Through a collaborative effort of the Ivan Doig Center for the Study of the Lands & Peoples of the North American West, the Archives and Special Collections (ASC) department of the MSU Library, and the Friends of MSU Library, Montana State University will begin offering a $2,000 annual award to facilitate research into collections held by ASC.
The award is intended to defray the costs of either travel to Bozeman to conduct research; to facilitate digitization of portions of a collection to allow a researcher to work remotely; or a mix of the two. Recipients may be academics (including graduate students) or independent scholars.
Recipients should have a proven track record of accomplishment (or promise, in the case of graduate students) in their scholarly or creative work. Applicants may use any of the unrestricted holdings of the MSU Archives and Special Collections, including manuscripts, MSU archives, the Trout and Salmonid collection, or Special Collections books.
The awardee will share the preliminary results of their work in a public presentation with the library and the Doig Center either during residency or within 30 days of receiving digitized materials and will complete a creative or scholarly work within one calendar year from the date of the award. A copy of the work should be submitted to the head of Archives and Special Collections.
Applications should consist of:
- A cover letter;
- A statement of purpose of no more than 1500 words describing the project, the collections the researcher plans to consult, and the anticipated final product;
- A budget for travel, digitization, or a combination of the two;
- A 2-3 page curriculum vitae.
Send applications to the Head of Archives and Special Collections, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, at jodi.allisonbunnell@montana.edu by June 25, 2021.
Applications will be evaluated by a joint committee composed of the director of the Doig Center, a member of the ASC faculty, and a member of the Friends board.
Criteria for evaluation:
- Evidence of an appropriate range and depth of ASC collections to be used;
- Significance and originality (or a fresh treatment) of the proposed topic;
- Quality of writing and organization;
- Applicant’s past record of successfully publishing or otherwise disseminating academic or creative works, or in the case of graduate students, demonstrated promise of success;
- Proposed budget for travel, digitization, or both.
The award will be announced by July 16, 2021. Recipients will receive $1,000 at the start of the research and $1,000 after their public presentation is completed.
The Distinctive Collections Travel and Access Award is jointly funded by the MSU Friends of the Library and the Doig Center. It will be offered annually through at least 2025.
The MSU Library offers research and information resources to the institution's students and faculty, as well as serving Montana citizens and the state's business community. The Merrill G. Burlingame Archives & Special Collections features manuscript collections on the West and the Greater Yellowstone, with particular strengths in agricultural history; the world’s most comprehensive collection of trout and salmonid books; select records of Montana State University; area-focused books; and a substantial collection of angling oral histories. For more information, see https://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/.
Named for the distinguished writer Ivan Doig, the mission of the Ivan Doig Center is to foster the integrated study of the North American West. With its emphasis on developing connections throughout the humanities, arts, social sciences, and natural sciences, the Center helps position MSU as an important site for creative scholarship across interdisciplinary fields that are dedicated to advancing knowledge about the lands and peoples of the North American West. For more information, see http://www.montana.edu/doig/.
Friends of Montana State University Library is dedicated to enriching the lives of students and our community by strengthening and supporting the MSU Library. Founded in 1994, the Friends group collaborates and contributes to help develop the library’s collections, spaces, programs, and community presence. These efforts enable quality learning and research for students and faculty, provide lifelong learning opportunities for all Montanans, and heighten the profile of the MSU Library in the larger community. For more information, see https://www.lib.montana.edu/about/friends/index.html
Send applications and questions to the Head of Archives and Special Collections, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, at jodi.allisonbunnell@montana.edu by June 25, 2021.