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 from the 17th through the 19th centuries.
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. Applicants for either fellowship must hold a Ph.D. by September 1 of the year they wish to take up the fellowship. Senior scholars are particularly urged to apply. The fellowships are tenable from September 2010 through May 2011, but the awards may both be divided between two applicants, each of whom would spend a semester in residence. The stipend is $40,000, or $20,000 per semester if the award is divided. Candidates are strongly encouraged to inquire about the appropriateness of the proposed topic before applying. 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.
THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 2, 2009 with a decision to be made by December 15. To apply, fill out an online coversheet , and send six copies each of a brief résumé, a two- to four-page description of the proposed research, two letters of reference, and a writing sample on a relevant subject of no more than 25 pages to: Fellowships, Library Company, 1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. For more information about the NEH award, email James Green at jgreen@librarycompany.org.
In addition the Library Company offers many short-term fellowships and long-term dissertation fellowships with an application deadline of March 1, 2010. See the website for details.
THE LIBRARY COMPANY, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731, was the largest public library in America until the latter part of the 19th century, and contains printed materials relating to every aspect of American culture and society in that period. It holds over half a million rare books and graphics, including the nation's second largest collection of pre-1801 American imprints and one of the largest collections of 18th-century British books in America. The collections reflect the whole range of early American print culture, including books, pamphlets, and magazines from all parts of the country, as well as books imported from Britain and the Continent. It is especially strong in pre-1880 printed materials relating to the history of women and African Americans, popular literature, business and banking, popular medicine, philanthropy and reform, education, natural sciences, technology, art, architecture, German Americana, and American Judaica. There are also strong collections of local newspapers and printed ephemera; and the print and photograph collection is rich in images of the Philadelphia region and graphics by local artists. A catalog of rare books and graphics is available at www.librarycompany.org.
The Library Company of Philadelphia
1314 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-5698