Announcements of Interest 

Have an announcement? Email your opportunity to Emily Lucas at [email protected].

Accepting Applications: Penn State Special Collections Research Grants

Special Collections Research Grants 

Awards of $4000 are available to support travel and/or research expenses while utilizing the Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State’s University Park campus. Awards are available for a variety of subject-based research, as listed below.  

We invite applications from non-traditional researchers, students, and others for whom the financial costs of research-based travel pose a significant obstacle. These funds will be paid out in two installments: recipients receive $3000 to support their research, and a second installment of $1000 after the presentation of their research talks.  

Dorothy Foehr Huck Research Award 

This award supports researchers using any of the Eberly Family Special Collection Library’s collections. Please visit our website to search our holdings and learn more about our collection strengths and priorities, which are also described in greater detail in our Collection Development Plan.  

Helen F. Faust Women Writers Research Award 

This award supports researchers whose work focuses on women writers and would benefit research by the use of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library’s collections. 

V.P. Franklin African American History Research Award 

Thanks to a generous gift from Dr. V.P. Franklin, Penn State alumnus (‘69) and esteemed scholar of African American history, we are offering a new award this year focused on supporting research in our growing Black History and Visual Culture collections. We especially invite applicants interested in exploring research topics drawing on materials from two recent notable archival acquisitions: the V.P. Franklin papers and the Guion S. Bluford papers.  

Mary Ann O'Brian Malkin Research Award 

This award supports researchers whose work focuses on the history of dance and dance notation, and who would benefit from using the Malkin collection of early dance, 1531-1804. 

Albert M. Petska Eighth Air Force Archives Research Award 

This award supports researchers utilizing the Eighth Air Force archive, which documents both the fighter and bomber groups that served in Europe and Africa during World War II and the Eighth Air Force veterans organizations nationwide. It contains books, photographs, audio-visual materials, oversize graphic materials, artifacts, memorabilia, microfilm, and organizational records donated by veterans and their families. 

William W. Scranton Research Award 

This award supports research in the personal papers of the late Governor William W. Scranton covering his legacy as a Pennsylvania congressional representative (1961-1963), governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1963-1967), chair of the Presidential Commission on Campus Unrest, presidential candidate (1964); and U.S. representative to the United Nations (1976-1977). 

Please note that not all grants will be available every year. Please refer to the current application for the latest opportunities. 

Eligibility Requirements 
  • Applicants may not be Penn State faculty, staff, or students. 
  • Applicants and their research topics must meet the individual requirements of the award for which they apply. 
  • Preference will be given to applicants that reside at least 100 miles from Penn State’s University Park campus. 
 
Application Process and Timeline 
  • Prepare application materials and complete an online application, which includes uploading a current curriculum vitae. Applications should include specific references to Special Collections’ holdings and how these collections and materials, in particular, further grant applicants’ research 
  • Applications will be accepted from January 15, 2026, until February 28, 2026. Applicants will be notified by March 31, 2026
  • Research must be conducted between July 1, 2026, and May 1, 2027.  
  • Grant recipients must present their research talks before the end of the 2026-2027 fiscal year (June 30, 2027).   
Grant Requirements and Limitations 
  • The research grants support travel to the Eberly Family Special Collections Library and related costs. 
  • The research grants may also be used for photoduplication or audiovisual transfer of research materials.  
  • Awardees are responsible for booking their own travel arrangements.  
  • for the actual costs of the photo duplication services for grantees. Grant recipients  
  • All required paperwork must be submitted prior to scheduling the grant recipient's research visits from July 1, 2026, to May 1, 2026. The research grants support travel to the Eberly Family Special Collections Library; awardees are responsible for booking their own travel arrangements. 
  • In making research and travel arrangements, please review the open hours for the Special Collections Library.  
  • As a condition of receiving the award, grant recipients will be asked to give a short talk via Zoom about their research. The talk will be scheduled after the research has taken place and must take place before the end of 2026.  
Grant recipients may be subject to tax implications, depending on how the awarded funds are spent. For international grant recipients, this may include tax implications in the United States and in their country of origin. For information about U.S. tax liability for international taxpayers, please visit https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers.  
 
Contact the Special Collections Librarian for Instruction, Outreach, and Engagement, Racine Amos, at [email protected] with any questions or concerns. 

 Call for Papers: MECARC’s 2nd International Conference

The Middle East and Central Asia Research Center (MECARC) invites scholars from Israel and abroad – specializing in Middle East Studies, Political Science, Israel Studies, International Relations, Sociology, Law, and related disciplines – to submit papers for presentation at our expanding scholarly forum. Submissions for organized panels are warmly welcome.

Submission Requirements for Proposals:

Submissions focusing on Middle Eastern, African and Central Asian topics should include an abstract (up to 250 words) of original work, accompanied by an updated CV containing full contact details: name, email, phone, and institutional affiliation.

  • Researchers whose papers are accepted will be eligible to apply for research and travel grants.
  • Registration for the conference is open to both members and non-members.
  • The deadline to submit is February 15, 2026.
Learn More