September 15, 2011 Library of Congress Seeks Applicants for Kislak Fellowship in American Studies

The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress is accepting applications for a Kislak Fellowship that offers a post-doctoral scholar an opportunity to conduct research in the culture and history of the early Americas, from the contact period to circa 1819, with particular emphasis on Florida, the Caribbean and Mesoamerica, using the Jay Kislak Collection and other resources at the Library.

The fellowship is awarded for a period of up to eight months at a stipend of $4,200 per month. Applications must be postmarked by Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. For an application form, visit www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/fellowships/kislak.html.

The fellowship is open to scholars worldwide with a Ph.D. or other terminal advanced degree awarded by the Oct. 15 deadline.

The Kislak Collection is a major collection of rare books, manuscripts, historic documents, maps and art of the Americas donated to the Library of Congress by the Jay I. Kislak Foundation of Miami Lakes, Fla. The collection contains some of the earliest records of indigenous peoples in North America and superb objects from the discovery, contact and colonial periods, especially for Florida, the Caribbean and Mesoamerica.

The Kislak Fellowship Program supports scholarly research that contributes significantly to a greater understanding of the cultures and history of the Americas. It provides an opportunity, for a period of up to eight months, for concentrated use of materials from the Kislak Collection and other collections of the Library of Congress. The program supports research projects in the disciplines of archaeology, history, cartography, epigraphy, linguistics, ethno-history, ethnography, bibliography and sociology, with particular emphasis on Florida, the circum-Caribbean region and Mesoamerica. The program encourages interdisciplinary projects that combine disciplines in novel and productive ways.

For information about the Kislak Fellowship in American Studies, visit www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/fellowships/kislak.html. For more information about the Kislak Collection and exhibition “Exploring the Early Americas,” visit www.loc.gov/exhibits/kislak/ andwww.kislakfoundation.org/collections.html External

For information about acquiring a copy of the Kislak Collection exhibit catalog, visit www.loc.gov/today/pr/2007/07-248.html.

The Kluge Center was established in 2000 through an endowment of $60 million from John W. Kluge. Located in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, the center was created to bring together the world’s best thinkers to stimulate and energize one another, to distill wisdom from the Library’s rich resources and to interact with policymakers in Washington. For further information on the Kluge Center, visit www.loc.gov/kluge/.