FELLOWSHIPS FOR YALE GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
June 1, 2006 - May 31, 2007

Application Requirements

The Beinecke Library offers, on a competitive basis, research fellowships to Yale graduate and professional students who wish to consult the Beinecke collections as a primary basis for their research. Graduate students seeking these fellowships will be expected to have completed their course work, have passed their qualifying examinations, and be prepared to pursue research based upon an approved dissertation prospectus. Professional school students seeking these fellowships will be expected to be engaged in research for the approved culminating project required for the completion of their degrees, with the normal expectation that this project will be undertaken from the summer before through the final year of study.

Short-term and long-term fellowships are available, depending on students' needs. Short-term fellowships, available for one, two or three months, may be held outside of the academic year or in combination with research fellowships from other institutions. Long-term fellowships are for one full semester. Recipients are required to be regular readers in the Beinecke reading room during the course of their fellowship and may not hold concurrent teaching positions. The fellowship stipend is $10,750 per semester, with short-term fellowships funded at a rate of $2,750 per month.

The applicant is required to submit the following materials to the Director of the Beinecke Library:

Graduate Students: an application form, a résumé, a brief research proposal (not to exceed three pages), and an approved prospectus (or as pending).

Professional School Students: an application form, a résumé, a brief research proposal (not to exceed three pages), and a statement of the manner in which this project fulfills the culminating requirement in the student's professional school.

All proposals must explain in detail the specific relationship between the Beinecke collections and the applicant's proposed research. The applicant must also arrange to have two confidential letters of recommendation sent to the Beinecke Director, one of which must come from the principal director of the applicant's dissertation or culminating project. The proposal should also indicate the number of months (not to exceed one semester) for which the student is seeking support.

The application materials for these fellowships must be received by March 30, 2006. Awards will be announced in late April.

PRE-PROSPECTUS FELLOWSHIPS
June 1 - August 31, 2006

Application Requirements

The Beinecke Library also offers up to six summer fellowships to Yale graduate students needing to do pre-prospectus research, specifically, in preparation for the writing of the dissertation prospectus. The purpose of the fellowship is to enable students both to determine how the Beinecke collections may serve their research needs and to hone the prospectus, based on what the collections offer.

The period of the fellowship extends from six weeks to three months, to be taken between June 1 and August 31. The pre-prospectus graduate fellows will normally spend the tenure of the fellowship at the Beinecke, but applicants planning to spend at least four weeks in the Beinecke may also petition for funding to spend up to four weeks of the total period of the fellowship working in relevant research libraries elsewhere.

In addition to an application form, applicants should submit a three-page proposal, outlining the work they intend to do in the Beinecke collections and the manner in which those collections may support their prospectus research. The applicant must also arrange for two confidential letters of recommendation to be sent by the DGS and the Dissertation Advisor to the Beinecke Director. If students wish to spend time working in collections elsewhere, they should explain in the application which libraries and archives in addition to the Beinecke Library they expect to consult and why; the DGS and the advisor should address this need in their letters of recommendation.

Pre-prospectus fellowship applications for summer 2006 are due April 15. Applicants will be notified of the decisions by May 1. The fellowship will provide a stipend of $1,350 per month.

Only students whose research requires extensive use of materials in the Beinecke Library will be considered for these awards. Beinecke fellowships may not be held in conjunction with any other Yale University fellowships. Only in exceptional circumstances will applications be considered from students who have previously held a Beinecke Fellowship.

All applications should be addressed to the Director and sent to the following address:

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Yale University
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8240

For more information, write to: Beinecke.Fellowships@yale.edu or call 203-432-2956.