Information for Applicants
The Italian Studies Library Research Award is a grant awarded by the Center for Italian Studies and Notre Dame International to support scholars’ travel to use the collections within Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Libraries for research in Italian studies broadly conceived.
A grant of between $1,500 and $4,000 is given to help defray the costs of travel and accommodation for a research visit of one to three weeks. These grants are competitive, and applications will be reviewed by a committee. The amount of the award will be decided based on travel and accommodation costs.
What kind of research project is considered?
The award is for scholars carrying out research in an area of Italian studies, or whose project will benefit from research in the Italian collections. Applications from international locations are encouraged. Research in all disciplines is considered—with consideration whether the Hesburgh Libraries’ collections are an appropriate resource.
The Hesburgh Libraries Collections
Italian Studies collections at the University of Notre Dame are broad and multidisciplinary. The main area of interest for visiting scholars is likely to be the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, which holds one of the premier collections of Italian literature in the United States. Principal amongst materials is the Zahm Dante Collection, which ranks among the top collections relating to Dante Alighieri in North America. Additional notable concentrations include growing collections of modern literature, especially in regard to Primo Levi, as well as historical guidebooks and tourist literature about Italy. Additional specialized research collections include the Christopher G. Wagstaff Film Collection and Biblioteca Ambrosiana Collection. For questions regarding the contents of these collections, please contact Julia Schneider.
Using the Library
The Hesburgh Library is the main library on campus and is open seven days a week (https://library.nd.edu/hours). The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections (https://rarebooks.library.nd.edu/) is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Readers should contact Julia Schneider in advance to ensure that materials are available, and may register and receive a reader’s card on arrival in RBSC. Please see the page on Accessing Materials and Planning Your Visit for further details (https://rarebooks.library.nd.edu/using/access.shtml).
Visiting South Bend and ND Campus
Information on traveling to the Notre Dame campus is regularly updated on the Notre Dame website: https://www.nd.edu/visitors/directions/
The South Bend area has a range of hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation, which can be identified through regular hotel or B&B websites or through the Visit South Bend website: https://visitsouthbend.com/places-to-stay/Hotels/
The Hesburgh Library is in the north-eastern part of the campus and is served by a public bus as well as by a campus shuttle. For more information on the bus service, see the SBTranspo website and the Route 7 map and schedule: http://sbtranspo.com/routes-and-fares/
Other important details
Recipients of this award will receive notification with information on the amount of the award and on any conditions regarding the timing of the visit.
Awardees are responsible for ensuring that they comply with tax regulations. Awardees are also responsible for obtaining visas, if necessary, and for arranging their travel and accommodation.
The application form is available here.