The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries is pleased to offer the McCord Graduate Library Fellowship, a chance for graduate and professional students to work under the mentorship of Vanderbilt University Libraries professional librarians or archivists.
The Fellowship
The McCord Graduate Library Fellowship is designed to enhance the learning experience for graduate and professional students, providing a unique opportunity to engage in inquiry-based and experiential learning related to a variety of topics in libraries and information science. Fellows partner with librarians or archivists to work on projects in a range of areas, including collections, digital scholarship, preservation, and/or research, teaching and learning. During the fellowship, a library mentor supervises and provides expertise as fellows complete their projects. These are immersive opportunities where fellows become an integral part of the library.
At the end of the fellowship, fellows are expected to have completed an academic research project, a creative/artistic project, or a scholarly public engagement project, under the guidance of and in conjunction with their mentor. In addition, fellows will submit a 2,000 word (max)reflection about their experience. Fellows will also participate in a project showcase at the end of their fellowship experience.
Timeline & Award
The next iteration of the McCord Fellowship runs mid-May through mid-December 2025. Exact schedules will be determined by the fellow and mentor, but fellows should expect to spend approximately 7-10 hours per week on their research and project development. Fellows receive a monthly stipend of $1,000 for the duration of fellowship.
Eligibility
Graduate and professional students from all Vanderbilt schools are invited to apply.
Fellows are expected to participate fully in the collaborative work and scheduled meetings, as discussed with their mentor. Fellows will be expected to assume responsibility for their projects and work independently.
Apply
Applications are due Friday, May 2, 2025.
Applicants are required to submit the following materials:
2. Statement of interest that describes how the selected fellowship would help advance your learning and career goals (1500 words max)
3. A curriculum vitae (3 pages max)
4. Letter of recommendation (may either be submitted via the application form or emailed to Melissa Mallon)
A small committee of Library leadership members selects the fellows for the program, and interviews may be requested. For questions, please reach out to Melissa Mallon, Associate University Librarian for Teaching & Learning at melissa.mallon@vanderbilt.edu.
2025 Fellowship Projects
While each project has a general theme area, details of the fellowship project and outcomes will be developed collaboratively by the mentor and fellow pair.
Project 1 - Geo AI
Geo AI refers to the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze, interpret, and make decisions based on spatial data. It combines the spatial analysis capabilities of GIS with the predictive and analytical power of AI, allowing for more advanced and automated insights into geographic phenomena. This project will start from the beginning by investigating use cases of GeoAI and, with the GIS Lab, develop a project that demonstrates this emerging field with publicly available datasets. Project deliverables will include results ready for presentation to a larger GIS community and accompanying educational training to support the lab in instruction. Mentor: Stacy Curry-Johnson
Project 2 - Graduate Student Engagement
Graduate students are key stakeholders for academic libraries, and this project seeks to determine if graduate students are using the pertinent library services and resources which impact their research success. This fellow will work with the Librarian for Student Engagement and Success to conduct an environmental scan of graduate students at Vanderbilt to see how or if they are engaging with the Heard Libraries, and to understand the needs of this important student community. Preferred skills for this fellowship include: ability to conduct focus groups and interviews; effective database searching skills; and familiarity with the environmental scan process. Mentor: Leslie Foutch