Professional Career Building in the Archival Field: Studying the Archives Leadership Institute

Abstract

This article explores the ongoing and long-term impacts of programs that support new modes of professional growth, particularly cohort-based programs that focus on the goals of community and network building, through a case study of the Archives Leadership Institute (ALI). This study seeks to understand how and why programs such as ALI assist and support archivists with their professional careers and wonders about the ways in which the profession benefits more broadly from programs like this. Ultimately, this article finds that programs such as ALI often benefit the professional careers of individual archivists, but that the broader impact for the field merits additional consideration and thought. Finally, this article draws together patterns, feedback, challenges, and suggestions for thinking about and developing future initiatives that support the growth of the archival field.