An archiving assistant in the UK organizes and arranges archival and manuscript material in appropriate orders, performs routine procedures to preserve the materials, labels manuscripts folders and containers, and compiles listings of materials in collections.

The job description of an archivist includes refining, implementing, and upholding archival policies and procedures for processing, documenting, and accessing archival collections. They may also serve as a librarian and aid library patrons. Additionally, they support the efforts of the Collections Departmental team.

You'll need a degree and postgraduate training to be an archivist in the UK. Most degree subjects are accepted, but it may be useful to have a degree in history or information science.