Kress Fellowship in Art Librarianship at Yale University 2025/26 - Yale University Library
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Salary: $56,650
Employment Term: Full-time
Employer Contact: Heather Gendron, Director, Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library (heather.gendron@yale.edu)
INVITATION TO APPLY
Are you preparing to graduate or are you a recent library school graduate who wants to pursue a career in art librarianship, possibly including special collections and archives? If so, we invite you to apply for the 2025/26 Kress Fellowship in Art Librarianship at Yale University. Candidates may include coursework, schoolwork, and internships to meet the qualifications for this fellowship. This opportunity is made possible through the generosity of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, which seeks to ensure the growth of the field by promoting the advancement of new professionals.
As the Kress Fellow, in this 12-month appointment you will develop a project and participate in activities that are:
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aligned with your professional interests
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build on your prior experience
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are aligned with the library’s needs and priorities
Centered at the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library, the fellowship also includes one day/week at the Yale Center for British Art, in its Archives. Multiple areas of interest can be explored, including public services, community outreach and instruction, collection development, special collections, and cataloging. You will develop a main project at Haas that will result in tangible deliverables and your overall activities will relate to subject areas primarily served by the Haas Arts Library including the history of art, studio art, architecture, design, and aligned area studies. Here is a list of past fellows and project titles.
Opportunities may include participating in Haas Arts Library committees and working groups and you may interact with other groups in the wider Yale Library organization. As an example, recent Fellows helped lead the Arts Library’s social media efforts along with members of the Arts Library Social Media Team. You will be encouraged, supported, and mentored in professional development activities and there will be opportunities for involvement in the wider Yale academic, scholarly, and professional community.
ABOUT THE HAAS FAMILY ARTS LIBRARY
The Haas Family Arts Library at Yale serves an array of academic and museum programs, architects, artists, and scholars and is open to the public. Kress Fellows have opportunities to interact with faculty, staff and students in the Schools of Architecture, Art, and Drama; Department of the History of Art; and two university art museums, the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale University Art Gallery. They also have opportunities to collaborate with colleagues from throughout Yale Library, including the Sterling Memorial Library and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The rich professional and scholarly resources of New York City and Boston's art libraries and museums are within two hours' travel, providing further opportunities for professional growth and professional contact with colleagues in the region.
QUALIFICATIONS
Successful candidates will have:
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a master’s degree from an ALA-accredited program for library and information science (degree must be completed before the start date of July 1, 2025 but no earlier than January 1, 2024)
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an academic background in art, the history of art, architecture, design, or a related visual arts or design discipline
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an active interest in art/architecture/design librarianship
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effective communication skills
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an ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively as part of a team comprised of different people and roles
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initiative, project management skills, and the ability to multi-task with various deadlines
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a growth mindset and an ability to learn from setbacks
If you are excited about this fellowship opportunity and you have the required degrees, but you aren’t sure if your experience aligns perfectly with every other qualification in the description, we encourage you to apply anyway.
FELLOWSHIP AWARD AND BENEFITS
The Kress Fellow will be in residence at Yale for twelve months and will receive an award of $56,650, prorated over the fellowship term. Professional development/travel funding will be provided. Health insurance will also be provided.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Submit a current resume or CV, a brief cover letter/statement of interest that explains why you are interested in this fellowship opportunity. The statement of interest should reflect a genuine commitment to art librarianship and an interest in the provision of information services to the visual arts/architecture/design community. You need not identify a project as that will be determined at the start of the fellowship. Also submit the names and contact information of three professional references. Applications must be submitted before the end of the day February 14, 2025, as the review of applications will begin that week. A search committee of Yale librarians will review submissions. Candidates who are selected for interviews will be contacted.
Yale Library serves a diverse staff, campus, local, and global community and is deeply committed to advancing its goals for equity, inclusion, and accessibility. This commitment is reflected in our mission, strategic directions, staff values, initiatives, and scholarly activity. We encourage candidates to apply who embrace a multi-cultural, diverse, and inclusive workplace and who strive to incorporate those values into their work.