Archival work is too important, complex, and demanding to be handled satisfactorily by people who lack professional training and experience. Hiring a professional archivist is a sound investment for the parent institution. They are employed in businesses, governments, universities, historical societies, libraries, museums, and other institutions that create and wish to maintain important records of their own, or that collect and maintain records for research use. The archival field originated many years ago. As early as 1936, the Society of American Archivists was formed to advance the exchange of information among archivists, and in recent years the Academy of Certified Archivists has developed as a credentialing agency for the profession.
Archival enterprise is clearly a well-established profession.
A profession is characterized by such things as high educational requirements, a solid body of theoretical and practical knowledge, service orientation and dedication, relative autonomy and independence in work, independent judgment, strategies for meeting complex issues, and a code of ethics. Professional archivists exhibit all of these traits and have commensurate responsibilities for making critical judgments and carrying out work of fundamental importance for ensuring the systematic identification, sound administration, and accessibility of important records. Archivists have major responsibilities for determining what records are identified, saved, and protected. Their work ensures the availability of institutional records needed for documentation, legal, and other purposes, as well as supports the transmission of cultural information and historical and other research. Partner in the information field .