Residency Dates

The Fellowship year runs from June 1 to May 31. Visiting Scholars must complete their residency by May 31 of the following year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dates of residency will be flexible for remaining 2019-20 and 2020-21 award recipients. 

Recipients of 2-week travel grants and 4-week visiting scholars are expected to be in residence for the entire term of their award. Exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the Director in special cases.

We will do our best to accommodate your preference for dates. Please plan to arrive during the Library’s open hours, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 8:30 am to 4:45 pm, Wednesdays 10:00 am to 4:45 pm. 

The Library is closed on weekends as well as the days listed below.  With the exception of Winter Break, you are welcome to be in residence during these closures.

Library Closure Dates for 2024:

New Year's Day: Monday, January 1

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Monday, January 15

Good Friday: Friday, March 29

Memorial Day: Monday, May 27

Juneteenth: Wednesday, June 19

Independence Day: Thursday, July 4

Labor Day: Monday, September 2

Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 28

Recess Day: Friday, November 29

Winter Break (Residency not permitted): Tuesday, December 24 through Tuesday, December 31

NETWORK ACCESS

The LWL, as part of Yale University, has joined the eduroam consortium. If your home institution participates in the eduroam consortium, you will also be able to login using credentials from your home institution.

If you are not from an institution participating in the eduroam consortium, the LWL’s Library Services Assistant will assist in registering your computer on the Yale network when you arrive.

There are secure wireless routers located around LWL and on the main Yale campus in New Haven to provide you with access to the Yale network and the internet, both at LWL and on campus.  You will also have access to all of the licensed databases to which the Yale University Library subscribes. For a detailed list of some of the databases especially useful for the study of Britain in the eighteenth century, consult the research guide British Eighteenth-Century Studies Electronic Resources, which is maintained by LWL.

 

YALE LIBRARY PRIVILEGES

See COVID Library Updates for the latest policies regarding access to other Yale Special Collections. 

You may ask to have books that circulate for more than three days sent from the main campus to you at the LWL in Farmington. Please speak with the Reading Room monitor who will place the request for you. When the books arrive, you can check them out just as you would from any Yale Library, and you can return them to the LWL. This service is only available to 4-week Visiting Scholars because of the delay in delivery time. Please allow 5 days for delivery.

You may use other Yale Special Collections during your stay as a Lewis Walpole Library Fellow. Many of the collections store material off-site, so please place your requests two days in advance of when you'd like to schedule your visit. 

Plan your visit. 

In addition, if you plan to go to New Haven, please let the staff at the Lewis Walpole Library Reading Room know in advance.

 

IMPORTANT: Please fill out and return your Fellows Travel Information Form, Root House Rules Sheet, Federal Tax Identification Forms, and Wire Transfer Form (for International Fellows) as soon as possible. 

 

LWL Fellows Travel Information Form

Root House Rules

This form is used to reserve your time here at the LWL and to get a sense of your travel arrangements needs. Please fill out and return your Visiting Scholar Travel Information Form to the Senior Administrative Assistant, Michelle Privée (michelle.privee@yale.edu) as soon as possible. If you do not yet know when you will be able to take up your award, please indicate that you are unsure and that you will let us know as soon as your plans are clear. 

Please be aware that dates of residency are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and some dates may not be available if you wait.

FEDERAL TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION FORMS

These forms are necessary in order to process your reimbursements.

United States Residents

All visiting scholars that are residents of the United States must fill out the Federal form W-9 and submit with the Visiting Scholar Travel Information Form. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf

Foreign Residents

All visiting scholars that are not United States residents must fill out the Federal form W-8BEN and submit with the Visiting Scholar Travel Information Form. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf

 

YALE WIRE TRANSFER FORM FOR INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS

Please fill out the first page only in its entirety. Also please be sure to send with this completed and signed form a copy of the required evidence of bank information listed within the form. Please note that Wise Bank and other "online banks" are not permitted for wire transfer by Yale. If you have any questions, or would prefer to receive a cheque, please contact michelle.privee@yale.edu. 

Yale International Fellows Wire Transfer Form

If you are a US citizen but living abroad, please contact michelle.privee@yale.edu for bank wire guidance. 

All 2-week Travel Grant and 4-week Visiting Scholar award recipients receive

• reimbursement for round trip travel costs from your home, or home institution, to Farmington
• use of a rental car
• a per diem payment for meals and incidental expenses for each day you are in residence at the LWL. The per diem is automatically calculated using the US General Services Administration’s current per diem rates (M & IE portion) for the Hartford, CT area. There is no need to keep receipts. Parking on campus is included in the per diem.

Please see important Tax Information below. 

GETTING TO THE LIBRARY

Please plan to arrive at the library during our scheduled open times. If you cannot arrive during these times, it will be necessary for you to make alternate arrangements at your own expense (such as a hotel for an evening).  

Your visiting scholar award includes the cost of round-trip travel between the Lewis Walpole Library and your home institution or residence. The library will also reimburse you for travel between Farmington and Yale's main campus in New Haven. Any additional travel you wish to make is at your own expense. 

 

World Travel/Concur is Yale's new preferred travel agency as of Spring 2024. In order to book your travel, please contact yale@worldtravelinc.com or call 833-780-1302 with your specific travel needs, and an agent will work with you to book your travel. Please inform the agent that this booking is for Yale, and the specific Host contact at Yale is Michelle Privee (michelle.privee@yale.edu), and to charge the credit card on file under Michelle Privee's profile, with the last four numbers ending in **8216.

Be aware that World Travel/Concur will require the following information from you to complete your booking:

• Last name as on government issued ID
• First name as on government issued ID
• Middle name as on government issued ID (it is important these are on 3 separate lines so your name in the proper sequence)
• Date of birth
• Cell phone contact
• Gender
• If international travel  – will also need your passport #, expiration date, and issuing country of origin

 

We recommend that you fly into Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Hartford, Connecticut. The Library is about a 40-minute trip from Bradley.  You may take a cab or setup an Uber or Lyft to the LWL from the Airport- be sure to get a receipt to submit for reimbursement. 
 

OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES

If you are paying out of pocket for your travel expenses, you must provide receipts for all travel for reimbursement. The LWL covers only the cost of economy flights on approved airlines and coach rail. Any upgrades and/or additional costs will be at your expense. Other out of pocket expenses (car rental, taxis, Ubers, trains, buses, etc.) will be reimbursed- be sure to save travel receipts and submit to the Administrative Assistant after your travel home is complete. 

RAIL TRAVEL

You may book coach rail travel via Amtrak directly through their website. The closest train station is in Hartford or Berlin, each about ten miles away.  Please note that, due to increased security, it is recommended to carry ID when traveling with Amtrak. (http://www.amtrak.com) Be sure to save the email from Amtrak with your receipt (in the body of the email) for reimbursement. Note: you cannot be reimbursed with just a rail ticket. 

A more frequent, local commuter train, The Hartford Line, also runs between New Haven and Hartford (http://www.hartfordline.com).

Neither of the train stations is within walking distance to the Library. The Library has a car in which we may be able to pick you up at the Berlin, CT train station. Please contact us to make arrangements in advance of your arrival. Otherwise, if you arrive by train, you must plan on taking a taxi, Uber, or Lyft from the train station to the LWL. Taxis are usually waiting at the train station in Hartford but not in Berlin. Again, make sure you obtain a receipt for your travel, and submit it for reimbursement. 

Further Train Details

CAR RENTAL

You have the option for car rental while in residence at the Lewis Walpole Library. Please be sure to use the corresponding Yale Car Rental Rate Code, which include insurance coverage: 

• Hertz (Yale preferred vendor): CDP#344712
• Budget: T245500
• Avis: A424900
• Enterprise: XZ24YAL

You will need to cover the up-front cost of the rental yourself, and we will reimburse you back the cost of the rental with your travel expenses after completion of your Fellowship. A one-month rental is approximately $1,500-2,000. We cannot reimburse the costs of additional insurances beyond those included in the negotiated rates, nor any vehicle upgrades, additional equipment, or additional drivers.

When you return the car, please be sure to get a receipt from the rental agency and send the final receipt and rental agreement to our Senior Administrative Assistant for processing of your reimbursement.

Please Note: International scholars are required to have an appropriate driver’s license from their own country or an international license for a car rental. 

TAXI AND OTHER TRANSPORTATION

If you choose not to rent a car while you are in residence, the Library will cover a reasonable number of taxi, Uber, Lyft, train, or bus fares for local travel directly related to your visiting scholar commitment. Many of our past Visiting Scholars have used Uber and Lyft and have had great experiences with them, as well as being more economical than a taxi.

PERSONAL VEHICLE USE

If you choose to use your personal vehicle, we will reimburse you for round trip mileage based on a MapQuest route from the address provided on the Visiting Scholar Travel Information Form to The Lewis Walpole Library. The rate is set using the Internal Revenue Service Standard Mileage Rate. We will also reimburse you for tolls you pay along your route. Again, please provide receipts for the tolls. Gas will not be reimbursed.  

Note: According to the Yale Ground Transportation Policy--Use of Personal Automobiles 3301.3, personal vehicle reimbursement is limited to no more than the cost of a comparable trip’s air travel within the basic least expensive unrestricted accommodations class offered by commercial airlines, consistent with business requirements. If a personal vehicle is used primarily for the traveler’s convenience and results in a higher cost than other modes of transportation, reimbursement will be limited to the lower of the following:
•    cost of the air travel within the basic least expensive unrestricted accommodations class offered by commercial airlines, consistent with business requirements, between the nearest commercial airport serving the origin and destination cities; or
•    cost of train fare within the main cabin class (e.g., economy, coach) that is reasonably priced, consistent with business requirements, between the nearest passenger station serving the origin and destination cities.

If you are using GPS to locate the Library, you must use the following street address:  154 Main St., Farmington, CT  06032.

When you arrive at the LWL, you will check in with us.  At that time, you will complete all necessary forms needed to process your payment for reimbursement of travel expenses and per diem. 

You must provide the following:

• Passport photo

• I-94 (or most current passport entry stamp, if available)

• Completed W-8BEN (if not already submitted)

• International Information Form (IIF)- to be filled out when you arrive at the LWL

US Border Agents at most airports have now suspended immigration stamps. Instead, please be sure to download your I-94 online after arrival and submit to Michelle Privee at michelle.privee@yale.edu. You can access your I-94 here: I94 - Official Website (dhs.gov)

Most international Lewis Walpole Library visiting scholars arrive to the United States under the Visa Waiver program, and request from immigration border agents a “business” admit status (WB or B-1). Business admit status ensures that full per diem reimbursement can be made at the end of the Fellowship, however, if the wrong status is given, it can be corrected (see Michelle Privee upon arrival to LWL for information). This only applies to international scholars who are from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program and who are not already in the U.S. for other purposes. For more information about the Visa Waiver program, please see: B Visitor Visa and Visa Waiver Program | Office of International Students & Scholars (yale.edu). For Fellows coming from non-participating Visa Waiver countries, please contact the Office of International Students and Scholars for visa guidance. For information on e-passports, please see https://www.dhs.gov/e-passports. 

International visiting scholars are welcome to also arrive to the Lewis Walpole Library with a non-Yale-sponsored J-1 Visa or H1-B Visa (please consult your sponsoring institution for research allowance).

If you will be studying at Yale (in any department) for longer than 30 days within the calendar year, you are required to apply for a Yale-sponsored J-1 Visa from the other hosting department in order to be reimbursed.

Please note that the Lewis Walpole Library does not sponsor J-1 Visas.

Payments to non-U.S. citizens (nonresident alien for U.S. tax purposes) are subject up to 30% federal tax withholding, per Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations. 

To apply to receive funds back, you will have to file an income tax return with the US government.  The process is as follows: Yale will send IRS Form 1042-S to you by March 15 of the next calendar year to your current address on file (if your address changes, please let the Senior Administrative Assistant know).  The form reports your income and tax withheld.  You can find nonresident tax filing information from the Office of International Student and Scholars to assist with filing your income tax return. 

Fellows are responsible for all applicable taxes assessed on their fellowship funding. 

For additional information or help with immigration to the United States, please contact Yale's Office of International Students & Scholars  or (203) 432-2305.

For additional information about international payments see Yale Policy 3415: Payments to individuals who are neither citizens nor permanent residents of the United States, or contact Yale's International Tax Department at (203) 432-5530, or email Internationaltax@yale.edu.