Wednesday, January 30, 2013

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: Library and Information Science Research in Asia-Oceania: Theory and Practice


CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS: Library and Information Science Research in Asia-Oceania: Theory and Practice
Proposal Submission Deadline: February 28, 2013
Title: Library and Information Science Research in Asia-Oceania: Theory and Practice
A book edited by
Dr. Jia Tina Du (University of South Australia, Australia)
Professor Qinghua Zhu (Nanjing University, China)
Professor Andy Koronios (University of South Australia, Australia)



Introduction:
The book Library and Information Science Research in Asia-Oceania: Theory and Practice seeks to present the development and trends in library and information science (LIS) research, both theoretically and practically, in the Asia-Oceania region. Two major trends have occurred nowadays in the LIS field across Asia-Oceania, including a growth in the number of schools and expansion of programs, and a growth in research outputs. The LIS education growth is more significant in the Asian countries, particularly in China and India. The Directory of Library & Information Science Programs in Asia shows that there are 67 universities having LIS programs in China. The numbers of LIS schools in India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are 86, 11, 8, 5, and 1, respectively. Australia and New Zealand have been fairly stable in LIS education growth compared to Asia, but they provide significant distance education and training programs. Historically, the major centres of the world producing LIS research have largely been the universities and information institutions in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. However, accompanying the growth of the Asian economies, universities, and information industries, LIS research being conducted and published in the Asia-Oceania region is increasing rapidly. Up to 2011, there were totally 377,649 LIS document records in the database Web of Science, and approximately 12,000 of them were written by Asia-Oceania region researchers.

Overall, the LIS field in the Asia-Oceania region is experiencing prominent growth, and the trends of development are worth exploring. This book will provide a timely look at LIS research development and practice in Asia-Oceania as the region continues to grow and develop. It will provide an ideal forum for this international research area, allowing a presentation and comparison of international history and trends in LIS research, along with an investigation of reasons for similarities and differences in the outcomes. As such, this book will be a significant contribution to the LIS research literature.

The book chapters will take critical and historical approaches as well as contemporary analysis. Authors are invited to submit chapters based on original research that has not been published elsewhere.  We are seeking high quality and scholarly book chapters that cover the evolution of LIS research and developments in theory and practice in the Asia-Oceania region, including research progress in the field, evolution of theory development and, where applicable, their practical applications and significance, and the impact of information technologies on the development of the field.  

Objective of the Book:
The main goal of the publication is to bring together theories and practices development, achievements, and challenges in international LIS studies. This book will assemble researchers from the major LIS schools in Asia and Oceania to disseminate and discuss the changing nature of the research, the major advances, and practical development in the field. The book will demonstrate evolving and emerging research and practice development in diverse countries in the region. It will highlight the current concerns and issues surrounding both theory and practice. This book is expected to be an excellent collection and representation of Asian and Oceanian LIS research and practice today.

Target Audience:
This book is intended as a useful resource for library and information science researchers, scholars, students, professionals, and practitioners, and is an appropriate text for courses in library and information science. In addition, anyone interested in understanding the LIS field in the region will find this book a fascinating and enlightening read.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to the following:
I. Evolution of the Field of LIS
·      Development of fundamental ideas and theories in LIS
·      Historical contexts of information technology innovations and impacts
·      The characteristics of the innovation system and its influence on the formulation of LIS research

II. New Directions in LIS Research
·      Leading edge theories and models
·      Trends in LIS research
·      Evolving and emerging research methodologies

III. Diversity in Research Topics
·      Virtual community research
·      Human information behaviour
·      Collaborative information behaviour
·      Web search and information retrieval
·      Interactive information retrieval and user interfaces
·      Social media and social network
·      Community informatics
·      LIS community, its research and publication
·      Information literacy
·      Information quality
·      Human-computer interaction
·      Human-information interaction
·      Information architecture
·      Bibliometrics, informetrics, and webometrics
·      Digital library and databases
·      Information security and privacy
·      LIS education

IV. LIS Practice
·      Policy issues
·      Practical and social impact and implications, including case analysis
·      LIS professionals in the Web 2.0 era

Submission Procedure:
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2013, 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 March 10, 2013 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters should be at least 9,000-10,000 words in length and are expected to be submitted by June 30, 2013. Chapters should be written in the 6th edition of APA format and submitted (in Word document) via email to the editors at tina.du@unisa.edu.au and qhzhu@nju.edu.cnAll submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

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 2014.

Important Dates
February 28, 2013:         Proposal Submission Deadline
March 10, 2013:             Notification of Acceptance
June 30, 2013:                  Full Chapter Submission
August 1, 2013:               Review Results Returned
August 31, 2013:            Revised Chapter Submission
September 15, 2013:     Final Notification of Acceptance
September 30, 2013:     Final Chapter Submission

Editorial Advisory Board Members
Professor Lisa Given, Charles Sturt University, Australia
Professor Mu-hsuan Huang, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Associate Professor Chris Khoo, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Professor Nahyun Kwon, Myongji University, South Korea
Professor Feicheng Ma, Wuhan University, China
Professor Makiko Miwa, The Open University of Japan, Japan
Professor Helen Partridge, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Professor Pertti Vakkari, University of Tampere, Finland
Professor Peiling Wang, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Professor Iris Xie, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document):
Dr. Jia Tina Du
University of South Australia

Professor Qinghua Zhu
Nanjing University