How Is an Archivist Different from Other Related Professionals? Archivist Collects, preserves, makes accessible historical records.   Historian Uses the historical records identified, classified, and preserved by the archivist for historical research. Archivist Collects, preserves, makes accessible historical records. Employs professional standards and practices unique to archiving. Librarian Collects, preserves, makes accessible published materials. Employs professional standards and practices unique to published material.   Archivist Collects, preserves, makes accessible historical records in paper, film or electronic form.   Museum Curator Collects, preserves, makes accessible mostly objects and artifacts.