Caroline Dwight Bain Archival Fellowship – The Massachusetts Historical Society
Listing Start Date: February 11, 2025
Expires: March 31, 2025
The Massachusetts Historical Society is pleased to announce a summer fellowship in the conservation lab. It is for 210 hours to be completed between May-September of this year. There is a $4000 stipend. Anyone in a conservation, bookbinding, or library/archive program who is interested in hands on conservation experience is encouraged to apply.
The Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) in Boston, Mass. is now accepting applications for the Caroline Dwight Bain Archival Fellowship. The Bain fellowship provides a stipend of $4000 for 210 hours of work during the summer of 2025.
The MHS is an independent, scholarly research library founded in 1791 for the threefold purpose of collecting, preserving, and disseminating sources for the study of American history. The MHS holds more than 3,700 manuscript collections dating from the 17th century to the present, as well as extensive collections of early American imprints, newspapers, maps, printed ephemera, photographs, engravings, and other research materials.
Purpose:
Now in its second year, the 2025 Caroline Dwight Bain Archival Fellowship will provide a current student or recent graduate of a conservation or bookbinding program with an immersive learning and work experience at one of the nation’s most important research libraries. The fellowship recipient’s work will focus primarily on hands-on preservation and conservation of books and bound manuscripts in the MHS collections.
Reporting Relationship:
The fellowship recipient will report to the Nora Saltonstall Conservator & Preservation Librarian.
Schedule:
The fellowship recipient may choose a full-time schedule of six weeks (210 hours) or a part-time equivalent in the summer of 2025. All work must take place at the Society’s building at 1154 Boylston St., Boston during regular business hours (Monday–Friday).
Responsibilities:
Specific duties may include:
- Creation of cases for rare books
- Environmental monitoring
- Stacks cleaning
- Surface cleaning
- Red rot consolidation
- Re-casing
- Binding repair
- Paper mending
Qualifications:
- Enrollment or recent completion of one of the following degrees:
- Master’s degree in conservation
- Master’s or diploma in a bookbinding program with conservation coursework
- Master’s in an MLS program at an ALA-accredited program in library science, with a demonstrated ability to perform basic collection maintenance
- Ability to lift, up to 50 lbs.; and to transport materials on and off carts and shelves
- Excellent hand skills
- Superb attention to detail
- Ability to work independently and in a team environment
Application procedure:
Please send by email a single PDF that includes a cover letter, résumé, two written recommendations, and photographs of hands-on work documenting up to 5 items to [email protected]. Priority will be given to applicants who apply by March 31, 2025. The fellowship is available in May or June of 2025.
Compensation and Benefits:
$4000 stipend. Please note that the fellowship recipient is not a member of the MHS staff and therefore not eligible for benefits. By receiving a stipend, the fellowship recipient will be considered a contractor for tax purposes and will be responsible for reporting and paying his or her taxes on the stipend amount.
Other Requirements:
MHS requires proof of a vaccination for COVID-19. As part of its offer process, the MHS will conduct a reference and criminal background check for any finalist. The MHS is not able to sponsor visas.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
The Massachusetts Historical Society aims to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. Candidates of all backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to apply. We are committed to creating a workplace free from harassment and discrimination on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religious creed, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, or any other category protected by law (also known as membership in a “protected class”).
Candidates in need of accommodation in the application process should reach out to our human resources department with inquiries.