Research Fellowships, 2023
2023 UCLA Library Special Collections Research Fellowships
The UCLA Library Special Collections Research Fellowships Program provides financial support for travel and other expenses in order to facilitate research with our unique holdings.
Fellowships are intended to support projects that would significantly benefit from research conducted on-site.
- We prioritize applications from those working toward a discrete project or publication as well as research using collections that represent marginalized and stigmatized groups.
- Fellowships are not limited to scholarly research: we welcome applications from artists, activists and individuals engaged in inquiry using primary source materials.
- Fellowships must be completed within the 2023 calendar year, and fellows will be asked to create or participate in an outreach deliverable around their research and project.
Eligibility
Eligibility is limited to United States citizens and permanent residents with the legal right to work in the U.S. and who are engaged in graduate-level, post-doctoral, or independent research.
Applicants may apply to multiple fellowships using one application packet; please specify which fellowships you are applying for in your project proposal.
Key Dates
We are accepting applications for the 2023 fellowship cycle.
- Applications are due by November 7th, 2022.
- Fellowship awardees will be notified by December 1st
- Fellowship visits must be completed within the 2023 calendar year.
Application
Your application package should include:
- a project proposal of no more than three pages
- an abbreviated CV of no more than two pages
- and contact information for one reference who can speak on the applicant’s research or research project.
Please note that the committee cannot consider letters of recommendation from librarians or staff of the UCLA Library.
Email complete application packets in PDF format to
Project Proposal
The project proposal should include
- the fellowships for which the applicant is applying
- a general description or abstract of the research project
- title and format of the project
- the applicant's contact details.
Successful applicants will have included an in-depth explanation of how materials stewarded by UCLA Library Special Collections are essential to the progress and completion of the research project.
Fellowships may support research using all processed collections and materials administered by UCLA Library Special Collections, though some fellowships support subject-specific research.
Applicants may apply to multiple fellowships using one application packet; please specify which fellowships you are applying for in your project proposal.
The Fellowships
James and Sylvia Thayer Short-Term Research Fellowships
Thayer fellowships provide support for research in any collections administered by UCLA Library Special Collections with preference to students enrolled in a graduate program at UCLA. Multiple annual fellowships will be awarded in the amount of $3,000 to facilitate research lasting 1-3 months. Awards are funded by an endowment established by longtime UCLA benefactors James and Sylvia Thayer.
Thayer fellows are required to write a blog post, between 500-1000 words, discussing their project and the research conducted in Special Collections.
Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Research Fellowship in UCLA Library Special Collections
The Karmiole fellowship supports the use of UCLA Library Special Collections materials by visiting scholars and graduate students. Two annual fellowships will be awarded in the amount of $5,000 to allow scholars to pursue research lasting from one to three months. The award is funded by an endowment established by Kenneth Karmiole, an internationally-renowned antiquarian bookseller who earned his master’s degree in library science from UCLA in 1971. The benefactor made previous gifts to the UCLA Library for the Kenneth Karmiole Endowment for Rare Books and Manuscripts, and to the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. He has owned and operated Kenneth Karmiole, Bookseller, since 1976.
Karmiole fellows are required to meet with the donor during their visit as well as participate in a public-facing program to discuss their project and the research conducted in Special Collections.
Barbara Rootenberg Short-term Research Fellowship in the History of Medicine and the Life Sciences
The Rootenberg fellowship promotes the use of materials in History & Special Collections for the Sciences in UCLA Library Special Collections. One annual fellowship is awarded in the amount of $2,000 to allow scholars to pursue research lasting from two to six weeks. The award is named for Barbara Rootenberg, an alumna of the UCLA School of Library Science and an internationally-renowned antiquarian bookseller.
Rootenberg fellows are required to meet with the donor during their visit as well as write a blog post, between 500-1000 words, discussing their project and the research conducted in Special Collections.
Contact Information
Direct questions about fellowships to:
Library Special Collections Research Fellowships Program
UCLA Library Special Collections
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575Phone: 310.825.4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
