We are now accepting applications for the 2026-27 academic year
The Paul Evan Peters Scholarship was established to honor and perpetuate the memory of Paul Evan Peters (1947-1996), founding executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). The scholarship assists students pursuing graduate studies in the information sciences, librarianship, or a closely related field, that advance the frontiers of digital information and technology.
Criteria
Highest consideration will be given to candidates pursuing graduate degrees in librarianship, the information sciences, or a closely related field, whose application materials can directly address the following selection criteria to demonstrate intellectual and personal qualities consistent with those of Paul Evan Peters:
- A commitment to the use of digital information and advanced technology to enhance scholarship, intellectual productivity, and public life
- An interest in the civic responsibilities of information professionals, and a commitment to democratic values
- A positive and creative approach to overcoming personal, technological, and bureaucratic challenges
- Humor, vision, humanity, and imagination
Two scholarships will be awarded in 2026 (academic year 2026-27):
- One to a doctoral student in the amount of $5,000 per year, awarded up to two consecutive years
- One to a master’s student in the amount of $2,500 per year, awarded up to two consecutive years
Applications are due by April 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Eligibility
Scholarship applicants will be assessed on how well they meet the academic and personal criteria for the scholarship, not on financial need, and they must meet all eligibility requirements:
- Each applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
- Each applicant must be entering or enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program in information science or librarianship at an accredited U.S. university, or a program that has received American Library Association (ALA) accreditation (including reciprocal), or one that is a member of the iSchools iCaucus. Students in other, closely related disciplines may also be considered, provided that the course of study relates directly to information management/studies.
- Staff, officers, and families of CNI, the Association of Research Libraries, and EDUCAUSE as well as previous recipients are not eligible to apply.
If awarded the scholarship, recipients must complete at least six credit hours of coursework per semester during the year(s) the scholarship is awarded. Recipients must submit an official transcript to the selection committee at the end of the first year of the award (no later than July 1), demonstrating good progress toward the graduate degree (e.g., remaining in good academic standing as defined by the institution). The selection committee retains the right to terminate the award after one year if good progress is not demonstrated; otherwise the scholarship is automatically renewed for the second year.
Application Procedure & Deadlines
The 2026 application is now open at: https://my.reviewr.com/site/CNI-PEPScholarship-2026
Applications are due by April 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
You must create a Reviewr account and submit your application via the Reviewr platform. Emails from the platform will come from noreply@reviewr.com.
To be eligible for consideration, ALL of the following items must be received by CNI by the stated deadline:
- A 300–500-word essay explaining how the applicant’s qualifications, intellectual interests, and academic and career objectives relate to the scholarship criteria. The essay must include a discussion of how the applicant will advance scholarship in digital information and advanced technology and apply his or her knowledge to problems of scholarship, intellectual productivity, or public life.
- A curriculum vitae or resume that includes the applicant’s contact information, including phone number and email address.
- Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can directly address the applicant’s academic and personal qualifications for the scholarship (e.g., faculty members, work supervisors, or others). Letters that specifically address how the candidate fulfills the award criteria will be given the highest consideration.
- The application should include contact information for two recommenders, who will receive an email invitation from noreply@reviewr.com to submit a letter on your behalf. Please alert your reviewers to look for an email request from noreply@reviewr.com. CONTACT US if reviewers have not received the request within one day of submitting your application.
- The deadline for applications is April 24. We’ve built in additional time for recommenders to submit letters by May 6.
Finalists will be notified and asked to submit:
- A copy of their letter of acceptance into a graduate program in information science or librarianship, or a closely related field (see eligibility requirements)
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (a photocopy of a birth certificate, passport, or residency card)
- An official transcript will be requested if the applicant has already completed courses toward the graduate degree
The call for scholarship applicants occurs every two years; the next cycle will be in 2028.
Questions? Contact us at cni-pep-scholarship-2026@cni.org.
Selection Process
A scholarship selection committee made up of volunteer CNI member representatives and organized by CNI will evaluate applications based on scholarship criteria and candidate eligibility. CNI staff will select the recipients based on the committee recommendations. One recipient will be selected for each category (masters and doctoral) and notified no later than August 2026.
Impact: Comments and Updates from Previous Recipients
Adam Eric Berkowitz is currently a PhD candidate in Communication & Information Sciences at The University of Alabama. His research examines the social, ethical, and policy implications of generative artificial intelligence, with particular attention to the intellectual property, identity, and labor of musicians as well as the role of libraries as a mediating space for emergent technology. The scholarship supported his scholarly productivity and professional development by providing financial stability during summer semesters that went unfunded by his doctoral program. He says, “Before receiving the Peters Scholarship, I spent my summers working a seasonal job that had nothing to do with my studies. The award meant that I was able to leave my summer job and spend all that time pursuing my research. I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity!” As such, he was able to focus on his research, which has resulted in several peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and invited lectures. He seeks to advance responsible approaches to generative AI that support the arts and education as well as the work of librarians and archivists.
Hugh Paterson III received the 2022 award for doctoral students while pursuing his PhD in information science at University of North Texas. The award gave him autonomy in the first two years of his PhD program, allowing him to focus on the social impacts that motivated him to start a PhD journey: making records about minority-language archival collections more accessible. His research during the award period resulted in a high level of productivity, including numerous publications and presentations.
Jamie Flood, the 2022 master’s recipient, earned her MLIS degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign much earlier than expected (May 2023) in part due to the scholarship’s support. At the USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL) she continues to work on heirs’ property, seed saving, food safety, climate change, and environmental justice. Her leadership in educating and creating resources in collaboration with the Agricultural Law Information Partnership around heirs’ property was cited in the Secretary of Agriculture’s response to the USDA Equity Commission’s initial report. She is involved in many other projects involving linked data and health equity.
Jen Liu received the 2020 award for doctoral students while at Cornell University. The award has supported her research on examining the ecological, political, and social implications of technologies such as digital agriculture. She is currently completing her dissertation work on the impact of climate change on Internet infrastructures in coastal communities.
Jake Tompkins, who received the 2020 award for master’s students, completed his MLIS degree from UCLA in 2021. The fellowship helped garner attention on his Rebel Archives in the Golden Gulag project about incarceration during COVID-19, which inspired him to continue diving deeper into crisis informatics research. After graduation, he joined the United Nations Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance as a data visualization and design intern.
Laima Augustitis, the 2018 master’s award recipient, completed her thesis about facilitators, barriers, and potential future directions for online transgender health information seeking while at the University of Michigan. This work followed her summer internship with an IT firm in Seoul, South Korea.
Kristen Matteucci received the 2016 award for master’s students, completed her degree from Rutgers University in 2018, and joined the Jenkins Law Library.
Jordan Eschler, who received the 2014 Peters Fellowship for doctoral students while a student at the University of Washington’s Information School, used the award to design and execute research that she then presented at conferences. The award supported the research work itself, as well as travel to the events.
Olivia Dorsey received the master’s level fellowship in 2014 while she was a Masters Information Science student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has developed several projects at the intersection of Black History, genealogy, and technology, including Franklin Memories, a communal repository of her own family history, and Digital Black History, a searchable directory of digital Black History projects. You can learn more about her personal projects at OliviaPeacock.com. Professionally, she works at the Library of Congress as an Innovation Specialist on the Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud initiative.
Jessica A. Koepfler received the Peters fellowship in 2010 while a doctoral student in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. She completed her degree in 2014 and then served as Managing Director at Intuitive Company, a user-centered research, design, and development firm. Koepfler commented, “The fellowship provided a source of funding that allowed me to commit myself to a ‘fringe’ topic like the study of values within the context of homelessness… The award … put a spotlight on me early on in my program, which had the snowball effect of people noticing me… I am truly grateful for the fellowship and credit it with being very instrumental to me particularly in those early years of my PhD program.”
“The characteristics that have often been associated with Paul—positivity, creativity, humor, vision, humanity, and imagination—are, I hope, dimensions that I also bring to the work that I do as a scholar and as a teacher,” wrote Philip Edwards, 2004 fellowship recipient while at the University of Washington’s Information School. Edwards credits the award with helping to broaden his professional horizons as a student.
Christopher (Cal) Lee, who received the first Peters Fellowship, is currently a Professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he teaches a variety of subjects, including archival administration, records management, digital curation, understanding information technology for managing digital collections, and the construction of digital repository rules. At the time of the award, Lee was in the doctoral program at the University of Michigan School of Information.
The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is a joint program of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and EDUCAUSE that promotes the use of information technology to advance scholarship and education. Over 200 institutions representing higher education, publishing, information technology, scholarly and professional organizations, foundations, and libraries and library organizations make up CNI’s members. Learn more at www.cni.org.
EDUCAUSE is a community of IT leaders and professionals working together to tackle challenges and leverage opportunities that are constantly evolving within higher education. EDUCAUSE welcomes diversity, in viewpoints and experience, and believes in the transformative power of uncommon thinking for the common good. Visit www.educause.edu.
