News

Call for Applications: Summer Research Fellowships

Michigan State University, Summer 2019


Michigan State University Libraries invites applications for research fellowships for the summer of 2019. These fellowships are to support the financial needs of visiting scholars who live more than 100 miles from East Lansing and whose research would benefit from on-site access to materials housed in MSU Libraries’ Special Collections. We will offer five research fellowships in the summer of 2019, generously supported by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation https://delmas.org/, Char Mollison, and the Marilee and Robert Thomas Research Fellowship in the field of the history of science.

Awards of up to $2,500 will be based on the overall promise of the research project and the significance of MSU’s Special Collections to the work. The on-site research period must run for at least one week between May 1 and September 30 of the year awarded.

Research strengths of MSU Special Collections are deep and varied, including an outstanding Africana collection. Collections include the physical home of much of the African Activist Archive http://africanactivist.msu.edu/  archival research collections, collections of African cookbooks and comics, sports and political ephemera, and many rare and unique items. Please consult our collections page https://www.lib.msu.edu/spc/collections/ for more information on MSU’s holdings.

How to Apply

Any researcher, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, artists, activists, or independent researchers, residing more than 100 miles from East Lansing, is eligible to apply. Current or incoming MSU students are not eligible.

Please submit the following documents, preferably as a single PDF, to SPC Summer Research Fellowship Applications (spcfellows@clutterlib.msu.edu) by January 31, 2019.

  • Cover letter
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Description of research topic, its significance, and specific materials within MSU Special Collections to be used (two pages maximum)
  • Brief budget for travel, living, and research expenses
  • Dates to be spent in residence
  • At least one letter of recommendation from a professional and/or academic reference speaking to the value of your project and the quality of your work

All award recipients will be required to give a talk about their research at the library during the fellowship period. Recipients are also asked to please acknowledge the fellowship in any publications resulting from funded research in MSU Special Collections.

The awards committee will begin reviewing applications promptly after the deadline and fellowship recipients will be notified by March 15, 2019. While MSU will be happy to provide information about campus housing, award recipients are responsible for making their own travel and living arrangements.