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Big data archive librarian

Also called archive librarian, digital archivists, documentation archivist

Big data archive librarians classify, catalogue and maintain libraries of digital media. They also evaluate and comply with metadata standards for digital content and update obsolete data and legacy systems.

Will there be jobs?Yes, good prospects52 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,400 (Bulgaria) to €6,600 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree4 in 10 have a degree. 4 in 10 train through vocational routes.Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionalsWill AI change it?In some tasksLevel 3 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Gallery, museum and library technicians · ILO

What you'd do

Gallery, museum and library technicians · ILO
  • Mounting and preparing objects for display
  • Designing and arranging exhibit furnishings, display cases and display areas
  • Assisting in setting up lighting and display equipment
  • Receiving, shipping, packing and unpacking exhibits
  • Ordering new library materials and maintaining library records and circulation systems
  • Cataloguing printed and recorded material
  • Entering data into databases and editing computer records
  • Operating audiovisual and reprographic equipment
  • Searching and verifying bibliographic data
Manage archive users guidelinesMaintain database performanceMaintain database securityWrite database documentationMaintain data entry requirements+ 7 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines now and then
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Archivists"

Will there be jobs?

Yes, good prospects

Many jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals in the EU
3.99m3.83m4.95m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
915,000 new jobs 1,198,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals52
All jobs29
Right now
3 of 27 countries report a shortage of gallery, museum and library technicians, 7 a surplus.
Gallery, museum and library technicians · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,400 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,600 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in database and network design and administration is the usual route.

Highest qualification of legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 44%Vocational 33%General secondary 15%Basic schooling 8%
Field that teaches it
Database and network design and administration
Vocational route, EU
4 in 10 trainees in this field
ICT graduates in a matching job
77% in the EU

887 institutions in the EU offer ICT bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

In some tasks

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.37 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Entering data into databases and editing computer records0.70
Searching and verifying bibliographic data0.61
Ordering new library materials and maintaining library records and circulation systems0.56
Cataloguing printed and recorded material0.35
Operating audiovisual and reprographic equipment0.28
Designing and arranging exhibit furnishings, display cases and display areas0.25
Assisting in setting up lighting and display equipment0.25
Mounting and preparing objects for display0.17
Receiving, shipping, packing and unpacking exhibits0.17

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for gallery, museum and library technicians. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).