The Library of Congress invites qualified scholars to conduct research in the John W. Kluge Center using the Library of Congress collections and resources for a period of up to eleven months. Established in 2000 through an endowment of $60 million from John W. Kluge, the Center is located in the splendid Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The Kluge Center furnishes attractive work and discussion space for Kluge Chair holders, for distinguished visiting scholars, and for post-doctoral Fellows supported by other private foundation gifts. Residents have easy access to the Library’s specialized staff and to the intellectual community of Washington.
The Kluge Center especially encourages humanistic and social science research that makes use of the Library’s large and varied collections. Interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, or multi-lingual research is particularly welcome. Among the collections available to researchers are the world’s largest law library and outstanding multi-lingual collections of books and periodicals. Deep special collections of manuscripts, maps, music, films, recorded sound, prints and photographs are also available. Further information about the Library’s collections can be found on the Library’s website: http://www.loc.gov/rr/.
The Kluge Fellowships
•Research in the humanities and social sciences, especially interdisciplinary, cross-cultural or multilingual
•Open to scholars worldwide with a Ph.D. or other terminal advanced degree conferred within seven years of the July 15 deadline •Stipend: $4,200 per month (up to 12 months)
Applicant Eligibility
Scholars who have received a terminal advanced degree within the past seven years in the humanities, social sciences or in a professional field such as architecture or law are eligible. Exceptions may be made for individuals without continuous academic careers. Applicants may be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals. Upon selection, and in accordance with relevant visa regulations, foreign nationals will be assisted in obtaining the appropriate visa. To meet the minimum eligibility requirements, the degree must be formally awarded by the deadline date.
Tenure & Stipend
Fellowships are tenable for periods from six to eleven months at a stipend of $4,200 per month for residential research at the Library of Congress. The constraints of space and the desirability of accommodating the maximum number of Fellows may lead to an offer of fewer months than originally requested. Fellows may be in residence at any time during the fourteen-month window between June 1 of the year in which the Fellowship is awarded and August 1 of the year following. Stipends will be paid monthly by the Library of Congress, by means of electronic transfer to a U.S. bank account.
Applications
All application materials must be written in English. Please submit an original (signed) and six copies of your full application. The Fellowship application requires a research proposal (no longer than three single-spaced pages); a bibliography of basic sources; a one paragraph project summary; a two-page curriculum vitae which should indicate major prior scholarship; and three letters of reference (in English) from people who have read the project proposal and know the quality of the applicant’s scholarship. Do not use any staples for the mailed application materials, use paper clips instead. In the research proposal, applicants should indicate the collections of the Library of Congress that will be used for research.
Application Form: [MS Word] [PDF]
Due Date
Applications must be post-marked by July 15.
Language Certification
For applicants whose native language is not English, there must be evidence that the applicant is fluent in English so as easily to conduct research, discuss work with colleagues, and make a public presentation, although the ultimate product of the research may be written in the applicant’s native language. For English speakers who seek to do research in the Library’s foreign language collections, there must be evidence that they have a command of the relevant language or languages at the level requisite for serious research.
Expectations
Kluge Fellows will give one public presentation of their research and provide a final report on their research and its results. Two copies of any ultimate product of this research (book, article, film, website, etc.) should be sent to the Library of Congress. Kluge Fellows will also have opportunities to meet with Library specialists and curators, and on occasion with Members of Congress and Congressional staff.
Awards
Up to twelve Kluge Fellowships will be awarded annually by the Library of Congress. Awards will be announced about April 1of the year following that in which the application is due. For overseas Fellows, award letters will address visa questions and include a form which must be filled out and submitted to the Library of Congress to determine tax residency status and the potential for U.S. Federal income tax withholding. Scholars who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who do not already have a U.S. Social Security number will be required to obtain either a Social Security or tax identification number, as appropriate, at the start of their fellowship at the Library, regardless of the taxability of their income under this program or exemption under a treaty with the United States. Transportation arrangements are the responsibility of each Fellow. Housing is not provided by the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress does not supply health insurance coverage but can provide contacts with commercial providers. Because the United States does not have a national health plan, if a selectee becomes ill or injured during the term of appointment, there is no provision for care.
Contact Information
Completed Applications, questions, and other requests for information should be sent to:
Kluge Fellowships, Office of Scholarly Programs
Library of Congress, LJ 120
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20540-4860
tel. 202-707-3302 fax 202-707-3595
email: scholarly(at)loc.gov
Mary Lou Reker
Email: mrek(at)loc.gov
Visit the website at http://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/fellowships/kluge.html