Editors of the forthcoming ACRL publications book The small or rural academic library: Leveraging resources, overcoming limitations, to be published mid-2016, seek proposals for chapters from librarians who have identified and met the challenges unique to the small and/or rural academic library. The book will provide a practical overview of academic library programs, policies, managerial, technological, and professional engagement concerns within small academic libraries (FTE <500 - 2,999) or academic libraries in ural environments (population of 50,000 or less). Chapters are sought about tactics for and experiences of identifying and remedying these challenges.
Topics may include:
- The knowledge/skills/abilities needed for small and rural academic librarianship;
- Collaborations with institutional offices, academic departments, the community, or other libraries;
- Creating or augmenting professional development opportunities or resources;
- Marketing and outreach initiatives;
- Working with specific user groups (e.g., international students, students with disabilities, first-generation college students, etc.);
- Creation, expansion, or revamping of programs or services;
- Policy creation and/or implementation;
- Strategic planning;
- Information literacy instruction and integration;
- Ethical decision-making or ethical challenges in the workplace;
- Leadership (formal and informal);
- Hiring and recruitment;
- Succession planning;
- Working with paraprofessionals;
- Fiscal challenges and responsibilities;
- Access to/usage of/barriers to technology and infrastructure; and
- Promotion and tenure/research opportunities or barriers;
Academic library professionals working in small or rural libraries are invited to submit their proposal of not more than 3 pages, double-spaced. Your proposal should include: 1) the names and contact information for all authors (please identify a main contact); 2) a clear, concise description of the topic you are proposing for a potential chapter; 3) why the topic may be of interest to small/rural academic librarians; 4) information about the author(s) showing his/her qualifications for writing the chapter, and 5) a brief biographical sketch of each contributing author. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by July 1, 2015. If the book proposal is accepted, each chapter will be expected to be about 4,000 - 5,000 words.
Inquiries and submissions can be sent to:
Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, Assistant Librarian
University of South Carolina Lancaster Medford Library
476 Hubbard Drive
Lancaster, SC 29720
kaetrena@mailbox.sc.edu
Sincerely,
Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, M.S.L.S.
Deborah Tritt, M.L.I.S., M.S.I.T.
