Jennifer Cohlman Bracchi

Jennifer Cohlman Bracchi is the Head Librarian at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Library. She came to Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in 2003 by way of the museum where she served as its first digital imaging specialist. Her interest in digitization led to a Masters in Library and Information Science from Queens College, CUNY. She has led grant-funded digitization efforts for rare books and special collections and oversees Cooper Hewitt Library’s contributions to mass digitization programs including the Biodiversity Heritage Library. She has served on Metropolitan New York Library Council’s (METRO) Digital Services Advisory Council and Digital Grants Review Committee. She curated her first exhibition Color in a New Light (February 2016 – May 2017) for Smithsonian Libraries at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. She co-curated the expanded exhibition Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color (May 2018 – March 2019) for Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum with Susan Brown, Associate Curator of Textiles. She is currently co-curating a future exhibition for Smithsonian Libraries and Archives on artist’s books opening in 2024. She enjoys exploring the intersections of art and science and providing access to as much information as possible.

Courses Previously Taught

The Power of Display: Books as Transformative Tools in Exhibitions, 2023