Doctoral student Elaine Kong and master’s student Violeta Duncan are the 2026 recipients of the Paul Evan Peters Scholarship for graduate study in information science or closely related fields. The scholarship honors the memory of Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) founding executive director Paul Evan Peters. It recognizes outstanding scholarship and intellectual rigor, a commitment to civic responsibility and democratic values, and imagination.  

“Elaine and Violeta represent the best of what this scholarship is meant to recognize: rigorous, imaginative thinkers using information science to serve the public good,” said CNI Executive Director Kate Zwaard.      

Elaine Kong is currently in the library and information science PhD program at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research examines how cancer survivors in underserved communities seek, interpret, and use health information about complementary and alternative medicine, and how misinformation, unequal access, and artificial intelligence (AI)-mediated information environments shape their decisions. Her broader work spans AI in personalized cancer care, the socio-ethical dimensions of generative AI, and gaps in documenting patients’ social needs in electronic health records, all in service of determining how information systems can serve communities fairly, without displacing human judgment, care, or dignity.  

“What most distinguishes Elaine is the clarity of her commitment to using digital information and advanced technology in ways that serve both scholarship and the public good. She approaches emerging technologies with a strong sense of responsibility, asking how information systems, AI, and digital tools can support learning, access, and informed decision-making in ethical and inclusive ways,” wrote Yanli Li, business and economic librarian at the Wilfrid Laurier University Library who served as Kong’s mentor in the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) Mentorship Program.    

Kong holds a bachelor of arts in logistics and supply chain management from the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, a master of arts in information systems from City University of Hong Kong, and a master of science in library and information management from the University of Hong Kong. She has held librarian roles at the University of Hong Kong, Drexel University, and Georgetown University, and recently served as a fellow at Yale University’s Lillian Goldman Law Library and an intern at Harvard Library. She is currently a graduate researcher and teaching assistant in the University of Pittsburgh’s Information Culture and Data Stewardship Department and is active in leadership and committee work for CALA, the American Library Association, and the American Association of Law Libraries.  

Violeta Duncan will enter the library and information science master’s program at Simmons University this fall. She aims to work with archival institutions, conservation organizations, and Afro-diasporic communities to develop inclusive collections documenting local environmental history, landscape change, and ethno-ecologies.    

Duncan holds a bachelor of arts in international and area studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a master of science in urban planning from Columbia University. She has worked across the public, nonprofit, and consulting sectors to advance equity in climate adaptation and planning, from supporting the Urban Land Institute’s 10-Minute Walk Campaign, to climate resilience work at the Institute for Sustainable Communities, to founding her own consulting practice in New Orleans, where she developed national toolkits and regional strategies on equitable land use, flood resilience, and climate migration. Throughout this work, she has translated complex data into accessible, community-facing resources, grounded in environmental justice.  

“Violeta is an exceptionally compelling interdisciplinary scholar whose work bridges archives, climate resilience, environmental justice, digital collections, and ethical AI practices in highly original and socially meaningful ways,” wrote Scott Hollander, chief of staff and associate university librarian for distinctive collections and communications, University at Buffalo, and selection committee member.  

Selection committee members included: Lisa Carter, dean of libraries and university librarian, University of Michigan; Lauren Geiger, director of digital archives, Mississippi State University; Elizabeth Gushee, associate dean, digital strategies and scholarly communication, University of Miami; Scott Hollander, chief of staff and associate university librarian for distinctive collections and communications, University at Buffalo; Salwa Ismail, associate university librarian for discovery and access, Harvard University; David Millman, associate dean for technology and chief information officer, New York University Libraries; and from CNI, Jacqueline Eudell, operations and events manager; Diane Goldenberg-Hart, assistant executive director; and Paige Pope, communications manager.  

About the Scholarship    

The Paul Evan Peters Scholarship was established to honor CNI’s founding executive director. Funded by donations from Peters’s colleagues, friends, and family, the scholarship provides two awards: one to a doctoral student ($5,000 per year), and one to a master’s student ($2,500 per year). Scholarships are given to students who demonstrate qualities consistent with those of Peters, including:  

• Commitment to the use of digital information and advanced technology to enhance scholarship, intellectual productivity, and public life  
• Interest in the civic responsibilities of networked information professionals and a commitment to democratic values and government accountability  
• Positive and creative approach to overcoming personal, technological, and bureaucratic challenges  
• Humor, vision, humanity, and imagination 

The next call for applicants will open in 2028. More information about the scholarship is available at: https://www.cni.org/about-cni/awards/pep-scholarship.  

The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is a joint project of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and EDUCAUSE that drives the future of scholarship and education through the creative use of information technology. With a dynamic membership of over 200 organizations spanning higher education, publishing, information technology, scholarly societies, professional organizations, foundations, and leading library institutions and organizations, CNI is at the forefront of shaping how knowledge is discovered, shared, and advanced. Learn more at www.cni.org.  

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit membership organization of research libraries and archives in major public and private universities, federal government agencies, and large public institutions in Canada and the US. ARL champions research libraries and archives, develops visionary leaders, and shapes policy for the equitable advancement of knowledge.  

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to lead the way, advancing the strategic use of technology and data to further the promise of higher education. We connect and empower our member community through insights, advocacy, resources, and learning opportunities to anticipate trends and strengthen professional practice. Learn more at educause.edu.