Bianca Finley Alper

Bianca Finley Alper (she/her) holds an MLIS with a concentration in Archives and Special Collections and a Graduate Archival Certificate from the University of Arizona, where she was a Knowledge River Scholar. Her research and professional projects examine the intersection of documentation, storytelling and archival description with a focus on decolonial and anti-colonial archival praxis and representation and access for marginalized and minoritized communities in libraries, archives and cultural heritage institutions.

She is the digital project archivist for Reclaiming the Border Narrative: Storytelling and Cultural Power for Migrant Justice, a Ford Foundation funded project to expand perceptions and challenge media driven narratives surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border. In her role she collaborates with borderlands artists, advocates, journalists and cultural practitioners to build a community-focused archive of projects aimed at advancing migrant justice and addressing gaps in the archival record.

She holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University. Prior to entering the archival profession, she worked as a curator and exhibition developer in museums, galleries and libraries. Her past curatorial projects focused on transculturation and transnationalism in global visual culture and regional and local histories in archival collections.

Courses

• INFO/LIS 558: Social Justice in Information Services

Select Publications