The John ‘Bud’ Velde Graduate Fellowship Fund supports a graduate fellowship in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Successful applicants will receive an award of $3000 for research focused upon the Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s collections and/or activities.
The research strengths of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) are manifold. Comprehensive collections support studies in printing and printing history, Renaissance studies, Elizabethan and Stuart life and letters, John Milton and his age, emblem studies, economic history, and works on early science and natural history. The library also houses the papers of the modern literary figures Carl Sandburg, H.G. Wells, William Maxwell, Marcel Proust, Gwendolyn Brooks, and W.S. Merwin.
The RBML also supports a broad range of teaching for university, schools and community groups; and outreach offerings (exhibitions, regular public programming). Study of methods of special collections librarianship, such as reference, collection management and collection development are also welcome.
Velde Graduate Fellows are expected to spend a minimum of three (3) weeks in aggregate conducting research directly onsite in the RBML over the course of the year-long fellowship. They are also asked to provide output from their research in the RBML; whether it is a public presentation, small exhibition, or other method is up to the Fellow.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be admitted unconditionally to a master’s or doctoral program at UIUC or be currently enrolled graduate students at Illinois in good standing
- Demonstrated interest/experience in the humanities, social sciences, rare books librarianship, history of the book, pedagogy with primary materials, material culture, or similar fields.
Award Amount: Awardees receive $3000 for a single academic year. This award is not renewable. Awards are intended to supplement existing funding, and recipients may use the funds at their own discretion. Awards do not generate a tuition waiver.
Selection Criteria: The review of nominations will focus on the student’s academic record and relevance of proposed research to the collections held in the RBML and/or its activities and mission. Students in the early stages of larger-scale research projects (e.g. master’s theses, PhD dissertations) are particularly encouraged to apply.
Nomination Process: Applicants may self-nominate. Applications are due at 5pm CDT on May 30, 2025. Applicants will be notified of the outcomes on or before July 15. The award will be furnished at the beginning of the fall semester (August 16).
Nominees must provide:
1) Curriculum vitae/resume
2) Informal transcript/listing of current/relevant academic coursework to proposed project
3) A Research Proposal no more than 1500 words in length
4) Two supporting letters (under separate cover) from professional and/or academic references addressing the merits of your proposal (please include names, addresses, email, and telephone numbers)
For more information and to submit applications, contact:
Lynne M. Thomas, Head
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library
University of Illinois Library, Room 346
1408 West Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
USA
email Lynne M. Thomas (lmt@illinois.edu)