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19-3093.00 · Task explorer

Historians: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

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and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

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Read the task inventory

This source lists 21 tasks, including 16 marked Core and 5 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2025.

21 tasks shown

Core · Task 3718 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.

Core · Task 3717 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.

Core · Task 3724 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.

Core · Task 3728 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.

Core · Task 3720 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.

Core · Task 20744 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.

Core · Task 3726 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.

Core · Task 3725 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.

Core · Task 3722 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.

Core · Task 3727 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.

Core · Task 3734 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.

Core · Task 3729 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.

Core · Task 3723 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.

Core · Task 3730 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.

Core · Task 3733 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories.

Core · Task 3719 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.

Supplemental · Task 3735 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.

Supplemental · Task 3732 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.

Supplemental · Task 3721 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.

Supplemental · Task 3736 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Edit historical society publications.

Supplemental · Task 3731 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Translate or request translation of reference materials.

Make the shortlist useful

  1. Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
  2. For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
  3. Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

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Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

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