account or Health Spending Account 3,595 71.17%
Professional development funds 2,942 58.25%
Short-term disability 2,597 51.42%
Long-term disability 2,440 48.31%
Paid maternity/primary caregiver leave 2,271 44.96%
Tuition reimbursement/remission 1,858 36.78%
Commuter benefits 1,389 27.50%
Paid paternity/secondary caregiver leave 1,240 24.55%
Paid caregiver leave for emergencies 1,072 21.22%
Subsidized smartphone and/or home internet plans 320 6.34%
Paid or subsidized childcare 289 5.72%
Student loan reimbursement 153 3.03%
Other (please specify): 156 3.09%
None of the above 227 4.49%

Figure 108 – Please indicate ALL of the degrees you hold. Please select all that apply. (Q40)

Answer Frequency Percentage
High school 4,539 79.69%
Some college credits but no degree 152 2.67%
Associate 509 8.94%
BA/BS/BFA 4,920 86.38%
A second BA/BS/BFA 317 5.57%
Some graduate credits but no degree 386 6.78%
MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS) 2,481 43.56%
A second MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS) 314 5.51%
MLS/MLIS 3,417 59.99%
MBA 41 0.72%
PhD 340 5.97%
JD 33 0.58%
Other (please specify): 374 6.57%
None of the above 3 0.05%
I prefer not to answer this question 8 0.14%

Figure 109 – Please indicate in what year you were awarded the following degrees. (Q41)

Answer Minimum Maximum Median Count
High school 1945 2020 1993 4,417
Associate 1957 2021 2003 473
BA/BS/BFA 1949 2022 2004 4,801
A second BA/BS/BFA 1962 2021 2006 305
MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS) 1955 2023 2006 2,432
A second MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS) 1970 2023 2008 313
MLS/MLIS 1963 2024 2011 3,351
MBA 1976 2021 2002 41
PhD 1958 2026 2006 329
JD 1976 2016 1994 32
Other (please specify) 1965 2025 2012 261

Figure 110 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. Associate. (Q42a)

Answer Frequency Percentage
History 73 14.75%
Fine arts 34 6.87%
Literature 22 4.44%
Science and engineering 20 4.04%
Education 18 3.64%
Computer science 8 1.62%
American studies 7 1.41%
Library and/or information science 7 1.41%
Foreign languages 4 0.81%
Religious studies 3 0.61%
Archives 2 0.40%
Museum studies 2 0.40%
Public history 1 0.20%
Film studies 0 0.00%
Other 294 59.39%

Figure 111 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. BA/BS/BFA. (Q42b)

Answer Frequency Percentage
History 1,902 38.88%
Literature 584 11.94%
Fine arts 311 6.36%
Foreign languages 112 2.29%
Film studies 103 2.11%
Science and engineering 97 1.98%
American studies 87 1.78%
Education 77 1.57%
Religious studies 55 1.12%
Library and/or information science 24 0.49%
Public history 20 0.41%
Museum studies 19 0.39%
Computer science 11 0.22%
Archives 2 0.04%
Other 1,488 30.42%

Figure 112- Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. A second BA/BS/BFA. (Q42c)

Answer Frequency Percentage
History 40 13.03%
Foreign languages 23 7.49%
Literature 23 7.49%
Fine arts 19 6.19%
Science and engineering 14 4.56%
Education 11 3.58%
Religious studies 11 3.58%
American studies 2 0.65%
Archives 2 0.65%
Computer science 2 0.65%
Film studies 2 0.65%
Museum studies 1 0.33%
Library and/or information science 0 0.00%
Public history 0 0.00%
Other 157 51.14%

Figure 113 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS). (Q42d)

Answer Frequency Percentage
History 912 37.19%
Public history 252 10.28%
Museum studies 153 6.24%
Archives 148 6.04%
Literature 112 4.57%
Library and/or information science 88 3.59%
Fine arts 73 2.98%
Education 61 2.49%
American studies 50 2.04%
Religious studies 38 1.55%
Film studies 37 1.51%
Foreign languages 24 0.98%
Science and engineering 21 0.86%
Computer science 5 0.20%
Other 478 19.49%

Figure 114 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. A second MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS). (Q42e)

Answer Frequency Percentage
History 87 28.71%
Archives 27 8.91%
Education 19 6.27%
Public history 15 4.95%
Library and/or information science 13 4.29%
Religious studies 13 4.29%
American studies 12 3.96%
Fine arts 10 3.30%
Literature 10 3.30%
Museum studies 9 2.97%
Science and engineering 5 1.65%
Foreign languages 4 1.32%
Computer science 3 0.99%
Film studies 3 0.99%
Other 73 24.09%

Figure 115 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. MLS/MLIS. (Q42f)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Library and/or information science 1,699 50.43%
Archives 1,597 47.40%
Museum studies 7 0.21%
History 5 0.15%
Fine arts 3 0.09%
American studies 2 0.06%
Computer science 2 0.06%
Film studies 2 0.06%
Science and engineering 2 0.06%
Public history 1 0.03%
Education 0 0.00%
Foreign languages 0 0.00%
Literature 0 0.00%
Religious studies 0 0.00%
Other 49 1.45%

Figure 116 – Please indicate your major/concentration for each degree listed below. PhD. (Q42g)

Answer Frequency Percentage
History 132 39.17%
Library and/or information science 41 12.17%
Literature 29 8.61%
American studies 14 4.15%
Education 11 3.26%
Science and engineering 11 3.26%
Religious studies 9 2.67%
Archives 8 2.37%
Fine arts 6 1.78%
Public history 6 1.78%
Film studies 5 1.48%
Foreign languages 4 1.19%
Museum studies 1 0.30%
Computer science 0 0.00%
Other 60 17.80%

Figure 117 – Please indicate which degree(s) you are currently pursuing. Please select all that apply. (Q43)

Answer Frequency Percentage
High school 1 0.50%
Associate 2 1.01%
BA/BS/BFA 4 2.01%
A second BA/BS/BFA 0 0.00%
MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS) 20 10.05%
A second MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS) 10 5.03%
MLS/MLIS 143 71.86%
MBA 0 0.00%
PhD 16 8.04%
JD 1 0.50%
Other (please specify): 11 5.53%
None of the above 4 2.01%
I prefer not to answer this question 0 0.00%

Figure 118 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? Some college credits but no degree. (Q44a)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 91 71.65%
$1 – $9,999 11 8.66%
$10,000 – $19,999 5 3.94%
$20,000 – $29,999 3 2.36%
$30,000 – $39,999 2 1.57%
$40,000 – $49,999 3 2.36%
$50,000 – $59,999 3 2.36%
$60,000 – $69,999 0 0.00%
$70,000 – $79,999 0 0.00%
$80,000 – $89,999 2 1.57%
$90,000 – $99,999 0 0.00%
$100,000 – $149,999 0 0.00%
$150,000 – $199,999 0 0.00%
$200,000+ 0 0.00%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 7 5.51%

Figure 119 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? Associate. (Q44b)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 348 72.65%
$1 – $9,999 59 12.32%
$10,000 – $19,999 16 3.34%
$20,000 – $29,999 9 1.88%
$30,000 – $39,999 4 0.84%
$40,000 – $49,999 0 0.00%
$50,000 – $59,999 2 0.42%
$60,000 – $69,999 1 0.21%
$70,000 – $79,999 0 0.00%
$80,000 – $89,999 1 0.21%
$90,000 – $99,999 0 0.00%
$100,000 – $149,999 0 0.00%
$150,000 – $199,999 0 0.00%
$200,000+ 0 0.00%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 39 8.14%

Figure 120 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? BA/BS/BFA. (Q44c)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 2290 48.30%
$1 – $9,999 571 12.04%
$10,000 – $19,999 520 10.97%
$20,000 – $29,999 413 8.71%
$30,000 – $39,999 225 4.75%
$40,000 – $49,999 150 3.16%
$50,000 – $59,999 98 2.07%
$60,000 – $69,999 66 1.39%
$70,000 – $79,999 42 0.89%
$80,000 – $89,999 33 0.70%
$90,000 – $99,999 18 0.38%
$100,000 – $149,999 24 0.51%
$150,000 – $199,999 8 0.17%
$200,000+ 4 0.08%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 279 5.88%

Figure 121 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? A second BA/BS/BFA. (Q44d)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 174 60.21%
$1 – $9,999 28 9.69%
$10,000 – $19,999 18 6.23%
$20,000 – $29,999 17 5.88%
$30,000 – $39,999 14 4.84%
$40,000 – $49,999 8 2.77%
$50,000 – $59,999 7 2.42%
$60,000 – $69,999 2 0.69%
$70,000 – $79,999 1 0.35%
$80,000 – $89,999 0 0.00%
$90,000 – $99,999 0 0.00%
$100,000 – $149,999 0 0.00%
$150,000 – $199,999 0 0.00%
$200,000+ 0 0.00%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 20 6.92%

Figure 122 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? Some graduate credits but no degree. (Q44e)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 213 56.95%
$1 – $9,999 50 13.37%
$10,000 – $19,999 35 9.36%
$20,000 – $29,999 17 4.55%
$30,000 – $39,999 17 4.55%
$40,000 – $49,999 7 1.87%
$50,000 – $59,999 2 0.53%
$60,000 – $69,999 8 2.14%
$70,000 – $79,999 2 0.53%
$80,000 – $89,999 1 0.27%
$90,000 – $99,999 5 1.34%
$100,000 – $149,999 3 0.80%
$150,000 – $199,999 1 0.27%
$200,000+ 0 0.00%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 13 3.48%

Figure 123 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS). (Q44f)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 1092 46.10%
$1 – $9,999 229 9.67%
$10,000 – $19,999 215 9.08%
$20,000 – $29,999 181 7.64%
$30,000 – $39,999 120 5.07%
$40,000 – $49,999 101 4.26%
$50,000 – $59,999 90 3.80%
$60,000 – $69,999 47 1.98%
$70,000 – $79,999 32 1.35%
$80,000 – $89,999 41 1.73%
$90,000 – $99,999 18 0.76%
$100,000 – $149,999 52 2.20%
$150,000 – $199,999 11 0.46%
$200,000+ 8 0.34%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 132 5.57%

Figure 124 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? A second MA/MS/MFA (not including MLS/MLIS). (Q44g)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 158 56.03%
$1 – $9,999 16 5.67%
$10,000 – $19,999 23 8.16%
$20,000 – $29,999 18 6.38%
$30,000 – $39,999 10 3.55%
$40,000 – $49,999 12 4.26%
$50,000 – $59,999 10 3.55%
$60,000 – $69,999 4 1.42%
$70,000 – $79,999 4 1.42%
$80,000 – $89,999 3 1.06%
$90,000 – $99,999 2 0.71%
$100,000 – $149,999 4 1.42%
$150,000 – $199,999 2 0.71%
$200,000+ 2 0.71%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 14 4.96%

Figure 125 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? MLS/MLIS. (Q44h)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 1234 37.36%
$1 – $9,999 259 7.84%
$10,000 – $19,999 300 9.08%
$20,000 – $29,999 308 9.32%
$30,000 – $39,999 296 8.96%
$40,000 – $49,999 225 6.81%
$50,000 – $59,999 130 3.94%
$60,000 – $69,999 114 3.45%
$70,000 – $79,999 73 2.21%
$80,000 – $89,999 59 1.79%
$90,000 – $99,999 47 1.42%
$100,000 – $149,999 87 2.63%
$150,000 – $199,999 17 0.51%
$200,000+ 12 0.36%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 142 4.30%

Figure 126 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? MBA. (Q44i)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 20 50.00%
$1 – $9,999 2 5.00%
$10,000 – $19,999 5 12.50%
$20,000 – $29,999 3 7.50%
$30,000 – $39,999 2 5.00%
$40,000 – $49,999 3 7.50%
$50,000 – $59,999 2 5.00%
$60,000 – $69,999 0 0.00%
$70,000 – $79,999 0 0.00%
$80,000 – $89,999 1 2.50%
$90,000 – $99,999 0 0.00%
$100,000 – $149,999 1 2.50%
$150,000 – $199,999 0 0.00%
$200,000+ 0 0.00%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 1 2.50%

Figure 127 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? PhD. (Q44j)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 181 56.92%
$1 – $9,999 26 8.18%
$10,000 – $19,999 20 6.29%
$20,000 – $29,999 17 5.35%
$30,000 – $39,999 13 4.09%
$40,000 – $49,999 8 2.52%
$50,000 – $59,999 6 1.89%
$60,000 – $69,999 4 1.26%
$70,000 – $79,999 5 1.57%
$80,000 – $89,999 1 0.31%
$90,000 – $99,999 5 1.57%
$100,000 – $149,999 8 2.52%
$150,000 – $199,999 3 0.94%
$200,000+ 6 1.89%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 15 4.72%

Figure 128 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? JD. (Q44k)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 8 24.24%
$1 – $9,999 0 0.00%
$10,000 – $19,999 1 3.03%
$20,000 – $29,999 2 6.06%
$30,000 – $39,999 1 3.03%
$40,000 – $49,999 2 6.06%
$50,000 – $59,999 1 3.03%
$60,000 – $69,999 1 3.03%
$70,000 – $79,999 2 6.06%
$80,000 – $89,999 0 0.00%
$90,000 – $99,999 1 3.03%
$100,000 – $149,999 2 6.06%
$150,000 – $199,999 5 15.15%
$200,000+ 2 6.06%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 5 15.15%

Figure 129 – You indicated that you have the following degree(s) or some credits but no degree. Upon graduation (or leaving the program), how much did you have in student loan debt in your name for each degree(s)? Other degrees. (Q44l)

Answer Frequency Percentage
$0 177 61.03%
$1 – $9,999 22 7.59%
$10,000 – $19,999 17 5.86%
$20,000 – $29,999 15 5.17%
$30,000 – $39,999 9 3.10%
$40,000 – $49,999 8 2.76%
$50,000 – $59,999 6 2.07%
$60,000 – $69,999 2 0.69%
$70,000 – $79,999 2 0.69%
$80,000 – $89,999 1 0.34%
$90,000 – $99,999 0 0.00%
$100,000 – $149,999 8 2.76%
$150,000 – $199,999 0 0.00%
$200,000+ 3 1.03%
Don’t know/prefer not to answer 20 6.90%

Figure 130 – Do you hold either of the following certifications? Please select all that apply. (Q45)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Archives Certification 1227 22.05%
Records Manager Certification 152 2.73%
I do not hold an Archives Certification or a Records Manager Certification 4113 73.92%
Don’t know/not sure 153 2.75%

Figure 131 – What source(s) of training or education has been most useful to your current position? Select up to two options. (Q46)

Answer Frequency Percentage
On-the-job training 3895 71.44%
Graduate school 2124 38.96%
Professional development 2011 36.89%
Self-education 1137 20.85%
Mentor 768 14.09%
Other (please specify): 148 2.71%
Don’t know/not sure 18 0.33%

Figure 132 – What is your preferred format for professional development/training? (Q47)

Answer Frequency Percentage
In person 1,991 36.18%
Hybrid (in-person and virtual components) 1,529 27.78%
Virtual, synchronous (real-time remote training at a set time) 572 10.39%
Virtual, asynchronous (recorded training to engage with on your own time) 963 17.50%
Don’t know/not sure 448 8.14%

Figure 133 – Generally speaking, how much total financial support (including registration fees and travel/lodging) do you receive from your employer in a typical year for professional development and training outside of your organization (e.g., workshops, seminars, conferences, association meetings)? (Q49)

Answer Frequency Percentage
None 930 18.38%
Less than $500 1,278 25.26%
$500 to $999 886 17.51%
$1,000 to $1,499 691 13.66%
$1,500 to $1,999 349 6.90%
$2,000 to $2,499 221 4.37%
$2,500 or more 200 3.95%
Don’t know/not sure 504 9.96%

Figure 134 – How much in total (including registration fees and travel/lodging) are you willing to invest of your personal financial resources, per year, in your professional development and training (e.g., workshops, seminars, conferences, association meetings)? (Q50)

Answer Frequency Percentage
None 613 11.22%
Less than $500 2,780 50.87%
$500 to $999 918 16.80%
$1,000 to $1,499 327 5.98%
$1,500 to $1,999 86 1.57%
$2,000 to $2,499 54 0.99%
$2,500 or more 59 1.08%
Employer provides full funding 413 7.56%
I prefer not to answer this question 215 3.93%

Figure 135 – When seeking professional development, how much of a barrier is each of the following? (Q51)

Answer Not at all a barrier

Frequency

Not at all a barrier

Percentage

Neutral

Frequency

Neutral

Percentage

Very much a barrier

Frequency

Very much a barrier

Percentage

Cost 401 7.38% 723 13.31% 1,635 30.11%
Distance (too far to travel, nothing available locally) 665 12.22% 786 14.44% 1,119 20.56%
Lack of employer support 1,539 28.29% 645 11.85% 711 13.07%
Time away from work 1,288 23.69% 703 12.93% 701 12.90%
Time away from family 2,257 41.48% 488 8.97% 580 10.66%
Lack of courses relevant to my needs 937 17.25% 930 17.12% 528 9.72%
Self-perception (i.e., impostor syndrome) 1,835 33.84% 623 11.49% 346 6.38%
Lack of childcare 4,166 76.85% 135 2.49% 328 6.05%
Lack of colleagues from a similar background to mine attending 2,195 40.42% 550 10.13% 253 4.66%
Lack of access to relevant technology 2,711 49.91% 418 7.70% 164 3.02%
Other (please specify): 180 24.83% 17 2.34% 87 12.00%

Figure 136 – If there were no barriers to obtaining professional development, which of the following would you most like to learn more about in the next 5 years? Please select all that apply. (Q52)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Digital preservation 3,077 56.16%
Digital asset management systems 2,376 43.37%
Digitization 2,154 39.31%
Electronic records 2,091 38.16%
Metadata 2,013 36.74%
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access principles and practice 1,967 35.90%
Legal/copyright 1,953 35.65%
Preservation 1,809 33.02%
Moving images and sound recordings (film, video) 1,782 32.52%
Management and administration 1,531 27.94%
Conservation 1,468 26.79%
Grants and fundraising 1,387 25.31%
Records management 1,359 24.80%
Accessioning, acquisition, and appraisal 1,324 24.16%
Exhibits 1,319 24.07%
Arrangement and description 1,286 23.47%
Scripting and application programming interfaces (APIs) 1,284 23.43%
Outreach/public relations 1,260 23.00%
EAD/EAS (Encoded Archival Description/Standards) 1,254 22.89%
Managing institutional records 1,240 22.63%
Cataloging 1,164 21.24%
Disaster preparedness/recovery 1,144 20.88%
System migration 1,117 20.39%
Ethics 1,058 19.31%
Photography 1,035 18.89%
Research and publications 972 17.74%
Reference and research services 967 17.65%
Public programming 900 16.43%
Donor relations 795 14.51%
Security 562 10.26%
Managing business archives 431 7.87%
Other (please specify): 268 4.89%
Don’t know/not sure 93 1.70%

Figure 137 – You expressed interest in the following professional development topic(s). Please rate your current level of knowledge, skills, and abilities for each item. (Q53)

Answer Very under-developed

Frequency

Very under-developed

Percentage

Neither developed nor under-developed

Frequency

Neither developed nor under-developed

Percentage

Very developed

Frequency

Very developed

Percentage

Accessioning, acquisition, and appraisal 70 5.32% 117 8.88% 68 5.16%
Arrangement and description 34 2.66% 82 6.42% 140 10.96%
Cataloging 81 6.99% 96 8.29% 67 5.79%
Conservation 141 9.70% 197 13.56% 22 1.51%
Digital asset management systems 199 8.42% 282 11.93% 45 1.90%
Digital preservation 194 6.35% 330 10.81% 63 2.06%
Digitization 104 4.86% 209 9.77% 101 4.72%
Disaster preparedness / recovery 74 6.51% 150 13.19% 26 2.29%
Donor relations 67 8.50% 88 11.17% 27 3.43%
EAD/EAS (Encoded Archival Description / Standards) 204 16.41% 148 11.91% 20 1.61%
Electronic records 157 7.57% 266 12.82% 38 1.83%
Ethics 8 0.77% 173 16.59% 47 4.51%
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access principles and practice 23 1.17% 276 14.10% 61 3.12%
Exhibits 72 5.48% 183 13.94% 42 3.20%
Grants and fundraising 190 13.84% 165 12.02% 16 1.17%
Legal / copyright 107 5.51% 251 12.92% 21 1.08%
Management and administration 62 4.08% 202 13.31% 54 3.56%
Managing business archives 50 11.63% 52 12.09% 17 3.95%
Managing institutional records 74 6.00% 186 15.09% 27 2.19%
Metadata 83 4.16% 230 11.52% 88 4.41%
Moving images and sound recordings (film, video) 176 9.94% 228 12.87% 66 3.73%
Outreach / public relations 36 2.89% 168 13.47% 54 4.33%
Photography 43 4.17% 151 14.65% 37 3.59%
Public programming 56 6.25% 126 14.06% 35 3.91%
Preservation 76 4.22% 224 12.45% 64 3.56%
Records management 58 4.29% 181 13.40% 73 5.40%
Reference and research services 19 1.98% 78 8.11% 155 16.11%
Research and publications 34 3.52% 159 16.48% 43 4.46%
Security 23 4.11% 113 20.21% 12 2.15%
Scripting and application programming interfaces (APIs) 491 38.45% 77 6.03% 7 0.55%
System migration 234 21.10% 138 12.44% 6 0.54%
Other (please specify): 16 10.06% 17 10.69% 10 6.29%

Figure 138 – What led you to begin working in your first archives-related job? Please select all that apply. (Q54)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Learned about archives through related interests (e.g., history, museums) 1,989 34.99%
Learned about archives through my institution/college 1,221 21.48%
Took an archives-related class in college or graduate school 1,130 19.88%
Learned about archives from using them 1,072 18.86%
Held a work-study position in an archive while in college 999 17.57%
Volunteered in an archive 940 16.53%
Someone told me about or recommended an archives-related opportunity 895 15.74%
Discovered that an archival job was available when I was looking for work 877 15.43%
Was assigned archives-related responsibilities by my employer 709 12.47%
Read about archival work and thought it sounded interesting 667 11.73%
Knew someone who was an archivist 587 10.33%
Learned about archives through a previous job 408 7.18%
Attended a career fair or presentation 55 0.97%
Other (please specify): 399 7.02%
Don’t know/not sure 34 0.60%
I have not had an archives-related job yet 71 1.25%

Figure 139 – Is archives your first career? (NOTE: “Career” is defined as a job or profession that someone performs for a long time and/or makes up a large proportion of their overall time in the workforce, with opportunities for progression or advancement.) (Q55)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 2,960 52.65%
No 2,582 45.93%
I prefer not to answer this question 80 1.42%

Figure 140 – Are you considering leaving the archives profession within the next 5 years? (Q58)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 1,118 20.33%
No 3,017 54.87%
Don’t know/Not sure 1,363 24.79%

Figure 141 – What are the top reasons you are considering leaving the archives field? Please select all that apply. (Q59)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Retirement 479 42.92%
Burnout 394 35.30%
Limited compensation/salary or better

compensation/salary elsewhere

392 35.13%
Lack of opportunity for career advancement 366 32.80%
To pursue work in a different field 247 22.13%
Seeking better work-life balance 243 21.77%
Incompatibility with institution/upper

management

217 19.44%
Lack of job stability or permanent positions 191 17.11%
Unable to find a job/position 148 13.26%
Incompatibility with the field’s culture 129 11.56%
Incompatibility with your immediate

supervisor

126 11.29%
Limited benefits or better benefits elsewhere 119 10.66%
Experiences of ageism 98 8.78%
Experiences of sexism 79 7.08%
Relocating for spouse/partner’s career 46 4.12%
Experiences of other forms of

discrimination (please specify)_____________

44 3.94%
Experiences of racism 35 3.14%
Going back to school 22 1.97%
To start a family 22 1.97%
Other (please specify): 132 11.83%

Figure 142 – When do you plan to retire? (Q60)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Less than 3 years 296 5.45%
3 – 9 years 645 11.88%
10 – 19 years 926 17.05%
20 – 29 years 1291 23.78%
30 plus years 1420 26.15%
Don’t know/not sure 852 15.69%

Figure 143 – Are you currently planning to retire past the age of 67? (Q61)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 1150 26.47%
No 1385 31.88%
Don’t Know/Not Sure 1810 41.66%

Figure 144 – Please indicate if you are a member of any of the following. Select all that apply. (Q62)

Answer Frequency Percentage
National archival association 2,684 48.71%
Regional archival association 2,067 37.51%
Local archival association 1,350 24.50%
State archival association 1,259 22.85%
Library and information science association 1,197 21.72%
Historical association 1,115 20.24%
Museum association 656 11.91%
Records and information management association 309 5.61%
International archival association 257 4.66%
Digital association 237 4.30%
Government association 234 4.25%
Conservation and preservation association 231 4.19%
Native American or Tribal association 80 1.45%
Other association (please specify): 375 6.81%
I do not belong to a professional association 796 14.45%

Figure 145 – Please indicate if you are a member of any of the following professional associations. Select all that apply. (Q63)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Academy of Certified Archivists (ACA) 844 18.78%
AIIM, International 40 0.89%
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) 412 9.17%
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRO) 0 0.00%
American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) 16 0.36%
American Association of Museums (AAM) 316 7.03%
American Historical Association (AHA) 138 3.07%
American Indian Library Association (AILA) 10 0.22%
American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) 56 1.25%
American Library Association (ALA) 772 17.18%
American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST) 32 0.71%
Appalachian Studies Association 14 0.31%
Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious (ACWR) 86 1.91%
Archivists of Religious Institutions (NY area) 10 0.22%
Archivists Roundtable of Metropolitan New York (NY-ART) 199 4.43%
Arizona Archives Alliance (AZAA) 27 0.60%
ARMA International 166 3.69%
Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) 132 2.94%
Association for Documentary Editing (ADE) 13 0.29%
Association for Library and Information Science Educators (ALISE) 14 0.31%
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) 37 0.82%
Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists (ACDA) 90 2.00%
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 269 5.99%
Association of Hawai’i Archivists 26 0.58%
Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) 201 4.47%
Association of Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) 63 1.40%
Association of St. Louis Area Archivists (ASLAA) 46 1.02%
Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums (ATALM) 32 0.71%
Bay Area Archivists 28 0.62%
Chicago Area Archivists (CAA) 138 3.07%
Cleveland Archival Roundtable 28 0.62%
Coalition of Archivists and Records Professionals in Western Pennsylvania (CARPWA) 1 0.02%
Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists (CIMA) 78 1.74%
Council of State Archivists (COSA) 95 2.11%
Delaware Valley Archivists Group (DVAG) 76 1.69%
Digital Asset Management (DAM) Association 8 0.18%
First Archivists Circle 2 0.04%
Greater New Orleans Archivists (GNOA) 16 0.36%
International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology (I-ASSIST) 8 0.18%
International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials, and Treasurers (IACREOT) 0 0.00%
International Council on Archives (ICA) 75 1.67%
International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) 2 0.04%
Kansas City Area Archivists (KCAA) 40 0.89%
Kentucky Council on Archives (KCA) 47 1.05%
Los Angeles Archivists Collective (LAAC) 96 2.14%
Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association (LAMA) 41 0.91%
Lutheran Historical Conference 4 0.09%
Manuscript Society 11 0.24%
Miami Valley Archives Roundtable (MVAR) 11 0.24%
Michigan Archival Association (MAA) 73 1.62%
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) 592 13.17%
Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) 518 11.53%
Museum Computer Network (MCN) 14 0.31%
Music Library Association (MLA) 31 0.69%
National Association of Counties (NaCO) 0 0.00%
National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators (NAGARA) 221 4.92%
National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) 0 0.00%
National Council on Public History (NCPH) 110 2.45%
National Genealogical Society (NGS) 34 0.76%
Native Libraries Round Table 0 0.00%
New England Archivists (NEA) 337 7.50%
New England Archivists of Religious Institutions (NEARI) 3 0.07%
New Hampshire Archives Group (NHAG) 11 0.24%
New York Archives Conference (NYAC) 94 2.09%
Northwest Archivists, Inc. (NWA) 138 3.07%
Oklahoma Conservation Congress (OCC) 2 0.04%
Oral History Association (OHA) 73 1.62%
Organization of American Historians (OAH) 51 1.13%
Palmetto Archives, Libraries, and Museum Council on Preservation (PALMCOP) 6 0.13%
Portland Area Archivists 15 0.33%
Public Library Association (PLA) 20 0.45%
Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) 259 5.76%
Regional museum associations 112 2.49%
Seattle Area Archivists 50 1.11%
Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG) 16 0.36%
Society of Alabama Archivists 32 0.71%
Society of American Archivists (SAA) 2,515 55.96%
Society of American Archivists Student Chapter 46 1.02%
Society of California Archivists (SCA) 281 6.25%
Society of Florida Archivists (SFA) 56 1.25%
Society of Georgia Archivists (SGA) 125 2.78%
Society of Indiana Archivists (SIA) 49 1.09%
Society of Mississippi Archivists (SMA) 17 0.38%
Society of North Carolina Archivists (SNCA) 86 1.91%
Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) 101 2.25%
Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists (SRMA) 89 1.98%
Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA) 283 6.30%
Society of Tennessee Archivists 28 0.62%
South Carolina Archival Association (SCAA) 30 0.67%
Special Libraries Association (SLA) 48 1.07%
State library associations 184 4.09%
State museum associations 156 3.47%
Twin Cities Archives Roundtable (TCART) 72 1.60%
Visual Resources Association (VRA) 52 1.16%
Western Historical Association 33 0.73%
Other (please specify): 652 14.51%

Figure 146 – How important were the following in your decision to join a professional association? (Q64)

Answer Not at all important

Frequency

Not at all important

Percentage

Extremely important

Frequency

Extremely Important

Percentage

Don’t know/Not Sure

Frequency

Don’t know/Not Sure

Percentage

Networking with other professionals 64 1.44% 1,790 40.25% 20 0.45%
Professional development 46 1.03% 1,922 43.18% 21 0.47%
Continuing education credits 1,509 34.48% 391 8.94% 86 1.97%
Career advancement 370 8.41% 960 21.83% 34 0.77%
Conferences / meetings 100 2.25% 1,427 32.11% 21 0.47%
Publications 399 9.04% 540 12.23% 39 0.88%
Keeping abreast of news in the field 49 1.10% 1,720 38.63% 21 0.47%
My commitment to the profession 98 2.21% 1,501 33.88% 33 0.74%
Other (please specify): 53 13.66% 60 15.46% 225 57.99%

Figure 147 – Why do you not belong to a professional association? Please select all that apply. (Q65)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Cost 383 48.48%
Don’t see a need 237 30.00%
Time 187 23.67%
Lack of value 160 20.25%
Lack of institutional support 129 16.33%
Personal responsibilities (e.g., childcare, family, etc.) 95 12.03%
Don’t feel welcomed 57 7.22%
I am a member of an affinity group that is not a professional association, but that meets similar needs (e.g., mentorship, networking, etc.) 51 6.46%
None in my area 48 6.08%
Other (please specify): 99 12.53%
Don’t know/not sure 86 10.89%

Figure 148 – Have you done any of the following in the past 3 years? (Q66)

Answer Yes

Frequency

Yes

Percentage

No
Frequency
No

Percentage

Don’t know/Not Sure

Frequency

Don’t know/Not Sure

Percentage

Attended an archives-related conference (physical or virtual) 4,326 79.19% 1,113 20.37% 24 0.44%
Planned a program or served on a committee 2,647 48.65% 2,753 50.60% 41 0.75%
Presented on an archives-related topic at a conference (physical or virtual) 2,435 44.65% 2,985 54.73% 34 0.62%
Taught or co-taught an archives-related workshop or seminar (physical or virtual) 1,572 28.97% 3,806 70.14% 48 0.88%
Held an office or other leadership position in an archives-related professional association 1,427 26.34% 3,945 72.83% 45 0.83%
Authored, co-authored, or edited an archival publication (peer reviewed or non-peer reviewed) 1,196 22.11% 4,160 76.89% 54 1.00%

Figure 149 – Generally speaking, how do you prefer to attend conferences? (Q67)

Answer Frequency Percentage
In person 2964 68.80%
Virtually 825 19.15%
Don’t know/not sure 519 12.05%

Figure 150 – Diversity—defined as the representation of all identities and human differences (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability)—is valued in the archives profession. (Q69)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 780 13.82%
Agree 1,593 28.23%
Somewhat agree 1,673 29.65%
Neither agree nor disagree 719 12.74%
Somewhat disagree 540 9.57%
Disagree 234 4.15%
Strongly disagree 103 1.83%

Figure 151 – Equity—defined as taking differences into account to ensure fair processes and outcomes without disparities between groups—is valued in the archives profession. (Q70)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 703 12.46%
Agree 1262 22.37%
Somewhat agree 1578 27.97%
Neither agree nor disagree 901 15.97%
Somewhat disagree 722 12.80%
Disagree 340 6.03%
Strongly disagree 136 2.41%

Figure 152 – Inclusion—defined as a culture that invites and appreciates the contribution and participation of all people—is valued in the archives profession. (Q71)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 776 13.62%
Agree 1,352 23.72%
Somewhat agree 1,599 28.06%
Neither agree nor disagree 730 12.81%
Somewhat disagree 721 12.65%
Disagree 325 5.70%
Strongly disagree 141 2.47%

Figure 153 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. (Q72)

Answer Strongly Disagree

Frequency

Strongly Disagree Percentage Neither Agree nor Disagree

Frequency

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Percentage

Strongly Agree

Frequency

Strongly Agree Percentage
Rewards (e.g., recognitions, promotions) are distributed fairly in the archives profession to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or other identities 455 8.15% 2,185 39.15% 168 3.01%
The archives profession has adequately addressed issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access 733 13.10% 1,251 22.36% 141 2.52%
Anti-racism initiatives—defined as initiatives aimed at opposing racism and racial intolerance—are clearly established as key strategic priorities in the archives profession 241 4.31% 1,500 26.80% 260 4.65%
Generally speaking, archival collections are inclusive of diverse communities 631 11.25% 902 16.09% 142 2.53%

Figure 154 – Please read the following statements and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each. (Q73)

Answer Strongly Disagree

Frequency

Strongly Disagree Percentage Neither Agree nor Disagree

Frequency

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Percentage

Strongly Agree

Frequency

Strongly Agree Percentage
I feel included in the archives profession 125 2.24% 932 16.70% 526 9.42%
I understand how to contribute to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in the archives profession 48 0.86% 1074 19.27% 366 6.57%
I feel represented by the membership of the archives profession 181 3.24% 1177 21.08% 532 9.53%
I have personally taken action to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in the archives profession 59 1.06% 1399 25.11% 539 9.67%
I have witnessed others take action to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in the archives profession 54 0.97% 918 16.46% 756 13.56%
I understand how to contribute to anti-racism initiatives—defined as initiatives aimed at opposing racism and racial intolerance—in the archives profession. 72

 

1.29% 1141 20.48% 339 6.09%

 

Figure 155 – Please read the following statement and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree. Archivists are viewed as professionals within my organization. (Q74)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 1,022 20.51%
Agree 1,880 37.73%
Somewhat agree 1,039 20.85%
Neither agree nor disagree 285 5.72%
Somewhat disagree 444 8.91%
Disagree 216 4.33%
Strongly disagree 97 1.95%

Figure 156 – To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements: (Q75)

Answer Strongly Disagree

Frequency

Strongly Disagree Percentage Neither Agree nor Disagree

Frequency

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Percentage

Strongly Agree

Frequency

Strongly Agree Percentage
I feel valued by my employer 21 6.14% 350 6.7% 762 14.58%
I am excited about the work that I do 56 1.07% 306 5.85% 1455 27.83%
I am satisfied with my career 136 2.6% 394 7.53% 837 16.00%
I am satisfied with my current compensation/salary (including benefits) 562 10.75% 275 5.26% 587 11.23%

 

Figure 157 – To what extent are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the following in the archives profession? Please use the scroll bar at the bottom of this question to see all available answer options. (Q76)

Answer Strongly Dissatisfied

Frequency

Strongly Dissatisfied Percentage Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Frequency

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied

Percentage

Strongly Satisfied

Frequency

Strongly Satisfied Percentage
Career advancement 494 8.89% 1276 22.96% 36 0.65%
Compensation/salary (including benefits) 788 14.15% 704 12.64% 57 1.02%
Work-life balance 178 3.20% 1132 20.33% 127 2.28%
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access 317 5.71% 1687 30.39% 23 0.41%
Overall culture 158 2.84% 1422 25.59% 53 0.95%
Job availability 864 15.53% 1190 21.39% 19 0.34%
Job stability 444 7.98% 900 16.18% 98 1.76%

 

Figure 158 – Please read the following statement and indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree. “Based on my personal experience with the archives profession, I believe decisions related to _____________ are equitable—in other words, they result in fair processes and outcomes without disparities between groups.” (Q77)

Answer Strongly Disagree

Frequency

Strongly Disagree Percentage Neither Agree nor Disagree

Frequency

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Percentage

Strongly Agree

Frequency

Strongly Agree Percentage
Pay/Salary 559 10.07% 1155 20.81% 186 3.35%
Benefits 306 5.51% 1517 27.32% 317 5.71%
Promotion/Advancement 463 8.35% 1417 25.54% 154 2.78%
Hiring 426 7.68% 1327 23.93% 178 3.21%

 

Figure 159 – “The archives profession is inclusive of community archives.” (NOTE: “Community archives” is defined as documentation of a group of people that share common interests, and social, cultural, and historical heritage, usually created by members of the group being documented and maintained outside of traditional archives.) (Q78)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 212 3.80%
Agree 922 16.53%
Somewhat agree 1,512 27.10%
Neither agree nor disagree 1,371 24.57%
Somewhat disagree 1,033 18.52%
Disagree 404 7.24%
Strongly disagree 125 2.24%

Figure 160 – Challenges and opportunities in community archives are similar to challenges and opportunities in traditional archives. (Q79)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Strongly agree 160 2.86%
Agree 654 11.71%
Somewhat agree 1,086 19.44%
Neither agree nor disagree 1,474 26.39%
Somewhat disagree 1,209 21.65%
Disagree 772 13.82%
Strongly disagree 230 4.12%

Figure 161 – You indicated that you work at a community archives. What are the most significant challenges facing your archives? Please select up to three. (Q81)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Funding 36 75.00%
Collection storage space 27 56.25%
Generating awareness of the archives 22 45.83%
Staffing 17 35.42%
Succession planning 13 27.08%
Advisory board support 8 16.67%
Volunteer turnover 7 14.58%
City and/or state regulations or codes 0 0.00%
Other (please specify): 4 8.33%

Figure 162 – How many total years of experience do you have working in the archives field or working with archival material? (Q82)

Answer Frequency Percentage
0-5 1,213 21.53%
6-10 1,407 24.97%
11-15 1,048 18.60%
16-20 677 12.02%
21-25 503 8.93%
26-30 295 5.24%
31-35 244 4.33%
36+ 247 4.38%

Figure 163 – What is your age? (Q83)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Under 25 69 1.23%
25-29 484 8.63%
30-34 860 15.33%
35-39 876 15.61%
40-44 774 13.80%
45-49 523 9.32%
50-54 502 8.95%
55-59 446 7.95%
60-64 385 6.86%
65 and over 566 10.09%
I prefer not to answer this question 125 2.23%

Figure 164 – Please indicate your race-ethnicity(ies). Select all that apply. (Q84)

Answer Frequency Percentage
White 4,753 84.42%
Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx 294 5.22%
Black or African American 254 4.51%
Asian or Asian American 202 3.59%
American Indian or Alaska Native 86 1.53%
Middle Eastern or Northern African 37 0.66%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 17 0.30%
Another option not listed here (please specify): 96 1.71%
I prefer not to answer this question 275 4.88%

Figure 165 – Please indicate your gender(s). Select all that apply. (Q85)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Woman 4,005 71.07%
Man 1,315 23.34%
Non-binary 164 2.91%
Another option not listed here (please specify): 25 0.44%
I prefer not to answer this question 169 3.00%

Figure 166 – Are you transgender? (Q86)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 65 1.16%
No 5,332 95.08%
I prefer not to answer this question 211 3.76%

Figure 167 – Please indicate your sexual orientation(s). Select all that apply. (Q87)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Straight/heterosexual 3,887 69.47%
Bisexual/pansexual 589 10.53%
Gay/lesbian 318 5.68%
Asexual 186 3.32%
Another option not listed here (please specify): 123 2.20%
I prefer not to answer this question 612 10.94%

Figure 168 – Do you have a disability, including but not limited to physical, psychological, developmental, and sensory disabilities? (Q88)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Yes 907 16.15%
No 4,326 77.04%
I prefer not to answer this question 382 6.8%

Figure 169 – Do you have substantial care-giving responsibilities for any of the following? Please select all that apply. (Q89)

Answer Frequency Percentage
Child(ren) 1,200 48.06%
Parent(s) or In-law(s) 463 18.54%
Spouse or partner 342 13.70%
Extended family member(s) 126 5.05%
Friend(s) or Non-relation(s) 38 1.52%
I prefer not to answer this question 692 27.71%

Endnote

  1. Eric Kelderman, “How Would Student-Loan Forgiveness Really Work?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 June 2022, https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-would-student-loan-forgiveness-really-work.