We are pleased to participate in the Google Policy Fellows program for 2013. OITP began its participation at the program’s founding in 2008 and thus this will be our sixth year in this excellent initiative. Apply now: http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/.

For the summer of 2013, the selected fellow will spend 10 weeks in residence at the ALA Washington Office to learn about national policy and complete a major project. Google provides the $7,500 stipend for the summer, but the work agenda is under the full control of ALA and the fellow. The Google Washington office provides an educational program for all of the fellows, such as lunchtime talks and interactions with Google Washington staff. Derek Attig of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign served as our 2012 fellow.

The fellows work in diverse areas of information policy that include digital copyright, e-book licenses and access, future of reading, international copyright policy, broadband deployment, telecommunications policy, open access to information, free expression, digital literacy, online privacy, the future of libraries generally, and many other topics.

In addition to ALA, this year’s roster of participating organizations includes other leading national public interest organizations such as the Center for Democracy and Technology, Creative Commons, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, National Consumers League, National Hispanic Media Coalition, New America Foundation, and Public Knowledge. In addition, the program expanded to include participating organizations in Europe and Africa.

Further information about the program and host organizations is available at the Google Public Policy Fellowship website:http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/. Applications are due by March 15, 2013. ALA encourages all interested graduate students to apply and, of course, especially those in library and information science-related academic programs.