Call For Papers - The Political Librarian - Fall 2022 Issue

For our Fall 2022 issue, The Political Librarian seeks papers addressing the challenges to libraries' values, vision, and mission in the present moment.

We see these challenges growing not only in their frequency but also in their ferocity. Public and school libraries are being put under political and social pressures we haven’t seen in decades. Academic libraries are in the crosshairs of what free speech and access mean today. Librarians are being accused of causing harm by providing access. 

In an increasingly polarized political and cultural context, we are seeing organized, coordinated agenda-driven opposition to library collections, policies, and programs. How are we protecting ourselves and our institutions? Equally important, what strategies are we using to defend our principles? 

The editors of the Political Librarian are 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. Submitted for review by our Editorial Board and/or external reviewers.

The Political Librarian is published irregularly by the EveryLibrary Institute, NFP. Previous issues are hosted on the open scholarship platform at Washington University. Please visit thepoliticallibrarian.org to review editorial guidelines and sample previous work. Contact Series Editor Christopher Stewart at [email protected] for information or to submit a manuscript for consideration. For consideration in the Fall 2022 issue, please be in touch by September 1, 2022.