How to become an archivist or curator
Official title: Archivists and curators
Also called: Archivist, Art gallery curator, Museum curator, Records manager
Archivists and curators collect, appraise and ensure the safekeeping and preservation of the contents of archives, artefacts and records of historical, cultural, administrative and artistic interest, and of art and other objects. They plan, devise and implement systems for the safekeeping of records and historically valuable documents.
Main tasks
- Evaluating and preserving records for administrative, historical, legal, evidential and other purposes
- Directing or carrying out the preparation of indexes, bibliographies, microfilm copies and other reference aids to the collected material and making them available to users
- Researching the origin, distribution and use of materials and objects of cultural and historical interest
- Organizing, developing and maintaining collections of artistic, cultural, scientific or historically significant items
- Directing or undertaking classification and cataloguing of museum and art gallery collections and organizing exhibitions
- Researching into, appraising, organizing and preserving historically significant and valuable documents such as government papers, private papers, photographs, maps, manuscripts and audiovisual materials
- Preparing scholarly papers and reports
- Planning and implementing the computerized management of archives and electronic records
- Organizing exhibitions at museums and art galleries, publicizing exhibits and arranging special displays for general, specialized or educational interest
- Appraising and acquiring archival materials to build and develop an archival collection for research purposes
Ways in
- University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 21 universities in Hong Kong
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an archivist or curator?
Ways in include: Arts & Humanities degrees.
Do you need a degree to become an archivist or curator?
Usually. 85% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an archivist or curator?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026