Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Call for Authors: Developing a Curriculum to Advance Library-Based Publishing

The “DEVELOPING A CURRICULUM TO ADVANCE LIBRARY-BASED PUBLISHING” project (IMLS, 2016-2018) invites proposals to create a curriculum to support library-based publishers. This invitation extends to professionals in library publishing (past or present), LPC members/practitioners, LIS/iSchool professors, PhD candidates, and others with an interest and/or experience in this growing area of activity. Each proposal may be authored by an individual or a team. Proposals are invited between January 9 and February 28, 2017.

Each proposal should focus on ONE of the following four course topics: Policy, Content, Impact, or Sustainability. See the Library Publishing Curriculum Framework for more details on what each of these course topics might include.


Each selected author will develop a self-paced online course covering approximately 5-7 subtopics and providing approximately 15 hours of instruction and materials.


Selected proposal authors will:
  • Attend an in-person retreat with the project team and fellow authors to review program goals, discuss formats and learning styles, and refine the learning objectives and methods we will use for each course and its subtopics (April-May, 2017).
  • Assemble the following learning materials for each course subtopic: learning objectives, readings, a narrative core for the course, a brief annotated bibliography, case studies, and exercises (May-August, 2017).
  • Refine the materials according to guidance from an Instructional Designer (August-September, 2017).
  • Create a course guide to support those who may use the materials (October 2017).
  • Assist in the creation of evaluation instruments tied to the learning objectives and competencies covered in your course (November-December, 2017).
  • Be invited to participate as a panelist at the 2018 Library Publishing Forum to talk about the project and the course materials (March-April, 2018).


The curriculum is expected to reach more than 100 students in the first year of pilot experiences (2018) through LIS programs, professional development workshops, and online courses.


We are pleased to be able to offer an honorarium of $4,000 for each of the four course topics (Policy, Content, Impact, and Sustainability). This honorarium will be provided to each of the four authors (or author teams) as they complete their work on the four course topics in December 2017, in recognition of the time and energy course development requires. Travel expenses will be covered for each of the four authors (or, in the case of a team, the lead author) to attend the in-person retreat. In addition, each author will have an opportunity to present at the 2018 Library Publishing Forum.


Proposals are due by 5pm PT on February 28, 2017. Authors will be notified by March 31, 2017.

Proposals should consist of:
  • A 1-2 page summary of your proposed approach to designing and developing the self-paced online course on one of the four named topics (Policy, Content, Impact, or Sustainability) and its range of potential subtopics (please see the Framework for more information).
  • A current author CV. For team proposals, a CV should be included for each team member, along with brief contribution statements, and a lead author for correspondence should be identified.
  • A brief (one paragraph) statement of purpose, explaining why you are interested in being an author in this project.


Proposals will be reviewed and authors selected by the Advisory Board, with the following criteria in mind:
  • Successful proposals will demonstrate knowledge of the relevant topics, effective written communication skills, understanding of diverse learning styles, and will cover the topics and objectives laid out in the framework.
  • The field of library publishing includes a broad range of publication types and activities (e.g., journals, monographs, ETDs, and textbooks, in both restricted and open access formats), and proposals that reflect this range will be prioritized.
  • Care will be taken to assemble a group of authors with diverse voices in terms of gender, sexuality, race, and cultural backgrounds.


Please submit your proposals to: Melanie@educopia.org, Courtney@educopia.org