The Chevening British Library Fellowship is a collaboration between the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and the British Library, offering international experts a year-long professional project-based placement. Fellows will have the privilege of working with the extensive library’s collections and benefit from the broad range of professional expertise of library staff.

The British Library is the national library of the UK and one of the world’s greatest research libraries. The British Library’s collection encompasses all fields of knowledge in hundreds of languages, covering 3,500 years from some of the earliest written records to the digital collections of the present day, and range over all formats. As a public-facing, culturally active research institute, Chevening is pleased to partner with the British Library to bring international experts to the UK to pursue a one-of-a-kind opportunity.

Course/Programme Structure

Fellows will undertake a period of professional project-based activity at the British Library, receiving support and supervision from library staff. Please note that this fellowship is not suitable for those wanting to pursue their own research. As a public-facing, culturally active, research institute, the Library is able to provide a broad range of professional development opportunities for fellows. Fellows will have a unique project-based placement involving research, consultation, and strategy development, coupled with stakeholder engagement and outreach opportunities.

Fellows will benefit from embedded working and hands-on training within a specific team, as well as having access to a range of organizational training and development opportunities, such as the British Library’s Digital Scholarship programme. The library’s postgraduate research manager will provide additional pastoral support and work with supervisors to monitor the progress and professional development. Each fellow will also be allocated up to £1,000 for approved project-related expenses. This fellowship program will commence in September 2022 and is for a 12-month period of project-based activity at the British Library.

Themes

For the 2022/2023 academic year, two placements are on offer and will provide fellows with experience in strategic and policy work relevant to a national library. There is one placement per the theme.

• Automating the recognition of historical Chinese handwritten texts
• Manuscript Textiles in the Southeast Asian Collections

Benefits

Chevening British Library Fellowship includes the following benefits

• 12-month period of project-based activity at the British Library.
• Living expenses for the duration of the fellowship.
• Return economy airfare from your home country to the UK.
• Allowance package for fellowship-related activities.
• Up to £1,000 for approved project-related expenses.
• Access to a programme of cultural events and activities organised by the FCDO and the Chevening Secretariat.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Chevening British Library Fellowship, you must:

• Demonstrate the potential to rise to positions of leadership and influence
• Demonstrate that you possess the personal, intellectual, and interpersonal attributes reflecting this potential.
• Be a citizen of the above-listed countries.
• Return to your country of citizenship at the end of the period of the fellowship.
• Have a postgraduate level qualification (or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area) at the time of application.
• Have significant professional and/or academic research experience (at least five years).
• Be currently employed or a currently enrolled PhD candidate (PhD must not be with a UK/EU or USA university).
• Provide evidence of meeting at least the minimum English language abilities for Chevening Awards.
• Not hold British or dual British citizenship.
• Not be an employee, a former employee, or relative of an employee (since July 2016) of Her Majesty’s Government (including British Embassies/High Commissions, the Department for International Development, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office), the British Council, or a staff member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Eligible Regions

Chevening British Library Fellowship is available in the following countries:

• China
• Cambodia
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Thailand

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