Archival Education and Research Institute

Funded by two four-year grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, annual week-long Institutes are being hosted by partner institutions. Past institutes were held at UCLA (2009, 2012), the University of Michigan Ann Arbor (2010), Simmons College (2011), and the University of Texas Austin (2013). The 2014 Institute will be hosted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences. The 2015 Institute will take place at the University of North Carolina.

The Institutes are designed to strengthen education and research and support academic cohort-building and mentoring. Institutes are open to all academic faculty and doctoral students working in Archival Studies, both nationally and internationally.

AERI is also designed to encourage the creation of a larger and more diverse cohort of doctoral students in Archival Studies. The Emerging Archival Scholars Program (2011-2015) provides up to six scholarships to attend AERI 2014 as well as additional mentoring and research opportunities for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are considering a doctoral degree in Archival Studies. American citizens and lawful permanent residents are eligible including, but not limited to, persons who are African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, or Puerto Rican, as well as other individuals who can share insights that assist in the diversification of Archival Studies.

The goal of AERI is to advance the field of Archival Studies in the following ways:

Create a dynamic community of researchers, teachers, and students to help mentor doctoral students and faculty in areas such as thesis preparation, grant writing, publishing, and career development.
Advance curriculum development in Archival Studies.
Further current research development through presentations, posters, and workshop activities.
Foster interest in future collaborations both nationally and internationally.