Job Description

Please note: Wilson Library is currently planning for the multi-year Wilson Library Improvement Project, which will disrupt access to special collections materials beginning in 2024. Fellowship recipients should plan to complete their research in the collections by July 31, 2024.

Wilson Special Collections Library Visiting Researcher Fellowships 

The Visting Researcher Fellowshipsprovide short-term research fellowships to support intensive, innovative, and impactful research and artistic use of the collections of the Wilson Special Collections Library.

• Short-term fellowships of at least 10 days
• Total award is $1,250

Eligible researchers include

• Faculty
• Independent scholars
• Established performing and creative artists
• Advanced graduate students

Research categories supported include

• American culture, politics, and social changes from 1960 to 1975
• African American life, culture, and history
• Women in the American South
• Literary culture and traditions of the American South
• Banking and business in the American South
• North Carolina
• Antebellum America
• The History of medicine
• Oral histories

If you are a doctoral student or candidate studying the American South and you can commit to a research residency of one month, please consider applying for the Wilson Special Collections Library Southern Studies Doctoral Fellowship Program

Questions about the fellowships or the application process should be directed to Matt Turi via wilsonlibrary@unc.edu

To view other funded research opportunities at Wilson Library, please consult our Fellowships page

For technical assistance with this application system, please contact Interfolio at help@interfolio.com or call (877) 997-8807.

Qualifications

Fellowship Eligibility

• Have or be actively pursuing the terminal degree in your discipline, OR
• Be an established performing or creative artist
  • In this case the terminal degree requirement may be waived
• Agree to:
  • Submit a research proposal and research plan that draws deeply and substantively on the collections of the Wilson Special Collections Library
  • Commit to a full-time research residency of at least ten days at Wilson Library
    • Research cannot begin until the completion of a background check for Non-UNC Fellows
    • The residency must be completed by July 31, 2024
  • Participate in the intellectual life of the Library and the fellowship program, which includes:
    • A public presentation of research findings and experiences
    • The submission of a brief research report

Application Instructions

Application materials will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Applications submitted by  midnight ET on January 31 will be given priority.

We will continue to accept applications until May 1 for UNC-Chapel Hill students and researchers and March 15 for students and researchers outside of UNC-Chapel Hill.

The following supporting materials must be included:

• Research Proposal A brief narrative (no more than 1200 words) that describes your proposed research and its intellectual significance
• Research Plan A substantive preliminary list of Wilson Library resources that you will consult during your residency. Include brief annotations about the relevancy of each collection
• Curriculum Vitae
• Two confidential letters of recommendation If you are a graduate student one letter must be from you advisor and include confirmation of your good standing within your program.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Merit of the proposal

• Applicant’s qualifications and letters of recommendations

• Demonstrated need to access in person the holdings of the Wilson Special Collections Library