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. Please Note: The application portal for the 2022/2023 fellowship year is now closed. Please check back in late 2022 for details on the 2023/2024 fellowship year. Learn more about the fellowship program and the application process below. 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 2022/2023: While proposals from a wide spectrum of Maryland history and culture topics are invited, special consideration will be given for the 2022-2023 year to topics pertaining to the long struggle for civil rights in the state. Fellowship terms: Two fellowships will be awarded for the academic year. Applications are due January 10, 2022, and awards will be offered by April 1, 2022. The maximum term of the fellowship ranges from June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023. 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 $500 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.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 his/her findings and research process at MCHC.We also encourage fellows to submit an article for possible publication to our peer-reviewed 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. 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 specific with collection names and numbers, when 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. If you have questions about the Lord Baltimore Fellowship Research Program, contact Catherine Mayfield, France-Merrick Director of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library, at cmayfield@mdhistory.org.
