The School of Information at the University of British Columbia (UBC iSchool) is looking forward to hosting the 2026 Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI) July 20-24, 2026 in Vancouver, BC on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation.
The iSchool is on the traditional, ancestral and stolen territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The lands on which UBC sits have their own names and have been sites of teaching and learning for many generations before the university was established. A cedar post carved by Musqueam artist Brent Sparrow Jr. welcomes visitors to campus and you will also notice Musqueam street names on several campus streets. You can learn more about Musqueam and UBC working together and hear a welcome to campus from Musqueam Elder Larry Grant on the UBC Indigenous Portal.
The city of Vancouver is on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish people including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
At the iSchool, we are committed not only to acknowledging the lands we learn, work and live on, but also to enacting more accountable and just relations with the Musqueam First Nation. We recognize the ongoing harms enacted on Indigenous peoples across Canada by colonial systems of information and their institutional roots in libraries, archives and museums and work to address these issues in our programs, courses, and research.
We encourage all attendees to engage with Musqueam and Coast Salish history and culture as part of your visit and conference experience.
About AERI institutes:
AERI’s week-long, working institutes are designed to strengthen archival education and research and support academic cohort-building and mentoring. Institutes are open to all academic faculty/staff and students at all levels working in archival studies, as well as archival professionals and others engaged in archival education, research and scholarship, broadly conceived. Since AERI is a working institute, all participants are expected to contribute in some way to the working meeting. Contribution might be in a variety of roles, including but not limited to presenters, mentors, moderators, and AERI steering committee members.
Previous institutes have been hosted at: UCLA (2009, 2012); the University of Michigan Ann Arbor (2010); Simmons University (2011); the University of Texas at Austin (2013); the University of Pittsburgh (2014); the University of Maryland, College Park (2015); Kent State University (2016); the University of Toronto (2017); the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa (2018); Liverpool University’s Centre for Archive Studies (2019); online (in 2021 and 2022); Louisiana State University (2023); and the History Department at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the National Library and Archives (NLA) of UAE (2024).
We thank all who submitted their intention to participate in this year’s institute and look forward to welcoming you soon. Details on how to register and on accommodations have been sent to all participants (emails sent February 16 and March 19).
More information about AERI 2026
We will continue to update the website with information about the program, plenary speakers, mentorship opportunities and networking events, local tours, etc., as well as about the institute location at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC. Please continue to check this space for updates!
Refunds
Unfortunately, as of July, we cannot offer refunds for anyone as the money has already been allocated towards conference expenses.
AERI 2026 Program Committee
Jennifer Douglas, University of British Columbia (Chair)
Elizabeth Shaffer, University of British Columbia
Dharani Persaud, University of British Columbia
Megan Cohen, University of British Columbia
Jessica Lapp, University of Toronto
Krystal Payne, University of Manitoba
Elizabeth Mullins, University College Dublin
Karen Gracy, Kent State University
Amelia Acker, Rutgers University
Bri Watson, Western University
Kaitlyn Bailey, Louisiana State University
Jiarui Sun, Simmons University
Chelsea Gunn, University of Pittsburgh
Narissa Timbery, Monash University
Sumayya Ahmed, Black Metropolis Research Consortium
Nazelie Doghramadjian, University of Michigan
Gracen Brilmyer, McGill University
Jamie A. Lee, University of Arizona
Forget Chaterera-Zambuko, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Papers and Panels Review Sub-Committee
Jennifer Douglas
Karen Gracy
Elizabeth Mullins
Krystal Payne
Bri Watson
Posters Review Sub-Committee
Sumayya Ahmed
Nazelie Doghramadjian
Bri Watson
Workshops Review Sub-Committee
Gracen Brilmyer
Chelsea Gunn
Jessica Lapp
PhD Day Sub-Committee
Nazelie Doghramadjian
Megan Cohen
Dharani Persaud
Mentorship Sub-Committee
Amelia Acker
Karen Gracy
Jiarui Sun
Access Sub-Committee
Gracen Brilmyer
Elizabeth Shaffer
AERI Assistant Extraordinaire
Grace Phippard
Graphic Designer
Carolina Rocha
UBC iSchool Student Volunteers
Maya Krieger
Zannelle Iwen
Nemo Xu
Tess Van Den Hurk-Moran
Dani Neira
Emma Quan
Amelia Dolbeare
Anna Kovtunenko
Cheyenne La Vallee
Ian Sifton