Library Resident Fellowships

Library Resident Research Fellowship
Last updated September 2008
Download Fellowship Flyer (PDF)

Scope
The American Philosophical Society Library offers short-term residential fellowships for conducting research in its collections. We are a leading international center for research in the history of American science and technology and its European roots, as well as early American history and culture.

The Library houses over 8 million manuscript items, 250,000 volumes of printed materials, and thousands of maps and prints. Collections are renowned for their depth and interdisciplinary strengths in diverse fields, including Early American History and Culture to 1840 • Atlantic History • Intellectual History • Travel, Exploration and Expeditions • History of Science, Technology and Medicine • History of Biochemistry, Physiology and Biophysics including 20th-Century Medical Research • History of Eugenics and Genetics • History of Physics, especially Quantum Physics • History of Natural History in the 18th and 19th Centuries • Anthropology, particularly Native American History, Culture and Languages • Caribbean and Slavery Studies. The Library does not hold materials on philosophy in the modern sense.

Comprehensive, searchable guides and finding aids to our collections are available online at www.amphilsoc.org/library (see the drop-downs under “Library” \ “Catalogs and Guides”)

Eligibility
The fellowships, funded by generous benefactors, are open to both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Applicants may be:

Holders of the Ph.D. or its equivalent
Ph.D. candidates who have passed their preliminary examinations
Independent scholars

Applicants in any relevant field of scholarship may apply. Candidates who live 75 or more miles from Philadelphia receive some preference.

Award
A stipend of $2,000 per month is awarded for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months. The duration of award is requested by the candidate, but the final decision is made by the Fellowship Committee.

Fellowships may be taken any time beginning 1 June 2009 and must be completed by 31 May 2010. Fellows are required to be in residence at the Library for four to twelve consecutive weeks, depending upon the length of the award.

Awards are taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is understood that recipients will discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors.

Deadline and Notification
Applications are due no later than 1 March 2009 (receipt deadline). This is a receipt deadline. Applicants will be informed whether all materials were received. Notifications are sent by letter via conventional mail usually in late April or early May.

How to Apply
Maintain the specified page format. Type all information; use nothing smaller than 11pt. Respond to every section, and in the space provided. Completed applications include:

the cover sheet,

the project statement,

applicant's curriculum vitae, and

two letters of support ON OUR FORM, which may be submitted electronically or forwarded with the proposal in sealed envelopes. Alert your referees that letters MUST follow our format. If the applicant is a graduate student, one of the letters must be from the dissertation supervisor. Application and both letters must be received by the deadline.

Completed applications may be submitted as e-mail attachments to:

Forms

Application:

Referee form:

Address

Library Resident Research Fellowships

View the recipients of Library Resident Fellowships.