From San Jose to Baltimore: Bringing the Academic Film Archive to Johns Hopkins

Geoff Alexander is the founder and director of the Academic Film Archive of North America. He ran a successful Silicon Valley technology marketing company for 25 years and a Bangkok-based culture and tourism firm for 15 years. Other experience includes six years behind the mic on non-commercial radio and teaching Special Education classes for the Santa Clara County Office of Education. In addition to a number of magazine and journal articles, he’s written five books primarily focusing on film, culture, and history. He holds a M. Ed, a BA in Creative Arts, and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. 

Donald Juedes is the academic liaison librarian for Art History, Film and Media Studies, and Near Eastern Studies at the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries. In this capacity, he works very closely with faculty members to build meaningful library collections in all formats. He also works closely with students to support their research, instructing them on strategies and tools pertinent to their fields of study. 

Liz Mengel is the Associate Dean for Collections and Academic Services. Reporting to the Dean of University Libraries and Museums, she serves as a key member of the Libraries senior management team, ensures organizational effectiveness and efficiency, and shares in responsibilities for decision-making, resource allocation and management, and development of policies for library collections and services. As a senior member of the Dean’s Council and Managers’ Council, Liz has the responsibility for adopting a holistic library-wide view in terms of strategic planning, communication, and fostering an environment of innovation, teamwork, diversity, and inclusiveness within the Libraries. She serves as the Libraries representative and advocate to relevant campus, consortial, or multi-institutional groups and provides leadership and coordination for the development, assessment, and evaluation of Libraries collections and academic services to support the research and learning activities of the University’s faculty, students, and staff.