The Information Science School of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (ECI/UFMG) has functioned, providing academic education, with a Post Baccalaureate, Graduate Degree since 1976 when the Master of Librarianship/Library Science was created. In 1996, with the introduction of the Doctoral course, the Graduate Program in Information Science was inaugurated.

The Graduate Degree in Information Science celebrated its 40-year anniversary in 2016, with outstanding performance and a significant presence in the national and international spheres.

The following chronological summary highlights the primary facts and events that have defined PPGCI’s development course and it is hoped that they can be a source of clarification and motivation for those interested in a quality academic education.

1976 – Creation of the Master of Librarianship/Library Science, with two areas of concentration: Library Science and Education & Library Science and Specialized Information.

1991 – Change in denomination for the program to Graduate Program in Information Science – Master Level. In this context the area of concentration is redefined to Information Organization and the central focus is no longer the library institution but information itself. The new research lines are: Managerial Information, Scientific and Technological Information, Social Information and Historical Information.

1996 – Creation of the Graduate Program in Information Science with the institutionalization of the Doctoral Program, approved in July of 1996 by UFMG and CAPES (Ministry of Education); initiated in 1997. The area of concentration was altered to Production, Organization and Utilization of Information with maintenance of research lines for the Master and Doctoral levels; another research line of Information Processing and Bibliometrics was added for the Doctoral program.

1998 – Modification of research lines which are redenominated as Managerial Information and Technology, Information and Society and Information Processing and Bibliometrics.

2000 – 1st Award received by PPGCI – ANCIB Award for Best Thesis of the Year. Telematic Interactions: A Study of Young Internauts in Belo Horizonte. Student: Maria Beatriz A. Sathler Bretãs. Advisor: Ana Maria Pereira Cardoso. Category: Information, Culture and Society. This was the first of many awards received for Dissertations and Theses by PPGCI.

2009 – Expansion of the Scope of the Information Science School through the creation of two new courses – Archivology in 2008 and Museology in 2009.

2011 – Implementation of a new PPGCI curricular proposal more suitable for students entering into three ECI degree programs – Archivology, Librarianship/Library Science and Museology. Production, Organization and Utilization of Information area of concentration maintained but others altered to Information, Culture and Society; Management of Information and of Knowledge, Organization and Use of Information. The program maintained this structure until the 1st Semester of 2016, when alterations were approved on 23/08/2016 regarding areas of concentration and lines of research.

2017 – Change in PPGCI’s scope and composition, altering the area of concentration to Information, Mediation and Culture with three research lines: Social memory, heritage and production of knowledge; Public policies and information organization and Users, management of knowledge and information practices.