SCA will be relaunching WAI in July 2026.

After a brief hiatus the Western Archives Institute (WAI) will be returning in July 2026 as a fully online program hosted by The Society of California Archivists (SCA).

WAI is an intensive, two-week program that offers integrated instruction in basic archival practices. It is designed for individuals with diverse professional goals, including those whose roles require a foundational understanding of archival skills but who have little or no prior archival training; those assuming increased responsibility for archival materials; practicing archivists without formal archival education; and individuals committed to pursuing a career in archives.

The Institute features a diverse curriculum of synchronous and asynchronous sessions that include:

• Introduction to the archival profession and core concepts

• Starting and managing an Archives program

• Principles of archival collection arrangement and description

• Best practices for digitization, digital preservation, and born-digital content management

• Outreach and public relations

• Reference and access

• Ethical, social, and legal issues in administering archival collections

• Working with communities

• Fundraising for an Archives program

Registration fees for WAI are $950 for the two-week program (exact dates in July 2026 are forthcoming). WAI will be offering one full scholarship for registration.

You can sign up for our mailing list if you’d like to receive updates about the 2026 program dates and deadlines.

For additional information, please contact:

Marcella Lees, WAI Administrator and Eric Milenkiewicz, WAI Associate Administrator at
wai@calarchivists.org