Scholarships - e-government librarian

The Information Policy & Access Center (ipac.umd.edu) in the iSchool at the University of Maryland College Park, in partnership with the American Library Association, received a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21) grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for 15 Masters of Library Science (MLS) e-government librarian degree scholarships. This unique program is for students interested in careers in librarianship and other information sciences as specialists in digital government information and e-government services. The program will prepare graduates to take advantage of the evolving range of e-government and digital government information services. The program is online, and will begin in Fall 2013. Applications are currently being accepted for up to 25 students. Tuition scholarships (10 at the in-state tuition rate and 5 at the out-of-state tuition rate) are available to 15 highly qualified applicants to the program. Applications are due by February 1, 2013. The program entails four key components that will educate the next generation of government information and e-government librarians: Coursework. The coursework will serve as the intellectual and conceptual basis for the evolving government information environment. Practice. Through field study placements with the Government Information Online (http://govtinfo.org/) community, the U.S. Government Printing Office, and others, students will develop applied government information skills. Field placements can be either virtual or face-to-face. Professional. Through presentations, discussions, and other online interactive approaches, as well as attendance at the Fall 2014 Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) meeting, students are exposed to leading scholars and practitioners throughout the program. Scholarship. Through inclusion in the review process of Government Information Quarterly, students will publish government resource reviews, contribute to furthering scholarship in government information, and learn the publication process. The project principles will also work with students to publish manuscripts in key areas of government information and e-government. This program builds on a prior successful LB21 grant funded by IMLS that graduated its first cohort in August 2012. Information regarding the program and application process is available at http://egov.umd.edu/. Specific questions regarding the scholarship grant should be directed to John Bertot (jbertot@umd.edu).