Our Mission

The Information Policy and Access Collaborative (iPAC) at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies supports the healthy development of public information and data ecosystems, equitable access to information, and an informed citizenry by: 

  • Listening to communities and community members – local, statewide, national, and international – to learn how issues related to data, information, knowledge affect their daily lives.
  • Exploring information, data, and technology norms, practices, and policies in community and institutional contexts;
  • Sharing community-centered information and data-related research with local communities, institutions, and policymakers;
  • Supporting civic and other public engagement with data and information; 
  • Challenging ourselves and our colleagues to create more equitable, just, librarianship and information professions. 

iPAC and our affiliates publish and present research findings, data, and proposals to a wide variety of local, professional, scholarly communities, as well as government and institutional organizations. We also contribute to public conversations at the intersection of information and data access and policy through academic publications, educational programming, in-person and online events, work sessions, policy proposals and research briefs, and best practice recommendations.

Our Areas of Focus

While our work evolves with new information-related policy challenges, our five-year platform focuses on the following areas: 

  • Public institutions, public service, and public access to information and data (libraries, government, and education)
  • Health information/data equity & justice
  • Disability justice, accessibility, and universal usability
  • Civic engagement and democratic participation 
  • Information and digital literacy
  • Misinformation and disinformation.