Empowering Libraries and Growing Knowledge: How to Cultivate a New Open Access Journal

Presenter Information

Kathleen L. Schmand MLS, MOL, Middle Tennessee State UniversityFollow
Joyce Garczynski, Towson UniversityFollow
A. Miller, Middle Tennessee State UniversityFollow

Presentation Type

Presentation

Location

Teams.

Event Website

https://libjournals.mtsu.edu/index.php/jacdal

Start Date

7-4-2025 2:00 PM

End Date

7-4-2025 2:50 PM

Description

What’s involved in growing an open-access library journal? How can you take the seed of an idea and develop it into something new and sustainable? This program outlines the creation of the Journal of Advancement, Communication, and Development in Academic Libraries, an open-access journal dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing in the library fundraising and communication community. Over an 18-month period, the journal progressed from an initial concept to the publication of its inaugural issue in January 2025. In this interactive presentation, journal editors and staff will share how they got started, their key technical, stylistic, and content choices, and how they promoted and intend to grow their new open journal. Attendees will benefit by learning about the unique journal content and from lessons and guidance about the development and editorial process of growing a new open-access journal.

Author Bios

Kathleen Schmand:Kathleen.Schmand@mtsu.edu

Kathleen Schmand is a professor and Dean of the James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University. With almost thirty years of experience, she is responsible for leading and promoting excellence across the organization, enhancing the quality of library programs, implementing high-impact learning experiences, and advancing the research agenda. She is actively engaged in academic library fundraising. Her research interests vary from organizational change and leadership to experiential learning.

Joyce Garczynski: jgarczynski@towson.edu

Joyce Garczynski is the Assistant University Librarian for Communication & Digital Scholarship at Towson University in Maryland. In this role, she manages the Communication, Outreach, & Digital Scholarship department, teaches communication students about the research process, and manages her library’s marketing. She obtained her master’s degree in library science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds a master’s in communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania.

A.Miller: A.Miller@mtsu.edu

A. Miller is a professor, digital scholarship librarian, and director of MT Open Press who uses an inclusive design approach to enhance information communication technologies and scholarly publishing initiatives. Research interests are sociotechnical in nature, including accessible computing, user experience research, information retrieval, and human-centered design.

Comments

Kathleen Schmand and Joyce Garczynski will be presenting on this topic. A. Miller is providing content for the presentation.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.