Academic Research Fellowships at AAS

[Joanne Chaison <jdc@mwa.org>]

			***CROSSPOSTED***

American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609-1634
phone: (508) 755-5221; e-mail: cfs@mwa.org

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1999-2000 Visiting Academic Research Fellowships at the American
Antiquarian Society

     The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) announces visiting
academic research fellowships tenable for one to twelve months
during the period June 1, 1999-May 31, 2000.  All awards are for
research and writing using the AAS library's resources.  These
preeminent collections offer broad research opportunities in
American history and culture through the year 1876.  Academic
Fellowship applications are due January 15, 1999.
     The National Endowment for the Humanities and The Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation fund long-term awards intended for scholars
beyond the doctorate, for which senior and mid-career scholars
are particularly encouraged to apply.  Long-term, postdoctoral
fellowships provide support for four to twelve months' residence
in the Society's library.  At least two AAS-National Endowment
for the Humanities Fellowships will be awarded.  The maximum
available stipend is $30,000.  One or more Mellon Postdoctoral
Research Fellowships will be awarded for an academic year (nine
or ten months) in residence at the Society's library.  The
maximum stipend is $35,000. 
     Short-term fellowships are available for scholars holding
the Ph.D. and for doctoral candidates engaged in dissertation
research.  Special short-term grants support scholars working in
bibliography, the history of the book in American culture, in the
American eighteenth century, in American literary studies, and on
or with newspapers and magazines.  A single short-term fellowship
application may be made by those who wish to use the collections
of both AAS and The Newberry Library in Chicago.  Short-term
Fellowships provide support for one-to-three months' residence in
the Society's library and carry stipends of $950 per month.
     *Kate B. and Hall J. Peterson Fellowships are for research
on any topic supported by the collections.  Stipends derive from
the income on an endowment provided by the late Hall J. Peterson
and his wife, Kate B. Peterson.
     *The Legacy Fellowship, also for research on any topic
supported by the collections, is funded by the gifts of former
fellows.
     *Stephen Botein Fellowships are for research in the history
of the book in American culture.  Funding is derived from an
endowment established by the family and friends of the late Mr.
Botein.
     * The Reese Fellowship supports bibliographical research and
projects in the history of the book in American culture.  This
fellowship is funded by the William Reese Company, New Haven,
Connecticut.
     *The Joyce Tracy Fellowship is for research on newspapers
and magazines or for projects using these resources as primary
documentation.  This award derives from an endowment established
in memory of the Society's longtime curator of newspapers and
periodicals.
     *AAS-American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Fellowships are for research on projects related to the American
eighteenth century.  The award is jointly funded by the American
Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and AAS.
     *AAS-Northeast Modern Language Association Fellowship
supports research in American literary studies through 1876.  The
award is jointly funded by the Northeast Modern Language
Association and AAS.

*Joint application with The Newberry Library is available for
short-term fellowship projects that would use collections of both
libraries.  Applicants should note that if they are using the
Newberry's application form, they must observe their January 20
deadline.  All questions about the Newberry collections and
fellowship program should be directed to the Committee on Awards,
The Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, Illinois
60610; (312) 255-3666.

     American Antiquarian Society fellows are selected on the
basis of their scholarly qualifications, the scholarly
significance or importance of the project, and the
appropriateness of the proposed study to the Society's
collections.

     The Society's collections cover all aspects of American life
through 1876.  Centered on materials printed within the
boundaries of the United States, Canada, and other former British
possessions in the New World through 1876, the library holds
books, pamphlets, and broadsides, as well as notable collections
of newspapers, periodicals, engravings and lithographs, maps,
sheet music, manuscripts, and a variety of other specialized
materials.  The Society's holdings also include selected modern
secondary works and a full array of bibliographical tools,
learned journals, and other aids to research.  The library staff
has earned a reputation for their knowledge of the collections
and for their generosity in sharing their time and expertise in
assisting readers.  The text of the Society's general guide,
Under Its Generous Dome: The Collections and Programs of the
American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, 1992), and the Society's
on-line catalogues are available on the Society s gopher <URL =
gopher://mark.mwa.org>.  The paperback edition of Under Its
Generous Dome is also available by mail from the Society's book
distributor, Oak Knoll Books, 308 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE
19720; (302) 328-7274.  Records of AAS holdings are regularly
entered into RLIN, the bibliographical data base of the Research
Libraries Group, where they are available for searching.
     The period of residence in Worcester provides an opportunity
not only for research in collections that are extraordinarily
deep but also for collegial discussion with staff and other
fellows, faculty in area colleges and universities, and other
scholars visiting AAS from all over the United States and abroad
for research, academic programs, and conferences.  Karen
Halttunen, professor of history, University of California at
Davis, author of Murder Most Foul! The Killer and the American
Gothic Imagination (Harvard University Press, 1998), will be the
Mellon Distinguished Senior Scholar in residence at AAS in 1999-
2000.
     The generous bequest several years ago of the Goddard-
Daniels House, a large and comfortable house across the street
from the library, enables the Society to offer self-catering
accommodations at a reasonable price.  Also available for rent to
visiting fellows is the adjacent furnished, two-bedroom Montvale
Cottage.  (Fellows have priority in renting AAS accommodations,
but doing so is not a requirement for holding a fellowship.)
Many opportunities for collegiality center around the house,
where the Society's seminars, colloquia, dinners, and informal
gatherings of members, fellows, and visiting scholars take place.
     More information about the American Antiquarian Society, the
collections, and programs, including fellowships may be obtained
electronically from the Society s gopher <gopher://mark.mwa.org>.
For more information on the fellowship application process,
contact John B. Hench or Caroline Sloat.  To learn more about the
AAS collections, contact Joanne Chaison.
     Application packets, containing full details about the
fellowships, including certain restrictions that apply for some
categories, must be requested from the American Antiquarian
Society before application is made. Telephone (508) 755-5221; FAX
(508) 754-9069;  E-mail: <cfs@mwa.org>. Please provide a postal
address when requesting materials.

Deadline for applications is January 15, 1999.