The Center for Library & Information Innovation (http://www.liicenter.org) in the iSchool at the University of Maryland College Park, in partnership with the Government Information Online (GIO; http://www.govtinfo.org/) initiative at the University of Illinois Chicago, received a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (http://www.imls.gov) for 20 master’s of library science (MLS) e-government and digital government 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 services to develop government information services that are not based in physical collections.

The program is online, and will begin in fall 2010. Applications are currently being accepted. Full tuition scholarships (20 total) are available to highly qualified applicants to the program, and the grant also includes travel funds for students to attend the Fall 2010 and 2011 Federal Depository Library Council meetings held in Washington, DC. Applications are due by May 1, 2010. 

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.  Though internships with the GIO program participants, students will develop applied government information skills.
• Professional.  By bringing students together annually to attend the Fall Federal Depository Library meeting, students will become integrated into the larger government information community and engage key issues in government information.
• Scholarship. Though inclusion in the review process of Government Information Quarterly (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/govinf), 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.
  

These four pillars will provide a critical foundation for students in the program.