Frequently Asked Questions About Newberry Library Fellowships
- Who may apply?
All long-term fellowships are restricted to post-doctoral scholars. Most short-term fellowships are for Ph.D. candidates or post-doctoral scholars, though some awards are available for other categories of applicants. Scholars whose principal residence or place of employment is inside the Chicago area are not eligible for short-term awards. Review individual fellowship descriptions for more detailed information.
- What constitutes the “Chicago area”?
The Chicago area, as determined by the Newberry Library Awards Committee, includes the Illinois counties Cook, Dekalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will; Indiana counties Lake, LaPorte, and Porter; and Kenosha County, Wisconsin. Any scholar whose principal residence or place of employment is located within these counties is ineligible for most short-term awards.
- Must I hold a fellowship to use the Library's resources?
No. The Library is open to anyone over the age of 16 who has a need to use its collections.
- Can Newberry fellowships be used for work away from the Library or to subsidize tuition expenses?
No, except in the case of the exchange fellowships (the École des Chartes Exchange Fellowship and the Newberry Library/British Academy Fellowship). The Allen Fellowship, CIC Graduate Student Fellowships, and HAB Wolfenbüttel Fellowship can support some offsite research, but also require a period of residency at the Newberry working with the Library's collections. No other tuition assistance is available, and none of the Library's awards support undergraduate studies.
- How does the Newberry define "Ph.D. candidate" and "postdoctoral scholar"?
A Ph.D. candidate is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program, and has advanced to candidacy through approval of the dissertation proposal; it is equivalent to an "ABD." A postdoctoral scholar is anyone who has been awarded a Ph.D., irrespective of employment, rank, or seniority. In both cases, the status must have been achieved by the time of application. We will not consider applications from those who expect to advance to candidacy, or to complete the Ph.D., after the application deadline.
- What is the deadline for applications?
Applications and letters of recommendation for the 2008-09 academic year must be postmarked by January 10, 2008 for long-term fellowships and March 1, 2008 for most short-term fellowships. The Committee on Awards will not consider applications for years beyond the coming academic year. Announcements of the awards will be made approximately two months after the deadline.
- What criteria are used in evaluating fellowship applications?
In general, the Awards Committee considers three criteria:
- the significance of the proposed project;
- the applicant's ability to complete the proposed project; and
- the appropriateness of the proposed project to the Newberry's collections.
The fellowship selection process is competitive, and all criteria are considered carefully. Criteria 1 and 2 are important considerations for all applicants. For short-term awards, where fellowships are intended to enable individuals to have access to particular materials that are important to their research, criterion 3 takes on added significance. The Newberry collections must be necessary to a short-term fellowhip project. For a long-term fellowship project, the collection should be appropriate.
Applicants should bear in mind that their applications will in most cases be read by an interdisciplinary committee of scholars who must evaluate projects on an extremely broad range of fields and periods; these committees might not include a scholar familiar with any particular applicant's field. The most successful applications, therefore, are generally those that articulate the nature and stakes of the project in terms that are clear to non-specialists, and explain why the project might be significant to those outside the field.
- How are fellows selected?
All applications are reviewed by several individuals. Final decisions on applications are made by the Newberry Library Awards Committee, an internal group of scholars and curators. The Library does not release reviewers' comments, but applicants with questions regarding a particular decision are invited to write to the Committee on Awards or to e-mail the Committee at research@newberry.org.
- What is the focus of the Newberry Library's collections?
The Newberry's collections concern the civilizations of western Europe and the Americas from the late middle ages to the twentieth century. Certain collections are internationally noted, including those containing materials on the following subjects:
- European exploration and settlement of the Americas
- The American West
- Literature and history of the Midwest, especially the
Chicago Renaissance and Chicago journalism
- Local history, family history, and genealogy
- Native American histories and literatures
- The Renaissance in Europe
- French Revolutionary Era
- Portuguese history
- Brazilian history
- British literature and history
- History of cartography
- History and theory of music
- History of printing
- Early philology and linguistics
For further information about specific collections or how one might pursue a particular topic in the collections, contact the Reference Desk at reference@newberry.org or at 312.255.3506.
- If I am successful, are there any restrictions as to when I may take up a fellowship?
2008-09 fellowships must be completed between July 1, 2008 and July 1, 2009. In general, all fellowships must be completed by the end of the academic year for which they are awarded.
- What does residency mean?
With the exception of our exchange fellowships, all Newberry fellowships are residential. This means that you are expected to be working at the Library full time throughout the tenure of your fellowship, without major interruptions. Except in extraordinary circumstances, fellows may not break up their fellowships into more than one period of residency; if you cannot stay at the Library for the entire period of your fellowship, we will pro-rate your stipend accordingly.
- What are the housing arrangements for fellows?
The Newberry maintains a small number of furnished apartments in the immediate neighborhood of the Library that it sublets to fellows. The Research and Education office can also provide information regarding neighborhood apartments and hotels and other housing. Successful applicants should review the information on our Welcome page and contact research@newberry.org as soon as their fellowship schedule is set.
- May I apply at the same time for more than one category of fellowship or for both short- and long-term fellowships?
Yes. Simply check off the boxes on the cover sheet for all fellowships for which you wish to be considered. Those applying for both long- and short-term fellowships must assemble two separate application packets, using the appropriate cover sheet for each and enclosing the required number of copies in each. Applying for more than one fellowship will not reduce your chances of receiving an award. Individuals may, however, accept only one fellowship.
- May I apply for a Newberry fellowship if I have held one previously?
The Awards Committee will not support a project for which the applicant has already received a long-term fellowship at the Newberry, nor can an applicant apply for a second short-term fellowship for the same project. Scholars who have received a short-term fellowship, however, may apply for a long-term fellowship for the same project. Applications from former fellows are welcome, but all other things being equal, preference is given to applicants who have not held a major fellowship within the past three years.
- If I am coming from abroad, can the Newberry help me secure a visa?
The Office of Research and Education is authorized by the Department of State to issue IAP-66 forms that can be used by foreign scholars to secure a J-1 visa for the period of their research.
- How can I learn more about the Newberry Library and its programs?
You can return to the Newberry Library home page; e-mail questions to research@newberry.org; write to Committee on Awards, The Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago, IL 60610-7324; or phone us at 312.255.3666.