Funding Opportunity: Library of Congress Mellon Fellowship (CLIR)

Deadline for Applications: February 28, 2017

Call for Applications: CLIR/Library of Congress Mellon Fellowship

Maximum award: $31,000
Deadline: February 28, 2017
Duration: 9-12 months
Location: Washington, DC

Fellowship Overview:

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is offering one fellowship award to support original source dissertation research in the humanities or related social sciences at the Preservation Research and Testing Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The fellowship is offered as part of CLIR’s long-established Mellon Fellowship program and is generously funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

The total award ranges from $23,500 to $31,000, depending on the length of the project. Fellows must begin their research between June 1 and September 1, 2017 and end within 12 months of commencing.

Information about the Preservation Research and Testing Division is available on the Library of Congress website:http://www.loc.gov/preserv/rt/. The full fellowship description, including instructions for submitting an application can be found on CLIR’s website: http://www.clir.org/fellowships/mellon/preservation.html.

What research is possible using the tools of the LC Preservation Lab?

Cutting-edge technologies and methods of analysis enable new interpretations of the Library’s unique books, maps, manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings, and drawings. These new technologies with non-destructive analysis can reveal hidden or obscured information on objects, shed new light on techniques of document and object construction, and permit a more rigorous approach to scholarly questions concerning influence, provenance and intent. See a list of available technologies: http://www.clir.org/fellowships/mellon/preservation.html/preservation.html#questions.

Who can apply for this fellowship?

CLIR seeks proposals from PhD students whose dissertation projects would benefit from the opportunity to examine original sources using the entire array of new technologies and equipment available at the Library of Congress. Employees at the Library of Congress will train and assist the fellow in using the available tools; no prior technical experience or scientific background is required.

Is there original source material at the Library of Congress that is relevant to my dissertation research?

There are 160 million items in the Library of Congress, including international collections of original source material. Search the catalog: http://www.loc.gov/search/?all=true.

Questions:

If you have questions regarding the fellowship application process email mellon@clir.org. For questions regarding the Library of Congress and the Preservation Directorate, contact Dr. Fenella France, Chief of the Library’s Preservation Research and Testing Division, frfr@loc.gov. See the fellowship website for additional information:http://www.clir.org/fellowships/mellon/preservation.html.