Assistant Archivist
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.
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
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 also required.
- 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.
- Mother Church membership is required.
- The ideal candidate values Mary Baker Eddy’s life and work, and recognizes the Library’s role in furthering the mission of her church.
- In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
Nice-to-haves
- One to two years experience in general archival work preferred.
- Knowledge of or experience with strategies for historical research preferred.
- Practical experience with collections management systems and records management systems a plus.
Benefits
- The pay range disclosed in our job postings are the compensation ranges the Church reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for a given position at the time of posting.