Project Archivist Intern, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Lexington, MA
Posted August 30, 2018
Internship Title: Project Archivist Internship – Melvin Maynard Johnson Records
Institution/Organization Name: Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
Internship Location (City, State, Province, Country): 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, Massachusetts 02421-5703
Years of experience required: 0-1
Compensation: This paid internship ($15 per hour, no other benefits will accrue or be paid) is generously sponsored by the Scottish Rite Masons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.
Internship Description: Under the direction of the Museum’s Archivist, the Project Intern will be responsible for the processing, arrangement, and description of the Melvin Maynard Johnson Records, following professional standards. This is a paid internship and is not eligible for benefits. The Project Intern will create an index to the collection in MS Access and a finding aid according to the Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS). The Project Intern will digitize archival material and record technical, item, and structural metadata as necessary. Other duties may be included as needed.
The Museum and Library hours are Monday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. The intern will be expected to commit to 230 hours of work, which will be completed part-time over an extended period. Internship dates and hours are flexible to accommodate the Project Intern’s possible course load and schedule.
Position Qualifications:
- Actively pursuing or interested in undergraduate or graduate education in library science, archival management, history, or a related field
- Strong verbal and writing skills
- Ability to take direction and accept constructive feedback
- Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks
- Attention to detail and organizational skills
- Strong sense of responsibility and confidentiality
- Ability to lift archival boxes up to 40 lbs.
Collection Description:
57 record storage containers (approximately 80 linear feet)
Melvin Maynard Johnson Biography:
Melvin Maynard Johnson (1871-1957) was a prominent and influential Freemason, lawyer, and academic. Johnson was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, to Byron B. Johnson, the first mayor of the city of Waltham, and Louisa H. Johnson. Johnson attended Waltham public schools and graduated from Tufts College in 1892. He graduated magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law (BUSL) in 1895. In 1910, Johnson’s successful defense of murder suspect Hattie LeBlanc propelled him into the national spotlight and earned him fame as an attorney. Johnson returned to BUSL as a professor in 1918 and was appointed the Dean of the School in 1935. Johnson held this position until his retirement from Boston University in 1942.
Johnson was raised a Master Mason in Monitor Lodge (Waltham) in 1892. He served as the Lodge’s Worshipful Master from 1902 to 1903. Among his numerous positions and contributions to the fraternity, Johnson served as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts from 1913 to 1916. He served as the Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s first full-time Sovereign Grand Commander, a position he held from 1933 until 1953. Johnson led the Scottish Rite through both the Great Depression and World War II and established the Scottish Rite Benevolent Foundation. One of Johnson’s great interests was mental health, and he helped to create and lead the Scottish Rite’s Schizophrenia Research Program, one of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s central charities for decades. In addition to these accomplishments, Johnson was a historian of early American Freemasonry and the author of several books on the topic, including Freemasonry in America Prior to 1750 (1917) and The Beginnings of Freemasonry in America (1924).
Johnson was the husband of Ina Delphine Freeman and the father of Dorothy Adams and Melvin Maynard Johnson, Jr., a noted American designer of firearms, lawyer, and US Marine Corps officer. A longtime resident of Brookline, Massachusetts, Johnson died in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1957.
About the Museum & Library: Established in 1975 by the Scottish Rite Freemasons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library tells the story of Freemasonry and fraternalism in the context of American history. Unique in the nation, the Museum aims to be the “historical society” of American Freemasonry by collecting, preserving, interpreting and celebrating the history of fraternalism. As a department within the Museum, the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives is one of the premiere repositories in the United States for the study of Freemasonry and fraternalism. The collection of the Library & Archives comprises over 60,000 books, 1,600 serial titles and 2,000 cubic feet of archival materials related to Freemasonry, fraternalism, and American history.
The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To apply for this internship please send a resume and a letter describing your interest to: John Coelho, Archivist, [email protected] or to Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington MA 02421.