Biography

Bernadette Floresca is the Archivist for Collection Management and Digital Preservation at Newcomb Archives and Vorhoff Collection at Newcomb Institute. Bernadette holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Sculpture, a Master of Library and Information Science, and a Graduate Certificate in Archives and Special Collections from the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as a Master of Liberal Arts (with an interdisciplinary focus on gender, sexuality, and art) from Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement. Bernadette is a Certified Archivist via the Academy of Certified Archivists and has recently become a National Heritage Responder via the American Institute for Conservation/FAIC. 

Research interests include decolonizing the archives, improving the use of inclusive and reparative descriptions in special collections, utilizing the archives as a site for activism, and feminist reflections of the abject in American pop culture. Bernadette strives to emphasize the importance of creative community, art, and DIY activism as crucial components of feminist culture. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Oversees the storage, description (metadata), organization, digital access, and preservation of archival collections and print material.

• Manages Newcomb Archives' instances of Islandora (Newcomb Archives Digital Repository) and ArchivesSpace (collection guides).

• Supervises student workers, interns, and volunteers to implement processing workflow.

• Provides remote and in-person reference assistance as needed and/or by appointment.

• Local Programs: Newcomb Institutes' Asian Pacific American Reading Group (APARG), Tulane University Special Collections Inclusive and Reparative Working Group, Tulane University Libraries ArchivesSpace Committee (TULA), and the New Orleans Preservation Coalition (NOPC)