Occupation

Historians

Human Advantage 71%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Low Risk
2.6 / 10

This occupation requires complex human judgment, social interaction, and creative problem-solving that are difficult to automate.

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and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Also Known As: Architectural Historian, County Historian, County Records Management Officer (County RMO), Dance Historian, Dramatic Arts Historian, Field Court Researcher, Film Historian, Genealogist +19 more

Core Tasks

  1. Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
  2. Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
  3. Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
  4. Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
  5. Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
  6. Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
  7. Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
  8. Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
  9. Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
  10. Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
  11. Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.
  12. Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.
  13. Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
  14. Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.
  15. Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
  16. Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories.
  17. Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.

Supplemental Tasks (4)

  1. Edit historical society publications.
  2. Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
  3. Translate or request translation of reference materials.
  4. Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.

Education & Training

Job Zone 5 Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
On-the-Job Training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Master's Degree
24%
Bachelor's Degree
20%
Some College Courses
18%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
15%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
9%
Less than a High School Diploma
9%
Post-Master's Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master's degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.
4%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • Extensible markup language XML
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft SharePoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Structured query language SQL

Software (47)

  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Archival databases
  • ArchiveGrid
  • Archives Wiki
  • Audio editing software
  • Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
  • Database management systems
  • Digital image collections
  • Digital mapping software
  • Email software
  • Geographic information system GIS software
  • Geographic information system GIS systems
  • Google Books NGram Viewer
  • Gutenberg-e
  • Library of Congress digital collections
  • LinkedIn
  • National Archives online databases
  • National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC)
  • Page markers
  • ProQuest Archive Finder
  • QuarkXPress
  • Reference management software
  • Relational database management system RDMS
  • Scanning software
  • Searchable online catalogs
  • Smithsonian Institution digital archives
  • Statistical analysis software
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • Text mining software
  • TokenX
  • Web Scrapbook
  • Web browser software
  • Wonderware software

Tools & Equipment (12)

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

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Teaching, Training, & Facilitation Education

Zone 3
Zone 5
Historians You are here

Physical Health Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 3
Zone 5
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Health Data & Administration Education

Zone 3
Zone 5
Historians You are here

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Real Talk

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