Library of Congress - Kislak Fellowship in American Studies

Overview

The Library of Congress' Kluge Center invites qualified scholars to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship for advanced research based on the Kislak Collection. The Kislak Collection is a major collection of rare books, manuscripts, historic documents, maps and art of the Americas donated to the Library of Congress by the Jay I. Kislak Foundation of Miami Lakes, Fla. The collection contains some of the earliest records of indigenous peoples in North America and superb objects from the discovery, contact, and colonial periods, especially for Florida, the Caribbean, and Mesoamerica.

The Kislak Fellows Program supports scholarly research that contributes significantly to a greater understanding of the cultures and history of the Americas. It provides an opportunity for a period of up to 8 months of concentrated use of materials from the Kislak Collection and other collections of the Library of Congress, through full-time residency at the Library. The program supports research projects in the disciplines of archaeology, history, cartography, epigraphy, linguistics, ethno-history, ethnography, bibliography and sociology, with particular emphasis on Florida, the circum-Caribbean region and Mesoamerica. We encourage interdisciplinary projects that combine disciplines in novel and productive ways.

Deadline: October 15 New Date!

Application Form:MS Word - PDF (59kb)

Research related to the discovery, contact, and colonial periods in Florida, the Caribbean, and Mesoamerica using the Jay Kislak Collection
Open to scholars worldwide
Stipend: $4,200 per month (no more than eight months)

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants may be of any nationality and must possess a Ph.D. degree, or equivalent terminal degree, awarded by the application deadline date of October 15 of the year they apply.

Tenure & Stipend

The Kislak Fellowship in American Studies is for a period of up to 8 months, at a stipend of $4,200 per month, for residential research at the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress will pay stipends monthly by means of electronic transfer to a U.S. bank account. Transportation arrangements, housing, and health care insurance and costs are the responsibility of the Fellow. The Library will provide Fellows with information on housing and can provide Fellows with contacts for commercial providers of health care insurance. The Library is required to ensure that nonresident alien visitors maintain minimum levels of medical insurance, and will provide information about insurers that offer qualifying policies to nonresident aliens.

Applications

Applicants must submit an application form, a two-page curriculum vitae which should indicate prior scholarship, a one-paragraph projects summary, a bibliography of basic sources, a research proposal of no more than 1,500 words, and three letters of reference (in English) from people who have read the research proposal.

Successful proposals will clearly indicate the purpose and principal scholarly contribution of the project, and the benefit to the project of working in the Library of Congress using both the Kislak materials and the Library's other collections.

Due Date

The annual application deadline is October 15, with the fellowship commencing anytime after September 1 of the next year. Application materials must be post-marked by the deadline date to be considered. Applicants are urged to consider submitting their application materials online scholarly@loc.gov or by fax (202-707-3595) to avoid any problems caused by mail delivery.

Expectations

The Kislak Fellow is expected to develop research of a publishable quality. As a Library of Congress resident scholar, fellows are also expected to make at least one public presentation about their research and to participate actively in Library events and programs as appropriate.

Contact Information

Completed application packets, questions, and other requests for information should be sent to the following address. Please note that continuing mail delivery problems at the Library may require submitting the application packet by fax or email, to insure delivery by the deadline date:

The Kislak Fellowship in American StudiesLibrary of Congress, LJ-120101 Independence Avenue, SEWashington, DC 20540-4860tel. 202 707-3302; fax 202 707-3595

email: scholarly@loc.gov

For an application and additional information on Kluge Center fellowships, see:www.loc.gov/loc/kluge

http://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/fellowships/kislak.html

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