Libraries

Duke Libraries Offers Summer Research Grants for Undergraduates

Sarah Dwyer

Duke University Libraries Summer Research Fellowship for LIFE Students.

Extended Deadline: March 29, 2022

Overview

The Duke University Libraries Summer Fellowship is awarded to first-generation and/or low-income undergraduate students to support library research. The goal of the Summer Research Fellowship is to strengthen opportunities for 1G and low-income students by providing financial support for original research projects. Qualified projects can be at any stage of completion and research may be conducted utilizing resources within Duke University Libraries. The Summer Fellowship is meant to encourage deeper engagement with library resources including special collections and archives and offer students in need the opportunity to further explore their research interests.  Students will have a faculty or staff member as a mentor and will be paired with a librarian mentor to help navigate their research experience. Ultimately, students will gain confidence in research skills that will support them throughout their academic and professional careers.

Examples

  • Continue research on a Story+ or Data+ project using special collections
  • Build upon a recent paper or research project you completed in a previous course
  • Extensively use library collections (such as University Archives or government documents) for a senior thesis
  • Use the foreign language collections at Perkins Library
  • Undertake any interdisciplinary research project involving extensive use of library collections

To learn about the projects undertaken by the 2021 Summer Fellowship recipients, see their reflection blog posts on the library website:

Awards are granted up to $4,500 to cover expenses such as campus housing, lodging, meals while conducting research, online trainings, and digitization expenses. Because research expenses can vary depending on the field of research and the duration of the project, students are able to pool Fellowship funding with other awards.

We expect Duke will allow on-campus housing and in-person research this summer. However, this is subject to change and subject to university policies. We will communicate regularly with fellows, but please be patient and flexible. To help facilitate planning for alternative means of researching, we will be asking in the submission form for a brief description of alternative ways to work on the project. For example, a student might be able to do part of their research using DUL Digital Collections if they are unable to use a collection in person. Fellows will have opportunities to consult with librarians about alternative approaches, if it becomes necessary.

Learn more on the Duke Libraries website.

Contact

Arianne Hartsell-Gundy

Delve into Archival Expeditions in Summer 2021

Sarah Dwyer

Archival Expeditions.

Deadline: April 30, 2021 (priority)

Archival Expeditions introduces Duke graduate students to teaching with digital primary sources. The student partners with a Duke faculty or librarian sponsor to design an undergraduate course assignment or module that incorporates primary source material in a specific class taught by their sponsor. Sponsors are not required; if a student does not have a sponsor one will be assigned based on subject area. Students have the option of drawing on the Rubenstein Library’s Digital Collections or primary source databases available at Duke.

Graduate students will be expected to spend 10 hours per week over 8 weeks consulting with their sponsor, library staff and other experts and researching, developing and testing the module. The students will work with their sponsor to establish the expectations and parameters for the module after being accepted to the program. A module can take a variety of shapes and be adjusted to fit different courses, disciplines, and goals of the sponsor. Each module should be designed to allow for roughly 1 week of time within an existing course or 10 student hours. These hours can be a combination of in-class and out-of-class activities.

Successful applicants will join a cohort of other Archival Expeditions graduate student instructors. They will participate in Teaching with Digital Archives, May 17-28 through the Duke Graduate Academy (see related article) In addition, they will participate in a brief orientation at the beginning of the program and will meet a few times during the summer to share experiences and lessons learned.

Students will be compensated $1,500 for their work. The course module will also be made available on the Archival Expeditions website under a CC-BY NC Creative Commons license, allowing other faculty and students to learn from and reuse it.

Eligibility

Any Duke graduate student who has completed 1 academic year at Duke may apply. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of faculty members and librarians. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Librarian Sponsors to be clear about expectations. Applicants are encouraged to review their project proposal with a librarian before submission.

Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Librarian Sponsor

What is the faculty or librarian sponsor’s role?

The sponsor will establish the expectations and parameters for the module with the graduate student and act as a consultant during the design and testing of the module.

What is the time commitment?

The sponsor and student should plan to meet at least once a month, more frequent meetings can be determined by the faculty sponsor and the graduate student.

What is a module?

A module can take a variety of shapes and be adjusted to fit different courses, disciplines, and goals of the faculty sponsor. Each module should be designed to allow for roughly 1 week of time within an existing course or 10 student hours.

If my student needs support finding material or building the module who should they contact?

The primary liaison for the student is the faculty or librarian sponsor, who can communicate their vision for the module.

Apply Now

Priority deadline is April 30, 2021; additional applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.

Download Application

Please send your completed application and faculty or librarian sponsor recommendation (if applicable) to:

Katie Henningsen
Head of Research Services
David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Graduate Students Can Design Course Modules for Archival Expeditions

Sarah Dwyer

Archival Expeditions.

Deadline: June 26, 2020

Archival Expeditions introduces Duke graduate students to teaching with digital and physical primary sources. Each student partners with a Duke faculty sponsor to design an undergraduate course module that incorporates primary source material tailored to a specific class taught by that faculty member. Students have the option of drawing on the physical special collections of the Rubenstein Library or primary source databases and digital collections available at Duke or elsewhere. This program is based on the successful Data Expeditions program.

Graduate students will be expected to spend 70-75 hours during a semester consulting with their faculty sponsor, library staff and other experts and researching, developing and testing the module. The students will work with their faculty sponsor to establish the expectations and parameters for the module prior to applying to the program.

A module can take a variety of shapes and be adjusted to fit different courses, disciplines, and goals of the faculty sponsor. Each module should be designed to allow for roughly 1-2 weeks of time within an existing course or 10-20 student hours. These hours can be a combination of in-class and out-of-class activities. Archival Expeditions drawing on physical special collections must include student time with the original material from the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Successful applicants will join a cohort of other Archival Expeditions graduate student instructors. They will participate in a brief boot camp at the beginning of the program and will meet a few times during the semester to share experiences and lessons learned. Students will be compensated $1,500 for their work and have the option of an additional $500 if they help teach the module in a subsequent semester.Students and faculty sponsors will present their modules as part of a showcase and panel discussion at the end of the semester. The course module will also be made available on the Archival Expeditions website under a CC-BY NC Creative Commons license, allowing other faculty and students to learn from and reuse it.

Eligibility

Any Duke graduate student who has completed 1 academic year at Duke may apply.

Application

The applicant must secure a letter of support from the faculty sponsor and complete the Archival Expeditions Application. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of faculty members and librarians. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty Sponsors with your faculty member to be clear about expectations.

Learn more: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/instruction/archival-expeditions

Duke Graduate Students Can Design Archival Expeditions This Summer and Fall

Sarah Dwyer

Archival Expeditions.

Deadline: June 14, 2019

Are you interested in developing your skills in designing learning experiences for students? Interested in engaging students with digital and physical primary source materials? Consider participating in Archival Expeditions!

Archival Expeditions is a unique opportunity for graduate students to work with a faculty member to design a learning module involving archival materials. The collections can be physical materials in Duke’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library or any variety of digital collections available at Duke or elsewhere. There are numerous possibilities.

Eligibility

Any Duke graduate student who has completed one academic year at Duke and has identified a faculty sponsor for the project

Stipend

$1,500 for designing the module; an additional $500 will be awarded for teaching the module

Expected Time Commitment

70-75 hours for module development, including consultations with your faculty sponsor

Timeframe

Late summer through December 2019 for developing the module

Apply

To learn more and apply, see the Archival Expeditions website. Applications are due June 14, 2019.

Contact

For more information, contact Katie Henningsen (katie.henningsen@duke.edu) or Arianne Hartsell-Gundy (arianne.hartsell.gundy@duke.edu).

Join Us on October 11 for a Special Event on “The New Education”

Sarah Dwyer

Cathy Davidson

The Office of the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies is hosting a discussion, reception, and book signing with educational innovator Cathy N. Davidson, author of The New Education: How to Revolutionize the University to Prepare Students for a World in Flux.

The event will take place on Wednesday, October 11, at Duke University’s Penn Pavilion from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Cosponsors include the Office of the Provost, Bass Connections, the Center for Instructional Technology, the Social Science Research Institute, Duke University Libraries, the Office of the Dean of Humanities, the Forum for Scholars and Publics, and the Franklin Humanities Institute.

Davidson is currently Distinguished Professor at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and previously served as Duke’s first Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies. In her new book, she argues that the American university is stuck in the past—and shows how we can revolutionize it to prepare students for our age of constant change.

Our current system of higher education dates to the period from 1865 to 1925, when the nation’s new universities created grades and departments, majors and minors, graduate and professional schools in an attempt to prepare young people for a world transformed by the telegraph and the Model T. This approach to education worked for most of the 20th century, says Davidson, but is unsuited to the era of the “gig economy.” From the Ivy League to community colleges, Davidson introduces us to innovators who are remaking college for our own time, by emphasizing student-centered learning that values creativity, dexterity, innovation, and social change.

In this talk she shows how we can revolutionize our universities to help students be leaders of change, not simply subject to it. Davidson will be joined in conversation by Edward Balleisen, Professor of History and Public Policy and Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies at Duke.

The Gothic Bookshop will provide books for sale at the event at a special rate of $24.

RSVP to Sarah Dwyer.