(via Rene Tanner, Arizona State University)
Call for Submissions: Sustainability in Libraries
The book Sustainability in Libraries, edited by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Monika Antonelli, Adrian K. Ho, and René Tanner, will be published by ALA Editions. This work will offer insights into the important developments on how librarians provide leadership and how libraries serve as models for sustainable practices. The editors are seeking articles from a variety of perspectives on topics related to sustainability–including crisis preparation, response, and recovery–within the library profession.
Objective of the Book
In 2019, the American Library Association adopted Sustainability as a new Core Value. This book will provide direction to library personnel and libraries as institutions to position themselves as connectors, conveners, and catalysts for the changes needed. “Sustainability” is not an end point but a mindset, a lens through which operational and outreach decisions can be made. With the climate crisis upon us and its devastating impact on wildlife, oceans, air quality, soil, and the very fabric of life on Earth, we are compelled to find answers and provide direction for our library communities whether they be rural, suburban, metropolitan, schools, or institutions of higher learning. The examples and ideas shared in this edited volume will have far reaching potential and bolster the United Nations’ work on the Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to create a more sustainable future for all.
Suggested Topics
The book chapters will be divided into three main themes for sustainable action.
Theme #1: Libraries as Inspiration & Catalysts – Content that would fall under this theme include topics and examples related to how libraries may provide leadership and serve as a model for sustainable practices through facility stewardship, innovative service design, and outreach and partnership practices.
Theme #2: Libraries as Conveners & Connectors – Content that would fall under this theme include topics and examples related to how libraries work collaboratively through visionary partnerships to facilitate collective impact work to address existing challenges and opportunities with a focus on community well-being and self-reliance.
Theme #3: Libraries as Contributors to Community Resilience – Content that would fall under this theme includes topics and examples of how libraries contribute to future community resilience. For example, active participation in library-centric or community-based resilience/disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts and work that contributes to creating a culture of respect, understanding, and empathy in the library’s service area.
Target Audience
The intended audience for this book is people working in public, school, academic, special, rural, and urban libraries. In addition, this book will include instructional materials to be used in Library and Information Science programs to educate future library practitioners about Sustainability, the newest Core Value of Librarianship.
Special Considerations
High-quality, large file, professional, black and white images are encouraged to enhance the text. Unless they are public domain or openly licensed for commercial use, a permission release will be required for each image submitted. A model release form will be necessary for any images with recognizable people in them. The person must be a legal adult or have a parent’s permission to use the image.
Submission Guidelines
The editors welcome submissions from authors who are interested or have experience creating sustainable libraries or working on topics of sustainability in connection with libraries. The editors are open to a variety of submissions including research articles, how-to articles, essays, and interviews. Manuscript submissions should comply with APA Style.
The editors are looking for submissions about sustainability in libraries that emphasize scalable approaches that can be applied to a variety of libraries at different levels. Brief proposals about programs and partnerships that provide inspiration and actionable takeaways are encouraged. Submit a summary of your proposed article (300 words or less) to Sustainability in Libraries here.
The development of manuscripts will be done in phases. After comments are returned to authors regarding accepted chapter summary proposals, a chapter outline (500 words or less) will be requested.
Once authors receive acceptance for their chapters they will submit their final manuscripts in .doc or .docx format. Suggested length is 2,000 to 3,500 words. Manuscripts should comply with APA style guidelines.
Timeline:
- Chapter Summary Proposal deadline: June 15, 2020
- Notification by editors of proposal acceptance: July 15, 2020
- Chapter Outlines deadline: August 17, 2020
- First Manuscript Drafts deadline: October 1, 2020
- Additional key dates will be sent to successful proposal writers.
For additional information, please contact:
Adrian Ho, Director of Digital Scholarship, University of Kentucky, at hoadriank@gmail.com; or
Rene Tanner, Liaison Librarian, Humanities Division, Arizona State University, at rene.tanner@asu.edu.
