Emerging Archival Scholars Program

Applications for the Emerging Archival Scholars Program (EASP) for 2018 will open February 1, 2018! Limited AERI bursaries are also available on a competitive and eligibility basis for those not eligible for IMLS-funded scholarships. Deadline April 6, 2018. Participants will be notified of acceptance by April 20, 2018. Those applying for bursaries should *also* fill in an AERI application form and submit it by February 15, 2018. 

**EASP application form is available here**

AERI is designed to encourage the creation of a larger and more diverse cohort of doctoral students in Archival Studies. The Emerging Archival Scholars Program (EASP) is a recruitment and outreach program to encourage students at the undergraduate and graduate levels from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the archival field to consider undertaking doctoral education focusing in Archival Studies. Archival Studies is a multidisciplinary field that examines the social, cultural, political, and technological imperatives and professional practices of record keeping and remembering in society. The program, which was first implemented in 2012 with support from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), is designed to introduce students to the nature of doctoral education and the rewards and demands of a research-oriented career, e.g., as a professor, in the archives field. Our goal is to stimulate and begin to nurture the growth of a new and more diverse generation of scholars who are versed in interdisciplinary research that addresses issues in Archival Studies, broadly conceived.

EASP scholars will have the opportunity to attend the annual week-long summer AERI Institute and participate in additional mentoring and research opportunities throughout the following year: the program provides selected scholars with opportunities to learn more about the archival field and state-of-the-art work that is underway; about doctoral studies and academia as a career; to be introduced to schools that offer relevant doctoral programs and to engage with some of the faculty and doctoral students associated with those programs; to receive specifically-designed mentoring on how to prepare for and apply to doctoral programs; to get to know other students and faculty with diverse backgrounds with a view to developing a sense of community, identifying mentors or role models, and encouraging research collaborations; and to strengthen further their applications to doctoral programs by undertaking and potentially publishing an individual research project under the supervision of a faculty member who is an AERI participant.

Applications are open to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are considering a doctoral degree in Archival Studies who are underrepresented in the field nationally or internationally. To promote continuity of support and peer-to-peer mentoring, those who have been EASP Scholars in prior years and who wish to attend AERI again and plan to report on their research activities or otherwise contribute to the program are also eligible and encouraged to apply for scholarships in successive years.

Funding support: Annual scholarships funded by the U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services are available to American citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States, including but not limited to, persons who are African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, or Puerto Rican. The scholarships cover expenses associated with attending AERI as well as funds to support a special research project that could be undertaken in the following year with a faculty mentor, and then also to attend AERI the following year and to give a presentation there on that research. Participants in the Emerging Archival Scholars Program are welcomed from all countries, however. AERI may be able to provide some limited bursary support if funds permit, but potential participants are also encouraged to seek funding support from other sources.

 

For more information on how to apply to EASP or potential bursaries, if you require further documentation, e.g., explaining the program to a funding agency, or if you have other inquiries, please contact Professor Anne J. Gilliland or Dr. Kelvin L. White, EASP Program Chairs.

Read biographies of previous EASP Scholars here.