Announcing the Theme for the Fall 2023 Volume of The Political Librarian

Manuscripts must be submitted by October 31, 2023, for inclusion in the next issue. 

The recent spate of challenges and book bans has questioned the collection development processes and the policy frameworks needed to curate a library collection properly. In the upcoming issue, we are calling for papers that discuss policies, legislation, and praxis that support and defend a book's lifecycle in a school or public library collection. Likewise, we are soliciting library practitioners to reflect on the ethical and statutory aspects of collection development. Much of the process of how we do this core element of library services is unknown, at least to the public, and is difficult even for a trained librarian with an MLS degree to articulate and navigate. We are calling for opinion pieces, white papers, and peer-reviewed papers to inform the sector and its partners during a fraught period in American librarianship.

Our editorial guidelines are posted for your review and consideration. Manuscripts must be submitted by October 31st, 2023, for inclusion in the next issue. 

Do not hesitate to contact Series Editor Andrew Sulavik at [email protected] for information or to submit a manuscript for consideration. 

Read the current issue of The Political Librarian
Vol 6, Issue 1 - May 2023
on the Open Scholarship platform of Washington University Libraries

https://www.thepoliticallibrarian.org

The Political Librarian is hosted on Washington University’s Open Scholarship Platform, ISSN: 2471-3155. 

Areas of focus can include (but are not limited to) public, academic, and school library policy and funding. We are interested in discussing rapidly evolving issues around censorship in schools and public libraries, political and funding conversations at all levels of government, and funding for libraries in turbulent economic, political, and cultural climates.

The Political Librarian is published at the intersection of local libraries, public policy, education policy, and tax policy. As an open-source academic journal, The Political Librarian is dedicated to expanding the library advocacy and activism discussion while promoting research and new thinking about library policy and funding issues. We publish a wide range of opinion pieces, research, and peer-reviewed materials on public policy and tax policy issues for libraries. 

We invite submissions from researchers, practitioners, community members, and others dedicated to furthering the discussion, promoting research, and helping to re-envision tax and public policy on the highest local level. The Political Librarian is actively interested in featuring new voices and lines of inquiry. 

We seek submissions from both researchers and practitioners that fall into one of three submission categories:

• Opinions/First Drafts – Editorial in nature; the first draft of an idea or argument.
• White Papers – Longer form discussions that may include research.
• Peer-Reviewed – Long-form articles that include original research and arguments and are submitted for review by our Editorial Board and/or external reviewers.

We want to bring various perspectives to the journal and not limit our contributors to just those working in the library and information science field in public, academic, and school library settings. We seek submissions from researchers, practitioners, community members, or others dedicated to furthering the discussion, promoting research, and helping to re-envision tax and public policy on the highly local level.