Call for Submissions
Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (ISTL) has recently published a four-part column series on social justice (SJ) and science librarianship (fourth part to be published in Issue No. 100). As a culmination to this project, we invite submissions that will amplify the work that Libraries and Librarians are doing in the areas of equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and/or social justice, specifically in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and/or Medicine (STEMM).
Aim/Scope
The aim of this special issue is to highlight, empower, and encourage the work done in the areas of social justice and science and technology librarianship.
The scope includes any topic under the social justice umbrella integrated into science and technology librarianship.
Possible Topics and Submission Types
Possible Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Programming
- Anti- and Decolonial Collection Practices
- Retention of BIPOC Science & Technology Librarians
- Integrating Social Justice Concepts into Library Instruction
- Repatriation of Collections
- Critical Science Librarianship
- Equitable Impact Reports
- Anti-Racist Approaches to STEMM Information Literacy
- Inclusive Evidence Synthesis Practices
- Accessibility in Reference Interactions
- Just Data Use and Preservation
- Social Justice Reading Groups/ Professional Development for STEMM Communities
- All other topics in the intersection of Social Justice and Science & Technology Librarianship
Possible Submission Types:
- Research Study
- Personal Narrative
- Ethnography
- Literature Reviews
- Case Studies
- Evidence Synthesis
We are very open to all formats, including those which would be considered non-traditional in scholarly publication. If you have an idea that is not included above, do not hesitate to email us (slsjSpecialIssue@gmail.com) or describe it when you fill out the Intent to Submit form. We will work with you to determine if it will fit in this Special Issue.
Submission Process
If you are interested in being a part of this special issue, we ask that you first indicate your interest by filling out this Intent to Submit Form. The form asks for a short description of your proposed work and how this work relates to Social Justice.
After filling out the form, one of our editors will be in contact with you, and work with you through the rest of the submission process. All submissions will be reviewed by the editors and may involve peer review depending on the work and your preferences. Since the editors will be working directly with the authors, they will be happy, and excited, to help guide newer authors through the publication process.
> Intent to Submit form
Publication Timeline
Submission proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis until September 30, 2022.
The editors hope to receive the draft manuscripts around March, 2023.
Note: This is an early call to encourage idea and project development over the summer.
Position Statement for Editors
Isabel M. Altamirano (she/her/hers) is a cisgender Hispanic woman working as a science librarian at an R1 university in a college town in mid-Alabama. She has worked at libraries in New Orleans, LA, Tyler, TX, and Atlanta, GA. She is also a first-gen college graduate on the North American continent.
Ginny Boehme (she/her/hers) is a cisgender white woman and is an early-career science librarian at a public R2 PWI university in a college town in southwest Ohio.
Jeffra D. Bussmann (she/her/hers) is a cisgender white woman working as a science librarian at a public, barely R2, MSI-designated urban university in the Pacific Coast region.
Nastasha E. Johnson (she/her/hers) is a cisgender Black woman from the southern U.S. who now resides in the Midwest U.S. She worked at or was conferred degrees by MSIs or HBCUs, prior to her arrival at her current land-grant PWI.
Sam Hansen (they/them) is a queer, white non-binary person who holds a position as a mathematics and statistics librarian at a land-grant R1 PWI Univeristy in Michigan. They grew up in a rural town in northern Wisconsin, and have received degrees from multiple state universities, two PWIs in Wisconsin and one HSI in Nevada.
Rosalinda Hernandez Linares (any pronouns) is a queer, Latinx librarian working in collections and research services at a Native-serving public, liberal arts college in the Southwest.
Resources for Writing
The Library Writing Collaborative offers a First Draft Matchmaker project, which matches a writer with a reviewer and encourages participation for those new to writing for the library and information science profession and those who have previously authored works.
Contact Information for Questions and Discussion
(Do you want to talk about anything?) We can discuss possible topics, methods of presenting the material, the peer-review process, or suggestions on reading similar works.
We welcome your special viewpoints and wish to learn more about your lived experiences. Email us at slsjSpecialIssue@gmail.com
