Schomburg Center Names Dr. Cheryl Beredo as Head of Collections
May 27, 2022 - The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is pleased to announce Dr. Cheryl Beredo has been named Associate Director of Collections and Research Services. Dr. Beredo's appointment is effective immediately.
“Cheryl is a supportive and creative leader with a strong background as a library professional,” said Joy Bivins, the Schomburg Center’s director. “A consummate professional, Dr. Beredo will ensure the Schomburg's nearly 100-year-old collection continues to document and acquire materials that reflect the diverse histories and cultures of the African diaspora. Cheryl’s work in this role will continue to support us in expanding and making these collections accessible to broad and diverse audiences and will help shape Black history for generations.”
Since May 2018, Dr. Beredo has served as the Schomburg Center’s Curator of Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books, managing and developing that division's collection, leading a team of librarians and archivists, and participating in the oversight of numerous grants.
“After some years of leading the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, I am excited to continue my career at the Schomburg Center through the important work of overseeing, developing, and expanding the vast and rich collections here,” said Beredo. “In this new role, I look forward to supporting the Schomburg curatorial team in making history accessible to audiences everywhere.”
Prior to Schomburg, Beredo was the Director of Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives. A historian and archivist by training, she has written and presented on archives and serves on the board of Rare Book School. Beredo earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Hawaii and brings years of research library experience, critical management skills, and deep knowledge of the archival landscape to this work.
As associate director of collections and research services, Beredo will oversee the five public service divisions of the Schomburg Center: Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books; Photographs and Prints; Art and Artifacts; Moving Image and Recorded Sound; and the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division. Additionally, she will serve as chief curator leading the charge on collection processing, acquisitions, and curatorial processes. Beredo will play a key role in ensuring the safety of materials including recent major acquisitions such as the collections of Harry Belafonte, James Baldwin, Sonny Rollins, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Ann Petry, and Malcolm X.
Media Contact: Leah Drayton/ @leahdrayton@nypl.org
About the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Founded in 1925 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the preservation, research, interpretation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diasporan, and African experiences. As a research division of The New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center features diverse programming and collections totaling over 11 million items that illuminate the richness of global black history, arts, and culture. Learn more at schomburgcenter.org.
About The New York Public Library
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.