A Journal of Our Own: Empowering Library Scholarship through Athenaeum
Start Date
3-6-2025 2:30 PM
Presentation Summary
This presentation will explore the transformation of Athenaeum, FIU Libraries’ publishing platform, into a formal peer-reviewed journal. The editors will discuss the rebranding, creating and developing inclusive editorial policies, and updating the blind peer review process that supports the research of FIU Libraries’ faculty, staff, and occasional external collaborators. Reflecting on challenges, lessons learned, and how a sustainable editorial infrastructure contributes to long-term continuity of the new journal, the session will guide others interested in launching online journals. A call for submissions will invite attendees to contribute, reinforcing Athenaeum as a community-centered space for scholarly impact and engagement.
Presenters Bio
Rebecca Bakker is a librarian and archivist with over a decade of experience in digital archives, instructional programming, and community-centered scholarship. She earned her Master of Library and Information Science from Florida State University in 2016, following a bachelor's degree in education from Florida International University. She began her career at the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, where she specialized in film and video digitization and archival processing. Since joining FIU Libraries, Rebecca has advanced from Digital Projects Coordinator to Digital Collections Librarian. She oversees the university’s digital repositories, leads large-scale digitization and preservation initiatives, and supports faculty, students, and community organizations in building accessible digital collections. Her recent work includes the integration of AI for metadata generation and discovery, and contributions to grant-funded projects. A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, Rebecca is also active in professional service through editorial review, committee work, and leadership in digital initiatives at the state level.
Joana Fernandez is a seasoned librarian with over two decades of diverse experience across academic, public, and medical libraries. She graduated from the University of Havana's five-year librarianship program in 2001, subsequently working in the Higher Education Room within the same university library. In 2011, she earned a master’s in library sciences from the University of South Florida while gaining practical experience at the Miami-Dade Public Library and the University of Miami Libraries. Joana then served as a campus librarian at Touro College South and as a Reference and Instructional librarian at Nova Southeastern University where she served as a liaison to the Fishler College of Education. Transitioning to the medical field, she became a Medical Librarian at Baptist Health South Florida, focusing on medical research, publication support, and scholarship dissemination thought the Scholarly Commons, while serving as a medical librarian supervisor. Currently, in her Health Sciences librarian role at FIU, Joana applies her comprehensive background to support research and education initiatives.
A Journal of Our Own: Empowering Library Scholarship through Athenaeum
This presentation will explore the transformation of Athenaeum, FIU Libraries’ publishing platform, into a formal peer-reviewed journal. The editors will discuss the rebranding, creating and developing inclusive editorial policies, and updating the blind peer review process that supports the research of FIU Libraries’ faculty, staff, and occasional external collaborators. Reflecting on challenges, lessons learned, and how a sustainable editorial infrastructure contributes to long-term continuity of the new journal, the session will guide others interested in launching online journals. A call for submissions will invite attendees to contribute, reinforcing Athenaeum as a community-centered space for scholarly impact and engagement.
