This article explores the influence of the rare book and manuscript repository on graduate student researchers in the humanities, through an examination of the graduate research fellowship program. Based on a comparison of residential research fellowship programs at twenty-three rare book and manuscript repositories, this article argues that fellowship programs perform three important functions. The fellowship process encourages graduate students to develop an awareness of the identity and location of collections relating to their field. Second, the application and fellowship process encourages students to imagine the potential relevance of these collections to their own particular project, in the process underscoring the relevance of primary source research and the rare book and manuscript repositories to the graduate research project. Third, research fellowship programs contribute to the development of a research community spanning fields and institutions, one in which the rare book and manuscript repository plays a central role. For libraries with rare book and manuscript repositories, the librarian is critical in bridging the many audiences and areas of this research community. For libraries without these resources, awareness of the existence, scope, and importance of these fellowship programs can be leveraged to enhance the librarian-graduate student relationship.