Postdoctoral Fellowship in Academic Libraries 2009

PLEASE NOTE: The application period for the 2009 Postdoctoral Fellowship program is closed. The information presented below is from the last application cycle and is provided as background information only.

Download a one-page flyer describing this fellowship >>

Patricia Hswe University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign "As a Fellow, I was engaged in a wide variety of projects: an inventory of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian digital projects; the digitization of a 20th-century Czech and Slovak poster collection; the organization of library tours conducted in languages such as Chinese, Korean, French, Russian, and Thai; and the planning of workshops on text encoding and digitization. The post-doc experience introduced me to alternative career paths and to alternative ideas for tenure-worthy scholarship that "thinks outside the box" of the book. As a result I am committed to fostering strong collaborations between faculty and librarians/archivists toward re-shaping the idea of scholarship in the academy. In my current position, as Project Manager for NDIIPP (National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program) Partner Projects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I help oversee digital preservation research. NDIIPP draws on the expertise of faculty, librarians, and research scientists at universities across the country, as we work toward scalable solutions for preserving digital materials, many of them of paramount cultural and historical import." Current and past fellows Fellows' projects and publications Wesley Raabe University of Nebraska-Lincoln "During the period of the CLIR fellowship, I expanded my knowledge of digital projects and came to better appreciate the collaborative relationship between scholars and librarians as co-creators and as disseminators of knowledge. I also used the fellowship period to push my own work forward. I trust that my work will appeal to a broader audience than it would have without the fellowship experience." Current and past fellows Fellows' projects and publications Elizabeth Waraksa University of California, Los Angeles "The CLIR fellowship has enabled me to keep on doing the things that I love—research, reference, and instruction—while also providing me with the opportunity to learn new skills in the library, such as TEI XML for my work on the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. I have also gained insight into the nature and challenges of collaborative and committee work, which is extremely instructive after the largely solitary experience of writing a dissertation. I feel that the CLIR postdoc offers a special kind of on-the-job training that prepares one well for a future in academia; it provides a glimpse into the full range of possible careers for Humanities doctorates." Current and past fellows Fellows' projects and publications Amanda Watson University of Virginia "I was interested in librarianship and information science but not sure whether I wanted to leap into library school immediately after getting my Ph.D. The CLIR fellowship let me explore a wide range of aspects of academic librarianship, try out different roles, and decide what kind of librarian I wanted to become. The fellowship experience also connected me with a network of colleagues and friends in the library and digital humanities fields. Their excitement and imagination were contagious. I’m now a research and instruction librarian with an MSLIS, a position I doubt I’d have without the experiences and contacts from my year as a postdoctoral fellow." Current and past fellows Fellows' projects and publications Tim Stinson Johns Hopkins University "The two years that I spent as a CLIR postdoctoral fellow provided me with numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth, and my experiences continue to shape my career in fundamental ways. For example, my work on the Roman de la Rose Digital Library afforded me the chance to learn about digital publishing, intellectual property and copyright, funding insitutions and grant writing, and communications between scholars and librarians. Such knowledge is increasingly important in any academic career, but is often not covered in the course of one's graduate education and difficult to obtian while tending to the demands of a busy professional life. The CLIR fellowship provides an ideal environment for expanding one's professional horizons through an exploration of these issues, and of learning about academic libraries and their connections both to the universities they serve and the broader world of scholarship and education." Current and past fellows Fellows' projects and publications

Information for Applicants

Radical changes in the information landscape are transforming traditional academic roles and the roles of libraries within the academy. This program prepares a new generation of librarians and scholars for work at the intersections of scholarship, teaching and librarianship in the emerging research environment.

CLIR Postdoctoral Library Fellows work on projects that exploit current information technology to forge, renovate, and strengthen connections between academic library collections and their users. The program offers scholars the chance to develop new research models, collaborate with information specialists and explore new career opportunities. Participating libraries benefit from the expertise of accomplished humanists who can invigorate approaches to collection use and teaching, contribute field-specific knowledge and provide insight into the future of scholarship.

Frequently Asked Questions for Applicants

Additional Background Documents

Program Timeline

The application deadline was December 30, 2008.

Applications and all accompanying information were to be submitted to CLIR, postmarked no later than December 30, 2008.

The seminar will be held July 19-28, 2009 at Bryn Mawr College. The fellowship will begin in mid-summer 2009 (dates will vary somewhat by institution).

Host Institutions

The following institutions will be offering fellowship placements. More information on each may be found by clicking on the institution's name. Other institutions will be added to this list. (NOTE: All positions have been filled.)

Application and Selection Process

A complete application consists of the following items:

Before applying, please ensure that you

All supporting documentation must be sent to CLIR by mail.

Applicants must supply their reference providers with instructions in the document entitled "Reference Letter," which may be downloaded through the online application form. All reference letters must be received by CLIR as signed, sealed originals.

Questions about the application process or the program should be directed to Alice Bishop, Special Projects Associate, at abishop@clir.org.

Supporting documentation should be sent to:

Postdoctoral Fellowship
Council on Library and Information Resources
1752 N Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036-2909 USA

TO CHECK THE STATUS OF A SUBMITTED APPLICATION: You may check the status of your previously submitted application at any time by accessing the online application form. As your supporting materials are received, the date each is processed will be noted next to each item. When all supporting materials have been received and processed by our office, your application's status will change from "submitted" to "complete". Please note that processing time may be 6-8 weeks, due to the volume of materials we receive. We cannot comment on the status of individual applications during the processing period, but your account will be updated as your materials are processed.