Archives & Special Collections invites scholars, researchers, and artists at any career stage to apply for travel support for their work in the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection from the Billie M. Levy Travel and Research Grant fund. The Northeast Children’s Literature Collection includes over 100 archives of notable illustrators and authors of children’s literature from or identified with the Northeast and East Coast of the United States and over 40,000 volumes of children’s literature. The collections emphasize the perception of children’s literature as a form of art and materials document the process of children’s book creation by illustrators and authors in collaboration with agents, editors, designers, and publishers.
Grants of $2,500 will be awarded annually on a competitive basis. Applicants are selected by the Head of Archives & Special Collections and the Archivist for the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. Criteria for selection include demonstrated significance of the proposed project, necessity of consulting the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection in support of the project, and letters of support.
The grant recipient agrees to consult the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection for the purpose outlined in the project proposal and to describe the value of the research experience in relation to the project.
Applicants should submit the following materials with their application:
- brief description (no more than two pages) of the project
- preliminary list of collections to be consulted
- resume
- two letters of support attesting to the value of the project
Deadline: Applications are accepted and reviewed annually. The deadline for submission is January 30 for research visits between March and February. Applicants will receive written notification, if their proposal is approved, within one month of the deadline. Grant funds are paid following completion of the requirements of the fellowship. A minimum period of eight weeks is necessary to process and deliver the award check.
About the Billie M. Levy Travel and Research Grant Fund
The Billie M. Levy Travel and Research Grant was established in 2002 through the generous gifts of private donors in honor of Billie M. Levy. Levy is a founding donor to the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. A librarian, teacher and lifelong collector of children’s literature, Levy has described reading as a view through a window to a new world and the marriage of pictures and words in a picture book as magic. Committed to sharing her passion for children’s literature with others, in 1983 Levy donated 3,000 books to UConn, leading to the establishment of the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. Among the books is documented the work of over 1,500 illustrators. Through continued generous donations, the Billie M. Levy Collection of Illustrated Children’s Literature within the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection has grown to 12,000 volumes. The Billie M. Levy Travel and Research Grant was first awarded in 2008.
For more information, contact:
Archives & Special Collections
University of Connecticut Library
405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205
Storrs, CT 06269-1205
archives@uconn.edu