Deadline: May 15, 2026
Applications are open for the Chevening British Library Fellowships 2026. The Chevening Southeast Europe British Library Fellowship offers one exceptional candidate the opportunity to lead a research project and produce a range of outputs, including data analysis, blog posts, and a collection guide.
Fellows will have the opportunity to:
- Improve and enrich catalogue records for Southeast European collections (for example, updating language information, publication details, contributor records, and subject categories)
- Develop practical approaches to analysing large collections of data to identify trends, strengths, and gaps
- Contribute research and create accessible guides to help others better understand the historic Southeast European collections
Benefits
- 12-month period of project-based activity at the British Library
- Living expenses for the duration of the fellowship
- Return economy airfare
- Allowance package for fellowship-related activities
- Up to £1,000 for approved project-related expenses
Eligibility
- Be a citizen of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey and be a resident in one of these countries at the point of application
- Have advanced proficiency in at least two languages of Southeast Europe, including Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Romanian, Serbian, and Slovenian
- Have a postgraduate level qualification (or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area) at the time of application
- Have significant professional and/or academic research experience (at least five years)
- Be currently employed or a currently enrolled PhD candidate (PhD must not be with a UK/EU or USA university)
- Experience working with large datasets and/or computational methods in the library and information context
- Experience working with 18th-20th century printed books
- Strong interest in the history and culture of the Balkan region
- Excellent humanities research skills working in a collections/records environment
- Familiarity with library metadata standards is desirable, specifically experience with MARC21, RDA, and the use of LCSH within an integrated library system
Application
For more information, visit Chevening Southeast Europe British Library Fellowship.
