2025 Call for Library Fellows

The John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History invites applications for short-term fellowships to conduct research on the U.S. Civil War era in the University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library in 2025. Up to six fellowships will be awarded each year.

The collections of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library number more than 400,000 books, 15 million manuscripts, and thousands of maps, broadsides, photographs, audio and video recordings, and artifacts. The library is nationally recognized for the richness of its holdings in American history, with significant strength in the era of the Civil War.

The Special Collections Library has recently acquired the John L. Nau III Civil War History Collection, which contains more than 30,000 letters, 250 diaries, and 4,000 images related to the Civil War. The collection will be available for use by our 2025 fellows.

Awards

Fellowships carry a stipend of $2,500. Fellows are given access to the holdings of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library and other units of the UVA Library system. Fellows are responsible for arranging their own transportation, housing, and parking. While we recommend staying at hotels or other accommodations within walking distance of UVA, temporary parking passes are available. Please contact the Office of Parking and Transportation for more information.

Eligibility

The Nau Center's Library Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who live beyond a 60-mile radius of Charlottesville, VA, and

• hold the PhD or equivalent degree, or
• are doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy, or
• are independent scholars with a significant record of scholarly achievement.

Once awarded, fellowships cannot be extended or renewed.

To Apply

The application deadline for our 2025 fellowships is Sunday, November 10, 2024. Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decision by Monday, December 16.

Please include the following (as a single PDF) in your application:

• a cover letter
• a two-page, double-spaced description of your project, describing the research to be conducted at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, with specific reference to the collection materials that the applicant intends to consult and the proposed dates of residence
• a current curriculum vitae

Submit the application materials via email to Managing Director Brian Neumann at bcn3xu@virginia.edu. 

Applications will be evaluated on the scholarly promise of the proposed research, the candidate’s qualifications for engaging in that research, and the relevance of the project to the holdings of the Small Special Collections Library. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Staff of the Small Special Collections Library can assist prospective applicants in identifying collection materials relevant for their research. Please submit requests via the Library’s online reference form.

Questions about Nau Civil War Center fellowships may be directed to Managing Director Brian Neumann at bcn3xu@virginia.edu. 

Past Nau Civil War Center Library Fellows