Princeton University Library Special Collections Research Grants Program kicks off

The Friends of Princeton University Library (Friends) are delighted to announce the launch of the special collections research grants program for 2023-24. This program offers researchers from around the world access to Princeton University Library’s (PUL) unique and rare collections.

The weekly stipend has been increased this year, and researchers can now receive up to $4,800 plus travel expenses. The length of the grant will depend on the applicant’s research proposal, but is ordinarily between two and four weeks.

Awarded to short-term research projects, the grants aim to promote scholarly use of archives, manuscripts, rare books, and other holdings of PUL Special Collections, including Mudd Library; as well as rare books in Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, and in the East Asian Library (Gest Collection).

Researchers working in the Rare Books and Special Collections Reading Room at Firestone Library. Photo credit: Brandon Johnson

Grants in 2022 were given to support research on topics as far-ranging as “Ernest Hemingway in the Soviet Union,” “Medieval Coinages of Greece and the Aegean in the Firestone Library,” a “Critical History of Theoretical Physics,” and “Federal Indian Policy from Truman to Clinton.” Awardees conducted research in the East Asian Collection, Manuscripts Division, Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, Cotsen Children’s Library, and Public Policy Papers - among other collections.

The selection committee of University faculty, Library staff, and members of the Friends award the grants on the basis of the relevance of the proposal to unique holdings of PUL, the merits and significance of the project, and the applicant’s qualifications. The grants are designed to help defray the costs of traveling to and residing in Princeton to conduct research. 

The deadline to submit completed applications is Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at noon (Eastern Standard Time).

Find out more about the program and how to apply. Questions can be directed to pulgrant@princeton.edu. 

Published October 13, 2022.