Scottish Studies Collection Visiting Research Fellowships

The University of Guelph, located 100 kilometers west of Toronto, Canada, is home to the Centre for Scottish Studies—the largest research-intensive centre of its kind outside Scotland — as well as extensive Scottish material in its Archival and Special Collections. A vibrant site of scholarship on Scottish history and culture, the Centre for Scottish Studies, in partnership with the Library’s Archival and Special Collections, is delighted to announce a competition for two awards, each valued at CAD$1,500, in support of research using its Scottish Collections.

The Scottish Studies Collection at the University of Guelph Library was established in 1965 to support the research and teaching interests of faculty and students in the History Department at the University of Guelph. The library’s effort to build the Collection was developed in partnership with the History Department. Collection strengths include legal documents and political works and materials related to description, travel, tourism, emigration and settlement, culture, literature, religious and social history. Today, the Collection is unrivaled in extent outside of the United Kingdom.

The Scottish Studies Collection Visiting Research Fellowships are designed to foster original research and scholarship by scholars utilizing the University of Guelph’s Scottish Studies Collection. It is jointly funded by the Centre for Scottish Studies and the Library. The Fellowships provide a stipend intended to help defray living, travel, and/or research expenses of researchers to come to the University of Guelph to conduct their research utilizing the Scottish Studies Collection. This fellowship is not intended to cover any tuition costs in whole or in part.

How to Apply

To be considered, please forward a research statement of no more than 1,000 words outlining the scholarly context of the specific research  program, details of the program, a list of specific sources held in McLaughlin Library’s Archival and Special Collections that will be consulted during the period of the Fellowship, and documentation of any other sources of funding to support the project. Please also include a curriculum vitae and two letters of reference, to be sent directly to the email address below.

Applications will be assessed by a committee based on their relevance and relationship to the Scottish Studies Collection. Applications are encouraged from postgraduates and researchers at all career stages, from within and outside Canada.

Fellowship Details

• The Fellowships may be held at any point between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025.
• Only applicants who are not associated with the University of Guelph and who do not reside in Guelph, Ontario will be eligible.
• The Scottish Studies Collection Visiting Research Fellowship must be acknowledged in published works resulting from research conducted during the fellowship.
• Recipients will be asked to provide the University of Guelph Library with one copy of any published work resulting from research conducted as a result of the Visiting Fellowship.
• Recipients will also be invited to give a community talk about their research and experience during the fellowship.
• Recipients will be responsible for ensuring that they have appropriate permissions to enter Canada, and for arranging their accommodation in Guelph.
• Researchers will be expected to spend the majority of their fellowship time working on campus in the McLaughlin Library Archival & Special Collections Reading Room.
• Transfer of funds to successful applicants will occur after the submission of a final report at the end of their Fellowship.
• The grant does not provide general tuition support.

Application

Submissions and professional references should be sent directly to Curtis Sassur, Head, Archival & Special Collections, at csassur@uoguelph.ca.

Deadline for submission of applications: 30 April 2024

For more information on the strengths of our Scottish Collection, a broader description of the Scottish Studies Collection is available. Rare books are searchable in Omni. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any reference assistance.