Two SILS students awarded scholarships to attend Managing Electronic Records Conference

Greg Johnson and Rita Johnston, master’s students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS), have been awarded scholarships to attend the Managing Electronic Records Conference (MER) in Chicago May 21-23.

The scholarships, funded by MER sponsors Cohasset Associates, are awarded each year to two students each from a select set of library and information schools. The awards cover the cost of the conference registration fee, several meals and receptions. In return, scholarship winners arrive at MER a day early and help run the conference. This is the second year that Cohasset Associates awarded scholarships to two SILS students.

Johnson and Johnston received the awards after submitting essays discussing why they wanted to attend MER, what they hoped to learn at the conference and how attending the event fit into their career goals.

“I was able to attend MER when I was a master’s student, and it was very influential on my views and understanding of the field,” said Dr. Cal Lee, assistant professor at SILS. “MER provides a unique opportunity for students to be exposed to people and ideas that they won’t get in other venues. I’m very excited that we’re able to carry on this tradition at SILS.”

Now in its 15th year, MER focuses on legal, technical and operational issues and the challenges of managing electronic records.