Western Illinois University Libraries and CUR to Offer Resident and Visiting Fellows Program
MACOMB/Moline, IL – – The Western Illinois University Libraries have introduced the Resident and Visiting Fellows Program in collaboration with the WIU Center for Undergraduate Research (CUR).
This program invites both WIU faculty members and scholars from other universities to establish a formal partnership with WIU Libraries for a semester or summer, engaging in focused research. Fellows will also contribute to the development of WIU Libraries’ collections. In addition, scholars will lead workshops on research methods to guide undergraduate students in scholarly research.
This semester, WIU Professor of English Richard Ness and Professor of Anthropology Heather McIlvaine-Newsad will serve as the first two fellows.
Ness will assess and enhance the international film holdings at WIU Libraries, aligning with the strategic goal of building area studies collections. These include Hispanic-Latinx and Caribbean Studies, Africana and African Diaspora Studies, European and Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Anti-Racism, Intolerance, Genocide and Holocaust Studies and Women, Gender and LGBTQIA+ Studies. Ness’s efforts will significantly contribute to expanding the libraries’ film holdings in these designated areas.
McIlvaine-Newsad plans to undertake two projects during her sabbatical. She aims to create a book proposal featuring the best commentaries from the last 10 years aired on Tri-States Public Radio (TSPR), the Western Illinois NPR affiliate. Additionally, she will study the inequities in health care access for populations with disabilities during the COVID pandemic. As part of her research, she will conduct a workshop for the CUR on how researchers, regardless of their field, can employ anthropological methods such as interviewing, focus groups, surveys and participant observation to gather and analyze data.
The CUR at Malpass Library is a pilot project designed to elevate research at WIU, with a particular focus on undergraduate students. It is a collaborative initiative between WIU Libraries and the Centennial Honors College and is open to all students.
Those interested in applying to be a fellow through the Resident and Visiting Fellows Program at the WIU Libraries can contact Libraries Dean Héctor Maymí-Sugrañes at hj-maymi-sugranes@wiu.edu or Outreach Librarian Michelle Holschuh Simmons at mh-simmons@wiu.edu.
