2017 Archives and Library Research Awards Program

The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) Archives and Library Research Awards are available to conduct research using the unique resources of our archives and library collections. The CUNY DSI will offer ten research grants of $3,000 each to help grantees defray costs while conducting research in the Dominican Archives and Library.

Awardees are expected to visit the CUNY DSI Archives and Library for at least two consecutive weeks, and following their stay, submit a brief (3-5 pp.) report on their overall experience in the Dominican Archives and Library and on how our collections specifically enriched their research project. In addition, we expect awardees to make concrete suggestions on one of the following areas: how to expand the Archives’ and Library's holdings, financial security, visibility and recognition, programs and activities, and personnel.

Researchers may use the Archives and Library any time from June 5th, 2017 through December 15th, 2017, with the exception of the month of August.

Any publications and academic presentations resulting from research undertaken through the grant should clearly acknowledge CUNY DSI’s overall support.

The CUNY DSI Review Committee will award the grants based on (a) the relevance of the proposal to the unique holdings of the CUNY DSI Archives and Library, (b) the novelty and scholarly significance of the project, and (c) the applicant's qualifications to pursue the research proposed. Applicants can hail from any part of the world, provided they have proper documentation to reside in the U.S. for a month, hold permanent residency status in the U.S., or are U.S. citizens.

Student Applicants: Preference will be given to Ph.D. students who are thinking of writing their dissertation in Dominican Studies and want to explore original research and/or original approaches.

Independent Scholar Applicants: The Review Committee expects the independent scholars to have a record of publications and engagement in their specialized field.     

The CUNY Dominican Studies Library holds one of the finest and largest collections in Dominican Studies in the United States. Its holdings consist of over 5,000 volumes, including books, journals, manuscripts, dissertations, among others. We hold close to 800 Ph.D. dissertations and some Master’s theses, as well as a sizable collection of books that are rare and/or first editions. The Library has a one-of-a-kind set of publications pertaining to the Dominican people in the United States, some of which have ceased to publish, among them Punto 7 Review and Listín USA. The Dominican Library has taken the lead on original cataloguing many of the literary books self-published and donated by Dominican authors in the U.S. It holds a large audiovisual collection of documentaries, TV programs, news segments, music performances, and films, as well as recordings of conferences organized by the CUNY DSI. The Dominican Library owns one of the largest collections of Dominican colonial archival records, with over 125,000 documents from Spanish archives pertaining to La Española in the 15th and 16th centuries featured on the academic online platform First Blacks in the Americas; as well as singular periodical collections such as Rumbo and Estudios Sociales, highly reputable publications of the Dominican Republic.  
 

The CUNY Dominican Studies Archives is the only one of its kind in the United States, currently holding 1,050 cubic feet of archival materials that include personal papers, photographs, institutional documents, minutes, notes, newspapers, and unpublished music cores. Collections also include unique and valuable art pieces (The Tito Cánepa collection; Dominican York Proyecto GRAFICA), as well as the largest and oldest collection of video tapes pertaining to TV and cable programs related to the Dominican community in New York City, including the most recent donation of pioneering TV producer César Romero’s recordings documenting speeches and political events of José Francisco Peña Gómez. The Dominican Archives hold several collections of the most salient activists who were leaders in building the foundation and the institutionalization of the New York City Dominican community, including The Juan Paulino and The Normandía Maldonado collections, as well as the papers of prominent plastic artists such as The Julia Santos Solomon and musicians such as Rafael Petitón Guzmán.  

To find out more information on our holdings please visit:
/dsi/library-online-catalog
/dsi/library-film-video-audio-collection
/dsi/archives-collections-list

Who is Eligible?

Researchers from any part of the world who fit any of the following criteria:

(1)    Faculty from colleges and universities, irrespective of rank;
(2)    Established independent scholars;
(3)    Graduate Ph.D. students.

Application Deadline

We will be accepting applications for the 2017 Archives and Library Research Grants until April 3, 2017. Applicants will be notified of the decision by email by May 8, 2017.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted via email. All documents must be in PDF format.

To apply, please send a research proposal that includes the title of the project and the dates of stay of no more than 2,000 words (12pt font, Times New Roman, one inch margins), and a CV to:

Prof. Sarah Aponte, Chief Librarian
CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
aponte@ccny.cuny.edu

Please cc your submission to dsi@ccny.cuny.edu

The subject of the email must read “2017 Dominican Archives & Library Research Grants”

Please email Chief Librarian Sarah Aponte with questions pertaining to the application.

Grants are made available through funds received from the New York City Council.