The Lord Baltimore Research Fellowship Program
MCHC offers fellowships designed to promote scholarship in Maryland history and culture through research in its H. Furlong Baldwin Library collections. Applications for the Lord Baltimore Research Fellowship Program are welcome from independent scholars, graduate and doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, or university faculty in relevant disciplines who are working on theses or dissertations, publications, or other research projects with a public-facing outcome.
Applications are now welcome for the academic year 2024–2025. Application details below. Apply here.
Fellowship Overview
Through the Lord Baltimore Research Fellowship, we welcome applications on all periods and aspects of Maryland’s social, political, and cultural history. Our goal is to foster research across a breadth of historical fields and areas of interests, while drawing on the collections within the H. Furlong Baldwin Library. Applications should demonstrate a strong tie between the proposed research project and the Library’s collections.
Focus for 2024–2025: We invite proposals from a wide spectrum of Maryland history and culture topics. For the 2024–2025 year, special consideration will be given to proposals pertaining to two themes:
- Looking ahead to America250, the United States Semiquincentennial.
- The long struggle for civil rights in Maryland.
Fellowship terms: Two fellowships will be awarded for the academic year. Applications are due December 31, 2023. Selected candidates will be invited to an interview in February 2024 and awards will be offered by April 30, 2024. The term of the fellowship ranges from June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2025. Research may be broken up in shorter visits over that year. Applicants with a minimum of 10 days planned research will be considered.
FELLOWSHIP BENEFITS
Fellows receive:
- A $1,000 stipend to defray travel expenses.
- A one-year membership to MCHC, providing access to both the Museum and Library, as well as to select lectures and events.
- Special Library privileges, including increased access outside public opening hours.
- Individualized research support and support toward publication opportunities.
FELLOWSHIP REQUIREMENTS
As part of the fellowship, recipients must:
- Submit a one- to two-page report with an annotated bibliography at the conclusion of the residency.
- Contribute a post about their research to MCHC’s underbelly blog.
- Provide a public talk discussing their findings and research process at MCHC.
- We also encourage fellows to submit an article for possible publication to our peer-reviewed journal, Maryland Historical Magazine.
REVIEW PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of internal and external reviewers, including librarians and scholars familiar with the MCHC collections. Reviewers will assess the soundness of research proposals and the ways in which the MCHC collections support those proposals. Preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate a strong tie between the intended research and materials in the H. Furlong Baldwin Library.
After the initial review stage, selected candidates will be asked to participate in an online interview in February 2024. Awards will be offered by April 30, 2024.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications are accepted through our online application system (account creation required). Applications may be saved and returned to before submitting.
To apply, candidates should prepare:
- A short (300 words or less) abstract about the intended research project.
- A list of collections of interest in the H. Furlong Baldwin Library that you believe will be useful to your research. Take time to search the Library catalog and finding aids, and be as specific with collection names and numbers as possible.
- A CV or resume.
- A more in-depth (between 1,500 and 2,500 words) summary of your overall research project and your planned research at MCHC. This summary should include the current status of your research project and how the MCHC collections will be useful to the project.
- A writing sample between 2,000 and 4,000 words that demonstrates your writing, research, and analytical skills.
- Contact information for two individuals familiar with your scholarly work.
Please note: Prior to the beginning of the fellowship, accepted fellows are subject to a background check.
Applications are due December 31, 2023. Apply here.
If you have questions about the Lord Baltimore Fellowship Research Program, contact Martina Kado, Vice President of Research and France-Merrick Director of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library, at mkado@mdhistory.org.