The Barry Hittner Research Fellowship in Rhode Island History supports scholarly research in the library and museum collections of the Rhode Island Historical Society. The Hittner Fellowship will be awarded annually, and in 2023 will provide a stipend of $2,500 to support 2–4 weeks of resident research in the collections. The RIHS owns and manages vast historical collections in the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center (RRC), which houses over 100,000 volumes, 9 million feet of film, and 1,200 manuscript collections comprising 10 million pages of letters, ledgers, and archival materials. Two blocks away, the John Brown House Museum holds over 25,000 artifacts which constitute the museum collections (furniture, portraits, textiles, porcelain, etc.).
During the course of their fellowship, Hittner Fellows are also encouraged to seek out additional research and networking opportunities at nearby cultural institutions including Brown University, the State Archives, the State Library, the Providence Public Library, and the Providence Athenaeum. It is nevertheless expected that the bulk of research will be done at the RIHS.
Eligibility
The RIHS welcomes applications from all researchers including but not limited to graduate students, public historians, academic scholars, and independent researchers. At the conclusion of their research visit, the Hittner Fellow will be invited to present their work and findings to the RIHS community in some public forum (in-person or virtual).
Fellowship Website:
https://www.rihs.org/fellowships/