To the inexperienced eye, the archival wardens seem like a loose collection of librarians, responsible for all the data so old that no one bothered to even put it in a proper database. They seem fussy, staid, and overwrought when it comes to the defense of their precious archives.
In reality, they're one of the most cohesive and highly trained units within
SIVIC .
In the Age of Computers, Physical Records Are King
Most things are on computers. SIVIC has to monitor and manage a broad array of agents all over the world, and you need computers to do so efficiently. Most of their data ends up on a variety of closed servers, private networks, or buried deep within the mazes of the internet.
There are some secrets that are so important that they must be put on paper, to preserve them for the future in case of catastrophic collapse. There are also some thing that SIVIC either can't or won't destroy, and so they need a physical place to put them, and they need people to keep an eye on them.
The Most Secret
One of the most important duties of the archival warden is to ensure that the average SIVIC agent never realizes how crucial the wardens are, and the true nature of the information they keep.
The wardens are typically a tight-knit group, since it's imperative to be on the same page when knowing who is meant to be in the archives. They're highly trained in both the art of curatorship and in defensive measure. There are a number of highly skilled agents who "retire" into this branch, using their carefully honed skills in a more subtle way.
They protect the archives, and they usually do it in ways where no one even realizes it had to be defended.
Sometimes, physicial copies are best.
Heck yeah! And also the most useful if I need my characters to have something to steal.
Woof. I don't think I want to trying stealing from them.