Peter and Ana Lowens University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections Student Fellowship
The Peter and Ana Lowens University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections Student Fellowship Program is open to University of Victoria undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline.
Student fellows undertake an independent research or creative project using rare and unique materials from UVic Libraries Special Collections and University Archives. Projects can include ongoing research or new areas of scholarship.
Student fellows will be provided workshops grounding their research in archival theory, book history, and digital methods, as well as mentorship and support from library staff and faculty.
How to apply
Eligibility: The fellowships are restricted to University of Victoria undergraduate and graduate students.
To submit: Please submit a 500 word (maximum) proposal on a project you would undertake using materials from Special Collections and University Archives, and how you would benefit from participating in the program. Submit the proposal to Heather Dean: hdean@uvic.ca.
Four students are selected each year. The program welcomes outward, public-facing projects, including exhibitions, podcasts, and lectures, as research outputs.
Questions? Please contact Heather Dean, Associate Director, Special Collections, UVic Libraries: hdean@uvic.ca.
Fellowship details
Student fellows will:
- Conduct research using rare printed materials and/or archival collections from UVic Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives
- Develop primary source literacy and research skills
- Attend six two-hour long workshops during the Spring semester on a variety of topics relevant to primary source research
- Be mentored by library staff and faculty who will provide individualized research support
- Develop a public-facing research or creative output, such as an exhibition (digital or physical), podcast, lecture, or other project. Research and creative outputs will be launched at a public event in May 2023
- Receive a $1,000 research award
Key dates
Program Dates: Spring Semester 2023
Fellows must complete their projects no later than April 18, 2023 and present their research at a public event (in-person or remotely) in May 2023.
Donor biography
Ana and Peter Lowens
Ana and Peter Lowens have been avid readers their entire lives. Peter’s love is the Victorian Era and especially the novels of Charles Dickens. Ana’s tastes go more towards the mystery genre. They both agree that a library is the heart of any community and any university.
When Ana and Peter moved to Victoria in their retirement one of their first excursions was to the campus of the University of Victoria. There they found an active community of students and scholars. They learned quickly that UVic was constantly reaching out to the community, and the library staff willingly shared their expertise and resources. When the idea for creating a library fellowship connected to UVic’s Special Collections was suggested by Professor Leighton of the English Department and Heather Dean from UVic’s Special Collections, Ana and Peter were eager to embrace that exciting opportunity.
Ana and Peter recognize and support the excellent English Department at UVic with the Ana and Peter Lowens Scholarship in Victorian Literature. With the establishment of the Special Collections Student Fellowship, Ana and Peter have the opportunity to allow more students to discover and use the wonderful holdings of the Special Collections at UVic.
Meet the 2022 Student Fellows
Madyson HuckMadyson Huck is completing an MA in English at the University of Victoria. She applies feminist and post-colonial approaches to the study of Victorian literature, and is particularly interested in the development of science as a professional discipline. In addition to her research, Madyson uses skills from her Psychology and English BA degrees to advocate for youth, university students, and animals. |
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Anne HungAnne Hung is in her final year of undergraduate study at the University of Victoria, pursuing an English Honours degree with a minor in Professional Communication. Her research focuses on nineteenth-century print culture and technology, and she is particularly interested in the ethics of digital remediation and how form influences interpretation. |
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Sonja PintoSonja Pinto is a second-year graduate student in the English MA program at the University of Victoria. She completed her BA in English at UVic in the Spring of 2020. She is currently a Research Assistant for Digital Victorian Periodical Poetry and the Teaching Assistant Consultant for the English department. Her research interests include Victorian literature and poetry, digital humanities, narratology, and queer theory. |
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Amogha Lakshmi Halepuram SridharAmogha Lakshmi Halepuram Sridhar is a fourth-year student pursuing an English Honours degree with a minor in History at the University of Victoria. She is a research assistant at the digital humanities projects MoEML and LEMDO, and an editor at The Albatross English Undergraduate Journal. |
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Tamara WallaceTamara Wallace is a third-year history student at the University of Victoria, who is interested in many areas of history but is particularly interested in early modern European intellectual and cultural history. When not reading or writing, she can be found enjoying the outdoors with her family. |
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The public event for this year's fellows will take place in May 2023. Check back for more details.
Please contact Heather Dean at hdean@uvic.ca with any questions.
Applications are due on Tuesday, November 15th, 2022.
Information sessions about the program and application process are planned for November. Sessions will take place online. For further information and to register please see:
- Information Session #1: Tuesday, November 1, 10:00am
- Information Session #2: Thursday, November 3, 2:00pm
Please contact Heather Dean at hdean@uvic.ca with any questions.