AERI Institute 2009

The Ethnographic Methods workshop now has a handout for download. You will need the password. Please contact Kim Anderson (kima/ucla.edu) or Josh Sternfeld (aeri/gseis.ucla.edu) for the password.

We cannot escape the fact that many of the participants will be tweeting about the Institute. For archival purposes, please include the subject #aeri09 in all tweets.

You can download the names list for the doctoral mentoring sessions scheduled for Monday and the junior faculty session on Friday here.  We have assigned 5 mentors for approximately 9-10 students, so there should be plenty of opportunity for close consultation.  Mentors needn’t “prepare” anything ahead of time — we would like the sessions to be constructed according to the questions and areas of interest expressed by the mentees.  Topics to consider should be: conducting doctoral research, dissertation writing, interacting with advisers, career development, going on the job market, and publishing; and for the junior faculty: securing tenure, building a teaching/research portfolio, grant writing, and publishing.

As the day quickly approaches, you have probably received emails from the instructors for the various workshops and seminars.  Many of the agendas have been posted to our Seminars & Workshops.  Please check the pages for further updates, materials, and assignments.

There have been some questions about the dormitory space, so I wanted to address which amenities will be provided.  I hope this helps you plan what to pack (and not pack as the case may be).

• First and foremost, there will be a daily maid service much like a hotel that will take care of basic housekeeping tasks (taking out trash, switching towels, etc.)
• Probably most importantly: the dorms are AIR CONDITIONED!!
• The dorms will be stocked with linens and bath towels.
• Soap, shampoo, conditioner will be provided.
• The dorms are equipped with a desk lamp.
• The front desk does have an ironing board/iron for check out, but the individual rooms do NOT have them.  The same is true for hair dryers, so we recommend that you bring your own dryer.
• The rooms are equipped with WIRED Internet.  You must  bring your own ethernet cable.  There will be wireless Internet available in the lobby area where most of our meetings will be held.
• There are no refrigerators in the rooms.
• You will have access to the John Wooden Center and Sunset Village Rec Room where you can find exercise facilities.  I can personally attest to the Wooden Center as being top notch — they have everything you might want!

I hope this answers any questions that you may have about the dorm facilities.  Stay tuned for further info as it becomes available…

The accomodation and travel pages have recently expanded. Please visit them to learn more about transportation options and shuttle discounts, meals, and check-in information.

All conference participants (both local and visiting) should register for a room at the De Neve lobby upon arrival, even if you plan to stay elsewhere. This will enable you to obtain meal tickets for the week, streamline wireless access, and have a place to store your items or rest. There is no additional cost to you.

Note: this means you will need to register at the conference regsitration desk (for the conference) as well as at the De Neve front desk (for a room).

Free internet access will be available in a couple of areas.  Wireless internet will be available on the lobby floor of De Neve where most of the sessions will be held and where the dormitory space is located.  Wired internet access will be available in the dorm rooms but you must bring your own ethernet cable. Also, there are two standing stations located inside the cafeteria.

**NEW: For full instructions on how to log on, click here.

As for printing, there is a basic business room — the Covel Commons Business Room — where you can print materials if necessary.

One of the goals of each Institute is to showcase some of the archival strengths of the host university and surrounding area.  In the spirit of highlighting the archival richness of the Los Angeles metropolitan region, I invite you to explore L.A. as Subject, a forum comprised mainly of Southern California archivists, libraries, research centers, and museums.  Three of the archives that we are scheduled to visit through our two field trips — the Getty, the ONE Archives, and the Braun Research Library — are members of this consortium. More details of our field trips will be available very soon!

The first annual AERI will be hosted on the UCLA campus from July 6-11, 2009. All participants may stay in the campus’ comfortable dormitory space that is within short walking distance of the Institute’s activities.

Planned activities for the Institute will include: mentoring sessions for both doctoral students and faculty and teaching staff, methodology workshops, curriculum development seminars, a poster session, research presentations, guest speakers, and field trips. Further information about the program can be found in the schedule. Participants will also have ample opportunities throughout the week to engage in extended informal discussions outside planned activities.

As with future AERI, the 2009 Institute hosted by UCLA will draw upon local institutional and research expertise and experiences, especially those relating to moving image, sound and other media; ethnic, Indigenous, diasporic and other community-based initiatives; conservation and preservation practices; and digital recordkeeping and curatorship.

Goals of the Institute

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

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