Volume 18, Number 1
Apr 1994

Fulbrights for Librarians/Archivists

Want to do a 3-12 Month Project in the UK?

Two fliers for the Fulbright Scholar Program have been received at the Abbey Publications office. They were sent by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (3007 Tilden St. NW, Suite 5M, Box N-UKL, Washington, DC 20008-3009; fax 202/362-3442; Bitnet: CIES1@GWUVM.GWU.EDU), and they announce the availability of awards for librarians, archivists or library administrators for 1995-96. One of the awards is new this year: the Research Librarian/Archivist Award, University of Keele. It has virtually the same conditions as the other more general award, the same deadline for applications (August 1, 1994), the same number to call to request application materials (202/686-7878), and the same person to call if you have questions (Dr. Karen Adams, 202/895-5393). The more general award is reproduced below.

Professional Librarian/Archivist Award

1995-96 Fulbright Program with the United Kingdom

The Fulbright commission in London has announced the availability of an award for a practicing librarian to pursue professional work in the United Kingdom. This competitive award is available under the U.K. Fulbright Scholar Program to provide an opportunity for librarians to broaden their professional perspective and enhance cross-cultural skills and insights at a degree-awarding institution or major research library. The purpose of the award is to promote the exchange of ideas between library staff in the U.S. and the U.K. and to enable participants to acquire knowledge and experience of library work in a different setting.

• Applications will be accepted from individuals working as librarians, library administrators, or archivists at four-year colleges and universities or major research libraries outside of higher education. Proposals from library science educators are not appropriate to this award, which is designed for full-time practitioners.
• Applicants must hold U.S. citizenship and a full-time library post at a university or major research library. A minimum of five years continuous professional experience is also required. A Master of Library Science degree is expected, though extensive professional service may in some cases be substituted for the degree. The program is designed for mid-career professionals who hold positions appropriate to implementing new ideas and gain insights from the exchange experience.
• Each applicant is responsible for arranging a work affiliation with a university library, major research library, or national library in the United Kingdom. A list of British institutions which are eligible for participation in the award is available through CIES. A letter of invitation must be submitted with the application.
• Projects may be single purpose or comparative in scope; they may be investigative or operational in focus. Professional work attachments should involve some consideration of relevant issues of a larger magnitude than basic employment abroad. Proposals which have a pragmatic bearing on issues of common concern to librarians in the U.S. and U.K. are particularly welcome.
• Awards are for a minimum duration of three months between 9/95 and 8/96, and candidates are expected to be on paid leave of absence from their home institution as a condition of the grant. The grantee will receive a fixed grant of approximately 3,000 British pounds sterling to cover travel and other expenses.
• At the time of application candidates must submit evidence that arrangements have been worked out with one of the eligible U.K. libraries to host the candidate and to carry out the proposed project.

Application and Selection

Persons who have lived abroad for the full ten-year period immediately preceding the time of application or who have had a previous Fulbright award within the last three years are ineligible. Candidates must be in sound physical and mental health and be adaptable to new situations.

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars, which administers the Fulbright senior scholar awards, will appoint an independent professional review committee to screen and nominate candidates. Final selection is made by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the Fulbright Commission in the United Kingdom. The recommendations of the CIES review committee will be based upon the professional qualifications of the applicants and the quality and significance of their proposals within the purpose and framework of the fellowhip.

Applicants should prepare a project statement describing the nature of the proposed endeavor and the significance of the project to the field and to the applicant's professional development. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of the comparative merits of the projects submitted, the significance of the project to the profession and to the applicant's personal development.

Application/Deadline

Applications are due AUGUST 1, 1994. A completed application form, five-page project statement, resume, letter of invitation, and four letters of reference are required.