Associate Librarian, Operations and Communications

About the role

The Mother Church Reading Room is a vibrant spiritual oasis in the city of Boston for neighbors, local college students, Church members, and visiting tourists. The Reading Room team ensures that every visitor is welcomed and helped with professionalism, spiritual discernment, and care. This position supports efficient and orderly day-to-day operations of the Reading Room, assisting the entire department with tasks including technology support, submitting work and supply orders, compiling reports, maintaining department records (minute-taking and online file management), and serving as backup scrum master. The role also includes serving ongoing, weekly shifts in the Reading Room.

The Reading Room affords daily opportunities to answer questions about Christian Science, requiring spiritual discernment, wisdom, and love. Developing and maintaining expert knowledge of products published or sold by the Christian Science Publishing Society—and recommending them to meet specific needs—is essential. Contributing to an uplifting environment of healing and spiritual discovery is equally important.

Church founder Mary Baker Eddy describes the ideal candidate in the Church Manual: “He or she shall have no bad habits, shall have had experience in the Field, shall be well educated, and a devout Christian Scientist” (Man. 63:23–2). The Librarian and all Associate Librarians strive to uphold the standard of conduct: “No idle gossip, no slander, no mischief-making, no evil speaking shall be allowed” (Man. 81:23). The Associate Librarian prays for and metaphysically defends the mission and activity of The Mother Church Reading Room.

Responsibilities

Operations and Communications Duties

• Strengthen TMCRR culture through discerning needs and responding.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of TMCRR operations, procedures, and personnel.
• Oversee timely day-to-day office administration, including submitting work orders, tracking, and ordering supplies.
• Gather and compile fruitage, sales data, and other information for reports delivered to stakeholders.
• Maintain clean and organized office and break spaces in TMCRR and the Publishing House offices, including arranging for equipment repairs.
• Recommend opportunities for process improvements.
• Partner with the Office of the CIO (OCIO) to maintain TMCRR technology and resolve problems promptly.
• Serve as level-one support for all Reading Room technology on weekdays, evenings, and weekends; escalate issues to Assistant Manager and OCIO as needed.
• Train staff on necessary technology.
• Prepare for and participate in weekly Agile team meetings.
• Serve as a backup to other team members when they are out of the office.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Associate Librarian Duties

• Pray for, support, and contribute to the healing atmosphere in the Reading Room.
• Handle sales and visitor service/satisfaction during shifts in The Mother Church Reading Room.
• Communicate the unique role of The Mother Church Reading Room to visitors.
• Maintain expert knowledge of products published or sold by the Christian Science Publishing Society and recommend them to meet visitors' needs.
• Possess a solid knowledge of the life and work of Mary Baker Eddy.
• Stay informed about current developments in The Mother Church’s departments, the edifice, the How Do You See the World? experience, The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Christian Science Publishing Society publications, and other Mother Church programs to provide accurate information to visitors and callers.
• Graciously correct misconceptions about Christian Science in a wise and Christian manner.
• Assess situations quickly and respond with prayer and practical steps to support resolution.
• Host and coordinate events in the Reading Room, including technical setup and facilitating discussions.
• Learn new technologies/procedures as the Reading Room evolves.
• Contribute to daily reports when on shift.
• Master detailed daily procedures for opening and closing the Reading Room, preparing for visitors, and handling literature.
• Maintain welcoming and neat areas.
• Attend and contribute to staff meetings.
• Stay informed about current trends in spirituality, spiritual healing, and church.
• Collaborate with team members on projects supporting the Reading Room and Mother Church activities, as determined by the Manager.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or 3-5 years of experience in tourism/hospitality, retail, or event planning.
• Experience in communications, non-profit work, or interfaith settings is desirable.
• Experience communicating about Christian Science to the public.
• Experience in the Christian Science field (e.g., branch church work, Reading Room).
• Deep understanding and valuing of the mission and goals of The Mother Church, the life and writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the history of the Christian Science movement, and the purpose of Reading Rooms.
• Resilient, composed, and adaptable to changing circumstances and routines.
• Detail-oriented, team-oriented, self-starting, and enjoys challenges.
• Ability to prioritize tasks, multitask, and meet deadlines with little to no supervision.
• Commitment to providing a high-level customer experience.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with collecting and analyzing data preferred.
• Able to handle monetary transactions accurately.
• Familiarity with workflow management platforms; Agile experience preferred.
• Patience, humility, intuition, and openness to new ideas and ways of communicating.
• Flexible, compassionate, and a desire to serve in the spirit of doing whatever is necessary.

Skills

• Current with technology trends.
• Experience with Trello, Point of Sale systems, databasing software, website platforms, Slack, and Adobe products is a plus.
• Ability to learn new technology quickly and proficiently.
• Comfortable searching the Internet for solutions.
• Strong familiarity with both Mac and PC operating systems.
• Provides basic technical assistance and troubleshooting as needed.
• Proficient using the latest versions of Google Suite.

Work Environment

• Warm and energetic work environment with motivated staff dedicated to the mission of the Church.
• Opportunities for professional growth through mentorship and other professional development.
• Majority of time spent in either a retail/sales environment (Reading Room) or an office environment (Publishing House).
• Availability to work some evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.
• Works on multiple projects simultaneously while assisting with last-minute questions, issues, or projects.
• Activities include walking outside between buildings, being on your feet for extended periods, carrying items up to 20 pounds, and sitting for long periods in an office environment.

Qualifications

• Membership in The Mother Church and Primary Class instruction preferred.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $33.90 - $50.85 hourly. The offered salary will be determined by factors such as the applicant’s relevant education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, benchmarking, work location, and internal equity.