Documentation and recording staff in the cultural heritage sector provide information about historic sites. They have to describe, record and document information about places of interest. They also have to ensure information is stored in a searchable and retrievable system.
Documentation staff work alongside a number of people to carry out their role. This includes archivists, conservation officers, historic buildings advisers and curatorial staff. To complete their work they:
- Record information and cataloguing a site and its constituent elements. This includes the location, history and, ownership of a site. Along with this, the distinguishing features of the site are documented
- Develop indices for groups of buildings and their historic features, such as the doors or windows. This enables researchers and academics to search through complex sites quickly
- Collate, evaluate and index historic photographs and other installations
- Use specialist computer software for tasks like sorting, formatting and printing information. This also helps the documentation and recording staff to keep consistent records.