Monday, September 17, 2012

Call for Chapters: Revolutionizing the Development of Library and Information Professionals: Planning for the Future

Call for Chapters: Revolutionizing the Development of Library and Information Professionals: Planning for the Future

URL: http://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/819


Editors
Samantha Schmehl Hines (University of Montana, USA)

Call for Chapters
Proposals Submission Deadline: October 30, 2012
Full Chapters Due: February 28, 2013

Introduction
As more associations and event planners compete for limited professional development funding, we must examine how to produce conferences, continuing education, and other events in a more cost-effective and learning-effective manner.  Why do library workers attend the events that they do? What is changing for library workers with regard to professional development due to technological innovations, cost barriers, and so on?  How can associations produce quality events that people will attend, and how can they do so effectively and efficiently?  This book will focus on thoughtful analysis, backed up by data, of why library workers attend professional development events and what types or aspects of events make the experience worthwhile.

This book will impact those who put together professional development opportunities for librarians--associations, publishers, educational institutions, and so on.  It will also be useful for those in management and human resources positions in libraries.  It has the potential to make library professional development more effective and cost-efficient, and provide library workers with more worthwhile opportunities for training.

Objective of the Book
There has been no recent or thorough examination of why library workers attend professional development events and what types or aspects of events make the experience worthwhile.  There is very little published information on how to best provide professional development experiences for library workers from a generalized perspective as opposed to case studies.  There is a need for factual and informative writing about what the future of library professional development can, will, and should look like.  That is what this book will provide.

Target Audience
The audience for this monograph will be those in the library profession who are planning professional development opportunities.  This includes library association personnel, educational institutions, management personnel in large libraries or library systems, private organizations who produce professional development opportunities, and so on.  It will be used by management and/or human resources personnel to determine future trends in professional development for their staff and by those who create and offer professional development opportunities to maximize usefulness and profit.

Recommended topics
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas within the context of professional development programming, funding, and opportunities for library employees:
* Professional development outside librarianship: what lessons can we learn?
* Funding for professional development within organizations
* External funding for professional development: grants, sponsors, etc.
* What does the traditional library association conference provide for associations?
     o Financial benefits, increased membership, positive PR
* How to best achieve the rejuvenating effects of professional development
* The importance of the intensive institute
* The impact of location on events’ success
* Networking opportunities for library professionals in the virtual age
* Trends in skills development for library workers
* Local to global: what these association types offer for providing development opportunities
* The role of subject-specific/topical associations in professional development
* Future of vendors and exhibits in conferences
* Virtual professional development: is it really the future?

Submission Procedure
Potential authors are invited to submit on or before October 30, 2012, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by November 15, 2012 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by February 28, 2012.

Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This book is anticipated to be released in early 2014.

Important Dates
October 30, 2012:          Proposal Submission Deadline
November 15, 2012:      Notification of Acceptance
February 28, 2013:         Full Chapter Submission
April 30, 2013:                 Review Results Returned
June 30, 2013:                Final Chapter Submission
July 31, 2013:                  Final Deadline

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document):

Samantha Schmehl Hines
Head, Missoula College Library
909 South Ave W
Missoula, MT 59801
Tel.: 406.243.7818 • Fax: 406.243.7881
E-mail: Samantha.hines@umontana.edu