Instructions for filling out application for a Fellowship

JOHN CARTER BROWN LIBRARY
Box 1894, Providence, RI 02912
Tel. 401 863-2725    Fax 401 863-3477
JCBL_Fellowships@Brown.edu      

APPLICATION  FOR  JCBL  RESEARCH  FELLOWSHIP  2010–2011  

The application for a John Carter Brown Library Research Fellowship consists of a cover sheet (Part I) to be filled out by the candidate; a curriculum vitae including a list of publications (Part II); a brief but persuasive narrative description of the project (not to exceed 1,200 words), preceded by a 100-word abstract of the proposal (Part III); and three letters of recommendation to be completed by scholars acquainted with the candidate’s research (Part IV). The candidate must return the cover sheet, the curriculum vitae, and the description of the project to the Director, John Carter Brown Library, Box 1894, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, by JANUARY 10, 2010.

You may print out these forms from the JCBL website, request that forms be mailed to you, or complete online. Please submit Part I electronically and then send six copies of Parts I, II, and III, collated and stapled, by regular mail or private courier. Letters of recommendation must be sent directly to the John Carter Brown Library Director by the referees and should be on hand no later than the application deadline. 

Candidates should indicate in Part I whether they are applying for a Long-Term Fellowship (5 to 10 months) or for a Short-Term Fellowship (2 to 4 months).  Graduate students are not eligible to apply for Long-Term Fellowships (candidates must hold the Ph.D. prior to January 2010).

Applicants for Long-Term awards must indicate in Part I whether they want to be considered for a Short-Term award (decided by another committee at a later date) if they are rejected in the Long-Term category.

All John Carter Brown Library Fellowships are residential and fellows must relocate to Providence and be in continuous residence at the Library for the entire term of the award.  Fellows should arrive the first day of the month, as terms are based on calendar months, not weeks.  Those living within commuting distance of the Library (approximately 45 miles distant) are ordinarily not eligible for JCB Fellowships.  Recipients of 2010-2011 awards cannot begin their fellowships before June 1, 2010, and must begin on or before June 1, 2011.  Please note that June, July, and August are especially busy months at the JCB.  If you choose these months for your Fellowship, there may be overcrowding in the Reading Room and accommodations may not be available at the Library’s scholars’ residence. 

Applications for all Fellowships will be evaluated by independent academic committees. Fellowships will be awarded on the basis of the applicant’s scholarly qualifications, the merits and significance of the project as described in Part III of the application, and the particular need that the holdings of the John Carter Brown Library will fill in the development of the project.  A good guide to the spectrum of research supported by the Library is the list of “Publications by Fellows” located on the JCB website. 

GENERAL SELECTION CRITERIA
1.   The merit and persuasiveness of the research proposal.
2.   The suitability of the project for the particular resources of the John Carter Brown Library.
3.   The achievement and the distinction of the candidate as a scholar, and the significance of his or her project.
(Long-term fellowships carry a stipend of $4,200 per month; short-term fellowships offer a stipend of $2,100 per month.  Candidates for long-term fellowships should indicate on the application cover sheet whether they wish to be considered for a short-term fellowship if their application for a long-term fellowship fails.)

CRITERIA  FOR  LONG-TERM  POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH  FELLOWSHIPS
(other than those supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities)

• Long-term Fellowships (other than NEH) are funded by the Reed Foundation (the InterAmericas Fellowship for research on the history of the West Indies and the Caribbean basin); R. David Parsons (for the study of the history of exploration and discovery); Donald L. Saunders; and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  These fellowships are for five to ten months. 
• Foreign scholars and independent researchers are encouraged to apply.  Graduate students are not eligible for long-term fellowships  (candidates must hold the Ph.D. prior to January 2010).

SPECIAL CRITERIA  FOR  NATIONAL ENDOWMENT  FOR  THE  HUMANITIES
LONG-TERM  POST-DOCTORAL  RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

• These fellowships are for five to ten months.
• Candidates must be citizens of the United States or have been in residence in the U.S. for three years immediately preceding the application deadline.
• Graduate students and foreign nationals are not eligible, but fellowships are otherwise open to scholars at any academic level and to independent researchers.

 CRITERIA FOR SHORT-TERM  FELLOWSHIPS

These fellowships are for two to four months and are open to U.S. and foreign scholars engaged in pre- or post-doctoral research.  Graduate students must pass all examinations and be at the dissertation stage before January 2010.  Independent scholars may also apply. 

The deadline for submission of applications is January 10, 2010; all materials must be postmarked no later than that date.

Announcements of Fellowship awards will be made in mid-March 2010.