Assistant Archivist

The First Church of Christ, Scientist•Boston, MA

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Assistant Archivist is a full-time position that supports preservation, cataloging, registration, and research in collections of The Mary Baker Eddy Library (MBEL). MBEL is a trusted and authoritative resource on Eddy and the history of the Christian Science movement, providing public access to original materials and educational experiences about Eddy, the ideas she advanced, her writings, and the institutions she founded and their healing mission.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science or two to three years direct experience in archival processing required.
Knowledge of archival practices of appraisal, arranging, and description required
Ability to quickly learn about and recognize significant people, places, and events related to Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and its affiliates, and the history of the Christian Science movement.
Clear written and oral communication skills required.
Mother Church membership is required.
Must be able to safely lift and move heavy materials (of up to 30-40 pounds), shelve and reshelve materials within repository areas, and maneuver heavily loaded carts.

Nice To Haves

One to two years experience in general archival work preferred.
Knowledge of or experience with strategies for historical research preferred.
Aptitude for learning digital asset management systems, collection management systems, archive collection management systems, and/or records management systems, including knowledge of metadata standards and controlled vocabularies for archives, museums, and news organizations.
Practical experience with collections management systems and records management systems a plus.
The ideal candidate values Mary Baker Eddy’s life and work, and recognizes the Library’s role in furthering the mission of her church.

Responsibilities

Follows archival standards and department policies and procedures to ensure the long-term care and preservation of the field and special collections
Practices proper handling of all collections materials
Catalogs collections items, creating records in collection management systems or editing existing records
Assists with responding to research queries about materials in the special collections
Develops and implements processing plans independently
Arranges and describes archival collections
Prepares finding aids and indexes to collections
Completes first reviews of previously unreviewed archival materials to determine whether they may be opened for research
Participates in large-scale collection processing, scanning, and deaccessioning projects
Digitizes documents, manuscripts, and rare books using archival standards and advanced scanning technology for internal and external requests and projects
Participates in MBEL-wide projects, such as exhibit development and publishing projects
Assists in handling of art and objects for storage and exhibit preparation
Assists in research, review, and assessment of art and artifact collections
Assists in reviewing donation offers and recommends accepting or declining them based on research and MBEL’s established collecting policies
Prepares reports and documentation for legal review
Writes content for MBEL website, including collection summaries and articles
Serves as a super user for MBEL’s collections management system, supporting other users and assisting the Archivist in providing training
Verifies transcriptions of oral histories
Attends conferences and workshops as a representative of MBEL
Participates in routine management and housekeeping of the collections spaces
Performs other duties as assigned