Amherst, MA – The UMass Amherst Libraries will offer short-term residential fellowships to assist younger scholars in conducting research in Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) in the Du Bois Library.  Full-time graduate students, faculty, or independent scholars (with a PhD) are eligible to apply.  Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500 for a four-week residency.  The deadline for applications is April 20, 2012.  For more information:  http://bit.ly/dubois_fellowship.
Among the approximately 15,000 linear feet of manuscripts held by SCUA are many valuable collections for the study of social change in the United States, including the papers of the most important exponent of the politics and culture of the twentieth century, W.E.B. Du Bois.  Fellows may come from any field and any perspective, and they may work on any topic, but their research should explore the major themes that characterize Du Bois’s scholarship and activism. This includes the history and meaning of racial, social, and economic justice; the problems of democracy and political inclusion; the role of capitalism in world affairs; and the global influence of African cultures.
In addition to the Du Bois Papers, the UMass Amherst Libraries house over three million volumes and a rich suite of electronic resources to support advanced research in the humanities.  Comprehensive, searchable guides and finding aids to SCUA’s collections are available online at http://www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/.
Fellows will be selected on a competitive basis from applicants interested in conducting original research in the Du Bois Papers and other SCUA collections. The criteria for selection will include the potential of the proposal to contribute to scholarship; its fit with Du Boisian themes; the need for the use of SCUA’s collections; and a letter of support.  The application will consist of a brief (up to three pages) description of the research project, curriculum vitae, and the letter of support.  At the end of their consecutive four-week residency, fellows will deliver a public talk on their research.
For more information, contact Rob Cox, head of Special Collections and University Archives, at rscox@library.umass.edu, or (413) 545-6842.