Library Company of Philadelphia Postdoc Fellows

Deadline: 1 November 2013
Open to: candidates holding a Ph.D by 1 September of the year they would take up the fellowship
Fellowships: various amounts from $4,200 per month to $50,000 per academic year

Description

The Library Company, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731 and located in Center City Philadelphia, holds over half a million rare books and graphics that are capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of America and the Atlantic world in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The holdings include the nation’s second largest collection of pre-1801 American imprints and one of the largest collections of 18th-century British books in America. Information about the subject strengths of the collections can be found here.

The fellowship program began in 1987 and now has more than 700 alumni. Fellows share opportunities to participate in the Philadelphia region’s vibrant intellectual life while conducting their research in the print, graphics, and manuscript collections of the Library Company and other local institutions. Fellows have an opportunity to present their research publicly through conferences, seminars, and colloquia. The Library Company’s Cassatt House fellows’ residence offers rooms at reasonable rates, along with a kitchen, common room, and offices with internet access and is available to resident and non-resident fellows at all hours.

Fellowships

All post-doctoral fellowships are tenable from September 1, 2014 through May 31, 2015, but the awards may be divided between two applicants, each of whom would spend a semester in residence. There are three separate programs listed below:

1. The National Endowment for the Humanities Post-Doctoral Fellowships support research in residence at the Library Company on any subject relevant to its collections, which are capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of America and the Atlantic world form the 17th through the 19th centuries.
   The NEH stipend is $4,200 per month. 
2. The Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES) Post-Doctoral Fellowships supports research in the collections of the Library Company and other nearby institutions into the origins and development of the early American economy, broadly conceived, to roughly 1850. The fellowships provide scholars the opportunity to investigate the history of commerce, finance, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, internal improvements, economic policy making and other topics.
   The stipend for PEAES post-doctoral fellows is $40,000 for the academic year, or $20,000 per semester.
3. The Mellon Scholars Program in African American History Post-Doctoral Fellowships are designed to increase the participation of scholars from underrepresented backgrounds and others in the field of African American history prior to 1900. The fellowships promote research in the collections of the Library Company and enhances the production of scholarly work in African American history of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
   The stipend for Mellon Scholars post-doctoral fellows is $50,000 for the academic year, or $25,000 for one semester.

The Library Company’s Cassatt House fellows’ residence offers rooms at reasonable rates, along with a kitchen, common room, and offices with internet access, available to resident and non-resident fellows at all hours.

Eligibility

Applicants for post-doctoral fellowships must hold a Ph.D. by September 1 of the year they wish to take up the fellowships. Senior scholars are particularly urged to apply.

NEH Fellowships are restricted to United States citizens or to foreign nationals who have been living in the United States for at least three years. PEAES and PAAH/Mellon Scholars fellowships are open to citizens of any country.)

Application

THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 1, 2013 with a decision to be made by December 15. To apply, fill out an online cover sheet AVAILABLE HERE and send a single portable document format (PDF) containing a brief résumé, a two- to four-page description of proposed research, and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages to fellowships@librarycompany.org.

In addition, two letters of reference should be sent to the same email address in PDF format under separate cover.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to inquire about the appropriateness of the proposed topic before applying. For more information about the NEH award, contact James Green via telephone (215) 546-3181, fax (215) 546-5167, or e-mail jgreen@librarycompany.org. For more information about the PEAES award, email Cathy Matson at cmatson@udel.edu. For more information about the Mellon Scholars award, email Erica Armstrong Dunbar at era@udel.edu.

Further details are available at the official website HERE.