Mainz Visiting Fellowship in European Collections
Explore the treasures of our expansive European collections through this inaugural research fellowship.
A. Provost, Les Trains de Plaisir, le Touriste en Chemin de Fer Ligne de Paris a Versailles (Paris: R. Lebrasseur, 1850).
The Library holds and continues to develop one of the most comprehensive and unique collections of the written word from Europe spanning centuries and the broadest range of cultural production. This fellowship, aimed at early career researchers, is designed to encourage the discovery, promotion and use of our European collections over four months of research (or part-time equivalent). Fellows have the opportunity to bring fresh creative insights to any European material of interest, harnessing innovative approaches to cultural heritage to produce a range of scholarly and/or creative outputs.
Applications for the inaugural 2026 Fellowship are now open until 21 June 2026. The Fellow must be in place by 1 November 2026.
Find out more about this year’s themes, what the fellowship entails and how to apply on this page.
Mainz Charitable Trust
The fellowship is generously funded by the Mainz Charitable Trust, which supports the continued collection of illustrated French heritage collections at the British Library. With thanks to Dr Valerie Mainz, art historian and specialist in the art and culture of the French Revolution, who was senior lecturer in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds.
Poster advertising the serial La machine à finir la guerre by Henri Montassier, Paris Atelier Charles Didier, c. 1917, Tab.11748.a.
This year’s themes
For the fellowship’s inaugural year, we ask applicants to explore French-language collections as part of their research, and are particularly but not exclusively interested in projects which focus on the artistic and visual aspects of our printed collections.
Applicants are encouraged to interpret the brief broadly and to explore all relevant collections, focusing on printed books but also on sound, archives and manuscripts, maps, stamps and newspapers, where relevant. We welcome a variety of proposed outputs resulting from this research, including but not limited to journal articles, blog posts, podcasts, public talks or performances, community engagement activities and artwork.
Your proposal should align with one of this year’s research themes:
- Revolutions. With major collections around the French Revolution, 1848, 20th-century revolts in Central and Eastern Europe, 1989, and other revolutions across Europe to now, the Fellow can use our unique collections to shed more light on the relationship between cultural practice and revolutionary politics
- Word and Image. Using the growing collection of 19th-century French graphic works and illustrated printed books, and/or the wider collections including avant-garde, modernism, artists’ books, posters, advertisements and political caricatures, the Fellow can tease out the interaction of word and image
- Movement of people and ideas. As European culture is marked by the ceaseless flow and transfer of people and ideas over the centuries, both voluntary and involuntary, we are interested in movement and migration, exile and displacement, and diasporic cultural life represented in the collections.
Support, outputs and how to apply
Support
- £8000 bursary to support four months full-time research (or part-time equivalent) at the Library, paid as lump sum
- Up to £2000 additional funding available to support travel expenses across the Fellowship
- Provision of staff pass, laptop and desk space in the European Studies office
- As the Fellowship is supported by a bursary payment, priority will be given to applicants who do not currently hold a full-time position at a Higher Education Institution, an Independent Research Organisation or other institution
- This Fellowship does not constitute an offer of temporary or permanent employment at the British Library. Fellows are responsible for their own tax and employment status, and for making any and all required declarations to HMRC or DWP
- Fellows are expected to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. We also cannot arrange for or guarantee any necessary travel documentation to the UK (such as visas) but we will, where possible and appropriate, provide written documentation to support Fellows’ visa applications.
Outputs, training and development
Visiting Fellows will present their work at an internal staff talk and submit a written report of 1000 words upon completion of their project, detailing collections used, findings, outputs and planned future activities. This report will be uploaded to the Library’s Shared Research Repository. You may also be asked to write blogs on your work to be shared through Library channels.
You are encouraged to access the wide range of workshops, talks, training and expertise available at the Library.
We will support the Fellow in connecting with other members of the Library and direct you towards relevant training opportunities. These may include the Digital Scholarship Training Programme, Cultural Property Training, Researcher Packed Lunches and other staff talks.
Eligibility
This scheme is designed to address the scarcity of funding available for postdoctoral researchers and for creative practitioners in cultural heritage contexts.
It is open to all researchers within 10 years of the completion of their PhD, who are resident in the UK.
Fellows are expected to be resident in London for the majority of the period of the award and to make a contribution to the intellectual life of the Library.
Part-time and flexible-working proposals are welcome and will be supported wherever possible.
The Fellowship must commence before 01 November 2026.
How to apply
Please submit the following to europe@bl.uk:
- Cover email with subject line ‘Mainz Visiting Fellowship in European Collections: Application’
- Research proposal as an attachment (1000 words max), including:
- title of proposal
- desired dates of Fellowship
- objectives
- methodology
- expected outputs
- library collections to be explored
- CV as an attachment (2 pages max)
All applications will be expected to demonstrate the following:
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, internally and externally
- How the proposed work will contribute to the personal and professional development of the applicant
- Why the British Library European collections are necessary for this research (applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to available catalogues and collection guides)
- How the proposed research will help the Library in its aim to open up the European collections in new and interesting ways
- The significance of the project within the wider intellectual and cultural landscape.
All applicants will be notified of the outcome via email.
Resources
While many of our services have been restored following a cyber-attack which disrupted our systems in 2023, some are still being restored and some content may not be accessible. Here are some pointers to help you navigate the collection, use our new systems and get the most out of the Library.
Find out more about our collections and what is currently available.
Applicants are also strongly encouraged to look at the latest tips and advice about how best to use the interim catalogues.
Anyone can search our online catalogues, but if you intend to consult collection items in Reading Rooms you’ll need to register for a free Reader Pass.
There are a range of guides and research available online offering insight into our holdings, including:
- Reference Services LibGuides, covering maps, manuscripts, sound and vision, rare books and more
- Over 1,000 European Studies blogs available as a discrete collection on the Research Repository
- Archived collection guides organised by country under Slavonic and East European and West European.
In addition to the resources available online, the following printed bibliographies, guides, edited volumes and articles may be helpful in researching the European collections. This is just a small selection, mainly focused on French collections, and applicants are encouraged to search widely and consult a range of resources when preparing the application:
- Karen Attar (ed.). 2016. Directory of Rare Book and Special Collections in the UK and Republic of Ireland , third edition (London: Facet Publishing, 2016). See section: ‘London, British Library, C4-C13’
- Barry Taylor (ed.). 2002. Foreign-Language Printing in London 1500–1900 (Boston Spa & London: The British Library)
- Teresa Vernon. 1995. French studies: a guide to reference sources in the British Library - Humanities and Social Sciences (London: The British Library), available on the open shelves in the Humanities 1 Reading Room HLR 840.9
- Audrey C. Broadhurst. 1976. ‘The French Revolution collections in the British Library’, The British Library Journal 2:2, pp. 138-158
- Julian Conway. 1996. ‘Handlist of Post-1600 French Literary Manuscripts and Letters in the Department of Manuscripts of the British Library’, The British Library
- Morna Daniels. 1999. ‘French newspapers and ephemera from the 1848 revolution’, The British Library Journal 24:2, pp. 219-233
- Isabel Maloney. 2025. ‘Guide to French Manuscripts and Archives (1601–1950) at the British Library’, The British Library.
