National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 68 | April 2004


Research Fellowships Available at the National Library of Australia

I think the National Library as a whole is a temple of scholarship—they still want to collect knowledge and translate knowledge and make it available.

Participant,
Evaluation of the National Library of Australia’s
Onsite Reference Services and Collection Delivery

The National Library of Australia has long seen itself as a centre of scholarly research and activity. Our Collection is here to be used by researchers, students and the general public. We recognise, though, that researchers in particular have special needs and so the Library has developed a range of fellowships to encourage scholarly use of the Library’s Collection.

A gelatin silver photograph of Frank Moorhouse, Balmain 1985 by Alec T. Bolton
Alec T. Bolton
Portrait of Frank Moorhouse, Balmain 1985
gelatin silver photograph; 21.5 x 16.5 cm
Pictures Collection, nla.pic-an14469309-1

Foremost amongst these are the Harold White Fellowships, now in their 20th year. Established by the Council of the National Library of Australia as the National Library Fellowships, they have offered Australian and international researchers and writers the means and the time to work with the Library’s significant collection of books, journals, newspapers, maps, music, manuscripts, pictures and oral histories. Up to seven fellowships may be awarded annually. Previous Fellows include historian Geoffrey Bolton, writers Sara Dowse and Frank Moorhouse, anthropologist Ros Poignant, and geologist David Branagan. Applications for the 2005 Fellowships close on 30 April 2004. Application forms are available via the Library’s website.

To mark the 21st anniversary of the Harold White Fellowships in 2005, the Library will be holding a conference featuring previous Harold White Fellows. If you were a Harold White Fellow, we would like to get in touch with you. Please contact Heather Clark, Acting Director, Publications and Events Branch, on email at hclark@nla.gov.au.

In recent years, the Library has expanded its fellowship programs. In 2002, with support from Norman McCann, a National Library Council member, the Library established the Norman McCann Summer Scholarships. Unlike the Harold White Fellowships which are provided for established researchers, the Norman McCann Summer Scholarships are designed to assist outstanding young Australian scholars. These scholarships are open to tertiary students under the age of 30 on 1 March in the year of application and who are undertaking post-graduate study. They offer the opportunity to spend six weeks researching at the National Library during the summer study break, a unique way for young scholars to develop their research skills and access a collection that is likely to play a central role in their future research careers. Applications for the 2005 Norman McCann Summer Scholarships close in June 2004. Visit the Library’s website for more information.

Norman McCann Summer Scholars Merideth Lake, Rachel Sanderson and Sarah Olive
Norman McCann Summer Scholars 2003: Meredith Lake, Rachel Sanderson and Sarah Olive
Pictures Collection, NL39282/803F8168

Last year, the Library introduced a new fellowship, the National Library of Australia Folk Festival Fellowship, which aims to provide an opportunity for a folk performer to research original source material in the National Library folklore archives. Open to established and emerging performers across music, dance and the spoken word, the fellowship also offers a guaranteed performance at the National Folk Festival. Our inaugural Folk Fellows, performers Dave De Santi and Jane Brownlee, performed at this year’s National Folk Festival held at Easter. Jane’s report on her experience as a Folk Fellow is also published in this issue of Gateways. Applications for the next Folk Fellowship close on 30 June 2004.

The Library also provides support for honorary fellowships offered by the Council of Australian State Libraries and the Australian Historical Association. In each case, the fellowships offered by these organisations can provide researchers with assistance to undertake research at the National Library of Australia.

Fellowships offer a unique opportunity for researchers to spend time exploring the Library’s Collection in a way not often possible during short research visits. The library community is encouraged to publicise the fellowships to those clients who are undertaking or intending to proceed to postgraduate study.

| Contents list for this issue of Gateways |