Scholars from across the globe visit the William L. Clements Library to work on books, articles, dissertations, creative projects, and more. In 2019 we welcomed 23 fellows. Fellows are encouraged to present a brown bag talk or write a guest blog post related to their research.
After visiting the Clements Library one of our fellows had this to say about the experience:
The Clements Library not only has an amazing variety of rich collections but also an incredibly helpful, professional staff. During the approximately two and a half months I spent as a Fellow at the William. L. Clements Library I was able to make significant progress on my book manuscript. I made extensive use of the library’s rich collections of manuscripts, rare books, maps, and graphic materials. Over the course of ten weeks I was able to review approximately forty individual and manuscript collections, fifty-five rare books, peruse the entire map collection related to the western portion of what would become the United States, and explore a great variety of graphic materials, ranging from family photo albums to railroad and auto tourist brochures.
As we continue to refine our program, we are excited to implement some new changes this year. First, we are providing the details of fellowships available for informational purposes, but applicants are no longer asked to apply for a specific fellowship. The fellowship review committee will consider the parameters of the project and make awards as appropriate. In addition, we have reduced the distance requirement to 100 miles from Ann Arbor unless otherwise noted. And finally, recognizing the rising cost of travel, stipend amounts for some of our most popular fellowships have been increased.
Perhaps the most exciting change comes as a suggestion of our digital projects librarian, who has spearheaded a new digital fellowship. This non-residential fellowship supports researchers working remotely on any topic that can be supported by digitized library materials. Applications should identify items or small collections to be digitized in full, up to 900 pages or 0.5 linear feet total. Items must be stable enough for standard handling and able to be added to one of our digital collections. Please contact us with any questions about the selection criteria for eligible materials.
Visit our website for more information and instructions on how to apply as well as to view a list of previous fellows and their projects. If appropriate, please consider posting fliers advertising these fellowships to interested researchers. For questions, please email clements-fellowships@umich.edu.
William L. Clements Library Fellowships for 2020:
Jacob M. Price Visiting Research Fellowships were established to honor Professor Jack Price after his retirement as a distinguished member of the history faculty at the University of Michigan. Since 1995 over 200 early-career historians have received Price Fellowships with many going on to splendid careers of their own such as 1997 Price Fellow Dr. Elizabeth Fenn who recently won the Pulitzer Prize. Graduate students and junior faculty may apply with projects on any topic of American history that is supported by the collections. Grants are for $1,500 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Fellowships for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American History support research at the Clements Library by affiliates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are undertaking a research project that examines topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion or who demonstrate a commitment to diversity in the field of American History. The award will be based largely on the significance of the Clements’ collection to the applicant’s research. Grants are for $1,500 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Brian Leigh Dunnigan Fellowships in the History of Cartography are funded through donations honoring Brian Leigh Dunnigan’s 23 years of service at the Clements Library as Map Curator and Associate Director. During his tenure, Brian oversaw the fellowship program and mentored many fellows during their stay in Ann Arbor. The fellowship supports research utilizing the Clements Library’s cartographic collections. Grants are for $1,000 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Richard and Mary Jo Marsh Fellowships have been provided by Clements Library Associate Board of Directors member Dick Marsh and his wife Mary Jo to fund any project supported by the Clements collections. Grants are for $1,000 and require a minimum visit of one week.
Mary G. Stange Fellowships, funded by the Mary G. Stange Charitable Trust, offer $1,000 to support research on any topic of American history supported by the collections for a minimum visit of one week. Unique projects are encouraged.
*NEW* Donald F. Melhorn, Jr. Fellowships are available through the generosity of Donald F. Melhorn, Jr. to help young scholars gain their first experience working in a major research library. Open to senior-class undergraduate and first or second year graduate students in any Ohio, Michigan or Indiana college or university. $1,000 awards support research involving at least one week at the Clements, on any topic in American history supported by its collections.
Post-Doctoral Fellowships:
Earhart Fellowships on American History were originally funded through a grant from the Earhart Foundation and now through an estate gift by Vera Wolfe. The Earhart fellowship provides $6,000 for scholarly research on any aspect of American history prior to 1901. Successful applicants are expected to spend a minimum of six weeks at the Clements. This is a post-doctoral fellowship that requires a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications at the time of application.
Howard H. Peckham Fellowships on Revolutionary America were created by longtime Clements Library Associates Board of Governors member, Bill Earle, for three reasons: 1) To honor the second director of the Clements Library, Howard Peckham 2) To memorialize his parents, George and Ruth Earle, who knew and supported Howard Peckham, and 3) To fund research projects on America from the Revolutionary War to the War of 1812 (1764-1815). Bill encourages other donors to contribute to the Peckham Fund to help provide even more fellowships.
This is a post-doctoral fellowship requiring a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications at the time of application. The long-term Peckham fellowship requires a residence of two months or more with an award of $10,000 and a short-term fellowship which requires a residence of one week or more and provides an award of $1,000.
Reese Fellowships in the Print Culture of the Americas, funded by the William Reese Company, encourage research in the history of the book and other print formats, bibliography, and other aspects of print culture in America, including publishing and marketing, from the sixteenth century to 1900. The Reese Fellowship provides $5,000 to support one month of in-residence study in the Clements Library collections. This is a post-doctoral fellowship requiring a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications at the time of application.
Norton Strange Townshend Fellowships, established by the Avenir Foundation, offer $10,000 in support of scholarly research on diversity, equity and inclusion in American history during the nineteenth century. Successful applicants are expected to spend a minimum of two months at the Clements. This is a post-doctoral fellowship that requires a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications at the time of application.
*NEW* Digital Fellowships:
Digital Fellowships offer a non-residential opportunity to support research by graduate students, faculty, or independent researchers working remotely on any topic that can be supported by digitized library materials. We can consider proposals for items that meet all of the following criteria:
- Stable enough for standard handling on one of our scanners
- Being digitized in full (no single pages from books or selected items from manuscript collections)
- Under 900 pages or 0.5 linear feet total
- Out of copyright
- Can be added to one of our digital collections and made freely available after digitization
- Cannot be added to another institution’s holdings
Applications should identify items or small collections to be digitized in full, up to 900 pages or 0.5 linear feet total. See digitization criteria for details. Questions about eligible materials are encouraged prior to application submission. Grants provide digital files of the materials and $1,000 to support research using them.