Are Masonic Libraries and Archives a Joke?

Patrick Dey

It would be without question that the first and foremost purpose of a library, archive, and/or museum would be for preservation of the documents and items. The second fundamental purpose is to ensure these preserved documents are accessible to researchers. The former ensures that the latter is possible, and the latter ensures a utility for the former. Why bother preserving anything if no one can have access to it?

If I were to give any advice to someone doing Masonic research, I would say to start at your public library. Unless you are looking for something incredibly niche and particular, such as membership records or maybe some original documents from a Past Grand Master, your best bet is to go to the public library. In my experience, lodges and Grand Lodge libraries are a waste of time. Unless you have unfettered access to a lodge or Grand Lodge library and archive, you will likely have an easier time getting something through the public library.

Some years ago, I was looking for a lodge history book. I reached out to that lodge, but knowing from experience that getting a response may take a long time, if they respond at all, I decided to also reach out to their Grand Lodge as well — and that lodge never did respond to me. It took a few weeks before the Grand Lodge librarian got back to me. He was incredibly resistant to help in any way, and when I asked for scans, and that I was more than happy to pay him or make a donation, he sent me a long email about these things are secret and email is not secure, and so forth. Frustrated, I looked up the book online and found a copy on Google Books, which I sent a link to him and said that I did not need his help anymore.

And I had a similar situation with another Grand Lodge librarian, but that book was not on Google Books, so I put in a request through interlibrary loan at my public library and had a copy in a few weeks, free of charge.

I can’t count the number of times that I reached out to a lodge or Grand Lodge looking for information or help with my research and to not even get a response. Perhaps 5% of the time I do get a response, which usually leads nowhere because the person in charge does not actually want to take the time to look for something. So it is nice we have decided to preserve these things and even put someone in charge of these archives, but if they aren’t going to be helpful to researchers, why even have an archive? or even someone in charge of the archive?

Public libraries don’t work like this. It’s not a token collection for the sake of the state’s vanity. Librarians are paid professionals who not only look after the collection of books and documents, but it is their job to help researchers. And to be completely frank, research librarians not only will assist you, but usually are excited to help. “Oooo! I get to use my degree!” I heard one librarian say to me when I brought her some queries of archival materials I was looking for.

And here’s the kicker about public libraries: they probably have more Masonic materials than many Grand Lodge libraries. Not all Masons donate their books to their lodge or Grand Lodge when they pass; many donate them to their local library. Not too long ago I was running into an issue with examining the proceedings of the Grand York Rite bodies of Colorado, but because a lot of their proceedings were lost in the 1984 fire, their collection was incomplete. I asked around and was sent on a wild goose chase to Masonic halls around the state that might have copies of the old proceedings, and either they didn’t have anything, or they never would respond to me. Eventually I searched the Denver Public Library and found that they had a surprising number of the old proceedings. Once again, the public library was more useful than the Masonic libraries.

And yes, the George Washington Memorial Masonic Library in Alexandria is no different. I have never gotten a response from them… ever. I know their Luna project is great, but not every Grand Lodge / Chapter / et al is willing or able to pay their annual fee. There is no other means of searching their collection except to travel to Alexandria or pray someone responds to your email.

Here’s another thing about public libraries: if your local library does not have a copy, another library does, and they will get it for you via interlibrary loan, usually at no cost or a very small fee. And if they won’t lend it out, perhaps because it is a rare document, one of them is willing to send you scans. Furthermore, many of these libraries and museums have already scanned their old documents, so some things are already online for free, or available by request. This is why the “Vatican Secret Library” is actually not so secret. You can look at thousands of scans of their manuscripts online. It is fantastic.

Masons don’t like to scan anything.

One of the issues is that it is a librarian’s job to help you with research, but it’s not a Mason’s job to do the same. More often than not, that Mason took the librarian job because it would help their credit, another position on their resume to help them get into a grand line or something.

Libraries have quotas to maintain funding. Masonic libraries do not. That is why if you go to your local library, you will see signs that say to not put books back on the shelves yourself, but to leave them on the cart at the end of the aisles. This is because those books left on the carts count as having been “checked out.” A research librarian tracks their searches, which count toward their quotas. But Masonic libraries do not operate like this. In fact, most Masonic libraries are token libraries, or simply vanity libraries.

So what is the point? Should we just keep membership records and trash the rest? If we aren’t going to make our libraries and archives useful to researchers, we might as well not have them.