Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship
Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship supports children’s librarians studying historical children’s literature at the Baldwin Library to explore youth services topics and share research through public programs.
Funder: American Library Association
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (2027 fellowship application and all materials)
Funding Amounts: Up to $7,500 for one to four weeks; prorated at $1,875 per week on-site
Summary: Supports children’s librarians studying historical children’s literature at the Baldwin Library and sharing research through public programs.
Key Information: Applicants must hold current personal memberships in both ALA and ALSC; organizational, corporate, and student members are ineligible.
Description
The Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship supports children’s librarians undertaking focused reading and study at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, part of the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Funded by the American Library Association and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the annual fellowship began in 1993 and is endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and Ruth M. Baldwin.
Research must address a topic significant to youth services using the Baldwin Collection, which contains 130,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. The fellowship connects historical research with public programs for librarians, teachers, children, or general audiences. Past projects have examined portrayals of bullying, changes in books on manners, school stories, and the evolution of board books.
