CHICAGO — The ALA Office for Research & Statistics invites book proposals for the peer reviewed ALA Research Series.

The ALA Research Series expands the knowledge base of library research by publishing accessible and practical analysis that addresses topics of importance to libraries, librarians and professional educators. The annual series welcomes proposals for complete monographs and for articles toward an edited volume. The series seeks research based on methods other than surveys, such as observational research, content analysis, grounded theory research, ethnographic technique and historical research, as well as research that blends different methods.

Topical areas of interest to the review panel include shared collections, digital preservation and curation, archiving, disaster recovery, assessing return on investment for technology applications (e.g., Web 2.0), information literacy, new forms of engagement in learning/scholarship, ‘digital citizenship’ and the impact of economic downturn on library services. Research on other topics may be submitted. Research must have been conducted in the past three years and be near completion at the time of the proposal. For the purposes of the proposal, preliminary findings of ongoing research are acceptable. Only original research will be accepted.

The ALA Research Series is a peer reviewed publication with an editorial panel comprised of experienced library researchers and researchers/practitioners.  The reviewer panel has membership representing a broad array of expertise and perspectives in library research topics.  Manuscript and proposal review is blind. Submissions from non-U.S. authors are welcomed if their research is international in scope or has obvious applicability to American libraries.  

All submissions must be received electronically by 4:30 p.m. (CDT) on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Please visit http://www.ala.org/ala/professionalresources/publications/alaresearchseries/alaresearchseries.cfm  for more information about the call for manuscripts, author guidelines and timeline.

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