Library Trends

Library Trends addresses critical trends in professional librarianship. Each issue is a special topic issue, exploring a key area of activity or interest. Guest editors are selected by Clara M. Chu and Jaya Raju, Coeditors-in-Chief, with the advice of the Editorial Board, based on the content of submitted proposals.

Issue topics for Library Trends are developed in many ways. We value recommendations from professional librarians, archivists, and other information personnel, from members of the faculties of schools of library and information science, and from others whose concern is with issues of the management of cultural heritage. We seek volunteers from these areas to act as guest editors.

A guest editor proposes the theme and scope of a new issue, draws up a list of prospective authors and article topics, calls for submissions to the issue, arranges for review of the manuscripts, provides short annotations of each article’s scope, and prepares a statement of philosophy guiding issue development.

The style and tone of the journal is formal rather than journalistic or popular. Library Trends reviews current theory and practice and identifies and evaluates new directions for both practice and research. Papers must represent original work. Extensive updates of previously published papers are acceptable, but revisions or adaptations of published work are not acceptable. Both issue proposals and the papers they contain are subject to rigorous external review.

If you would like to submit a proposal, it should include the nature and scope of the proposed topic and suggestions of the names of individuals whom you hope would contribute the articles. For ease of review, please submit your CV and a proposal using the following format:

1.Guest editor name and contact information

2.Proposed issue theme/draft issue title

3.Description of the nature and scope of the issue’s topic (300-500 words)

4.List of potential articles (8-10 articles)

5.List of potential authors to solicit (8-10 authors)

6.List of potential reviewers for the manuscripts (4-5 reviewers)

7.Proposed timeline for proposals, authoring, editing, etc. (12-14 months typical)

Please send your ideas, inquiries, or issue proposal to cashwill@illinois.edu or:

Cindy Ashwill, Library Trends Managing Editor
School of Information Sciences
501 E. Daniel Street
Champaign, IL 61820-6211

The guest editor is primarily responsible for the intellectual content of the issue itself and the manuscripts that comprise it. This includes not only securing articles from authors, but also reviewing them, working with authors to make necessary revisions, and arranging for review. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the guest editor to ensure that authors follow the guidelines provided in the “Author Instructions for the Preparation of Articles.”

The guest editor is responsible for adhering to the deadlines and page limits established by Library Trends editorial staff.  He or she will notify the Library Trends managing editor, Cindy Ashwill (cashwill@illinois.edu), regarding progress in the development of the issue, issues that may occur with securing manuscripts, and problems with the content of manuscripts.

Throughout the entire production process, the managing editor will remain in close contact with the guest editor. If at any point in the process the guest editor and authors have questions, they should immediately contact the managing editor.

The Production Process

1.The guest editor(s) will provide an ordered table of contents to the managing editor as well as a list of all contributing authors, including for each an email address, daytime telephone number, and postal address for mailing copies (two) of the issue in which his or her article appears.

2.Having completed the review process and confirmed that the article manuscripts follow the “Author Instruction for the Preparation of Articles,” the guest editor(s) will provide the articles to the journal’s general editor for review and approval.

3.All articles will be reviewed and approved by the journal’s general editor. For articles that are approved, revisions may be requested on occasion.

4.The journal’s managing editor will review for completeness all material submitted— including abstracts, author biographies, tables, figures, etc.—to be included in the respective articles. Any questions at that time will be referred to the issue editor.

5.The managing editor will send publishing agreements to authors and may need assistance from the issue editor in obtaining the authors’ signatures. Government employees may need to sign a separate publishing agreement (articles provided under governmental auspices need to be accessible in the public domain, and copyright cannot be transferred). Translation permission forms also will be required if the issue includes articles that have been translated into the English language.

6.The managing editor will assist authors with the process required to obtain written permission to reprint any copyrighted material (photos, illustrations, etc.), whether previously published or not, that falls outside the bounds of fair use. Production cannot proceed until all forms are signed and on file.

7.Manuscripts will be submitted by the managing editor to the journal’s publisher, The Johns Hopkins University Press, for production of the issue: copy editing, typesetting, proofreading, and preparing files for printing. 

8.Copy editing consists of reviewing the manuscripts for style, format, organization, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and reference consistency; this process takes 6-8 weeks. It does not include substantial content editing, which is the responsibility of the guest editor prior to submission. During the copy-editing stage, authors will be given an opportunity to review their manuscripts and asked to answer any questions (articles authored by more than one person will be sent to the lead author). If the author(s) cannot review the article, the guest editor will need to answer any outstanding editorial queries. 

9.When copyedits have been reviewed and approved, the issue will be typeset. A complete set of page proofs are then sent to a proofreader, who will closely read the issue; this process takes 2-3 weeks. The managing editor will then review the proofs and resolve with the authors any queries raised by the proofreader (which also takes 2-3 weeks). The guest editor’s role at this stage is to review any article he or she has authored, as well as to assist the managing editor in resolving queries in the event that authors are not available to review their articles. 

10.Finally, the issue will be sent to the printer; approximately 4 weeks later, advance copies will be available. Complimentary print copies for the guest editor (5 copies) and all authors (2 copies each) will be mailed directly from the printer. PDF files of individual articles will be available upon request by contacting the managing editor, Cindy Ashwill, Assistant Dean for Communications, School of Information Sciences, at (217) 244-4643 or cashwill@illinois.edu. 

Note: Library Trends does not accept single-article submissions; rather, each issue covers a specific topic and manuscript submissions are invited and organized by guest editor(s).

General Requirements

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word, typically via e-mail or an electronic file sharing service, to the guest editor, who will then shepherd them through the review process.

Articles published in Library Trends are typically in the range of 4,000-10,000 words, not including references and supplementary material. Longer or shorter submissions can be accommodated, but this is dependent on the significance of the content and subject in consultations with the guest and general editors. 

A brief abstract (200 words maximum) should appear at the beginning of the article, and a biography for each author (150 words maximum) should be included at the end.

If you are including an acknowledgement statement, this should be inserted at the end of the text, before the references and endnotes.

Text Formatting

The general rule for text formatting is to follow The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html); however, the following guidelines should be sufficient to prepare most manuscripts.

• Use Times New Roman 12 pt. type and justify to the left only.
• Manuscripts should be single spaced.
• Insert a double space between paragraphs.
• Use American English spelling (except within quotes).
• Number pages consecutively throughout the manuscript in the footer of the Word document.
• Do not insert any header or footer other than the page number.
• Only use bullets for vertical lists (do not use numbered lists).
• Lengthy quotes (normally exceeding 5 lines) should be formatted as block quotations and indented from the left margin only.
• Format subheads consistently, using no more than three levels; for example: capitals (level 1); italics (level 2); italics run-in to paragraph text (level 3). Justify all headings to the left. Subhead examples are:

LEVEL 1

Level 2

Level 3. Run-in to paragraph text

• To mark divisions without using subheads, center three asterisks on a separate line, as follows:

***

Notes can be used for narrative expansions of the text but should be used sparingly. Do not use a note to state a URL or to cite a source. Follow the guidelines given below for citing all materials in the list of references. If using notes, use the automated note-preparation facility in Word and use endnotes, not footnotes. In your submitted Word document, it is permissible for endnotes to appear after the list of references, with this being a feature of the automated note system. Subsequently, copy editors will place endnotes before the list of references.

Reference Formatting

Follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html), using author-date format for citations and bibliography.  

For in-text citations, author(s) last name and date are sufficient. If you are including a direct quote, then page number(s) should be added; e.g.:

• (Baker 2006)
• (Baker 2006, 174)

Please note the following brief, general guidelines for formatting items in the bibliography:

1. Do not use hanging indents
2. Do not place parentheses around year of source
3. Include quotation marks around article and chapter titles
4. Use headline-style capitalization of titles
   • e.g., format as “Time as a Context of Information Seeking” rather than “Time as a context of information seeking”
5. For periodical articles:
   • Do not place a comma before the volume number
   • List volume number in plain font rather than italics
   • Put the issue number in parentheses
   • Include a space between the volume and issue numbers
   • Use a colon rather than comma before page numbers in periodicals
     • e.g., Information Processing & Management 35 (6): 801–17.
6. List inclusive page numbers condensed
   • e.g., “210-25” rather than “210-225”
7. Do not include “Retrieved from” with URL
8. Add a period at the end of a bibliography entry even when the entry ends with a URL or doi number

Anything cited in the text needs to be in the list of references. Conversely, anything in the list of references requires a citation in the text.

Do not include references that are not cited in the text. If you want to recommend additional sources, the text should make these recommendations so that the sources are appropriately cited in the reference list. In rare cases, a list of additional readings may be appropriate but must be discussed in advance with the managing editor.

All Internet, web, or online source must have an in-text citation and be in the list of references. It is not sufficient to insert a URL in the text itself.

Maintain consistency within your references in terms of treatment of authors’ given names; either use all initials or spell out all given names. If, however, a particular author consistently uses only initials when authoring publications, use initials for that author even if the names in your other references are spelled out.

The Chicago Manual of Style website provides basic examples. Be careful to view the Author-Date formatting, which is the correct style for Library Trends: www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html 

Guidelines for Use of Keywords

Each published Library Trends article includes a set of keywords to enhance content discoverability. The use of 4-8 keywords is recommended. Choose your keywords thoughtfully to reflect the following:

• Represent the content of your manuscript 
• Be specific to your field or subfield
• Use variants of terms and phrases that readers are likely to use to search for your research (e.g., for “smartphone” also use “mobile phone” to capture different search variants)
• Use the full form of shortened words or acronyms
• Think internationally; e.g., “mobile phone” is the term used in the UK, while “cell phone” is the term used in the USA 

Tables

Collect all tables together in a separate Word file. Do not embed them in the text.

Tables should be formatted in Word as grayscale text, not as a graphic image.

Include column headings and explain all abbreviations and terms, making them consistent with usage in the text. Use “%” (do not spell out as percent) in tables.

Include a call-out in the text to show where each table should be inserted (e.g., INSERT TABLE 1 HERE). We will do our best to accommodate the desired location of the table.

Place a caption beneath the call-out. The caption should include the table number, followed by a description;

• e.g., “Table 1: Rates of Book and Periodical Inflation, 1980-2010”

Figures: Photographs & Illustrations

Submit each figure in a separate file (JPG or TIF). Do not submit photographs or illustrations as Word files or screenshots, as they make for very poor quality.

Do not submit files in color but rather convert to grayscale. Because the journal is produced in grayscale, the benefits of colors will be lost and distinctions made in the text based on color will not be evident to readers.

Images and line art should be saved as grayscale files in TIF or JPG format and at size close to, but no larger than, 4 x 7 inches. Images should be scanned at 300 dpi or higher. Line art, such as bar graphs and pie charts, should be submitted at a resolution of 900 dpi.

Each figure should be numbered and have a caption. Place a call-out and the attached caption in the text at the required point. We will do our best to accommodate the desired location.

Figure captions should include the figure number, a description, and (if applicable) a permission or source statement. 

Permissions

It is the responsibility of the author to obtain permissions that may be required to reprint any copyrighted material, whether previously published or not, that falls outside the bounds of fair use. Such permissions must be obtained in writing and should be completed at the request of the managing editor, who reviews manuscripts after they have been submitted to the guest editor. The managing editor is responsible for providing the proper form for authors to use in requesting and obtaining permissions. Authors should acknowledge receipt of permissions in captions at the appropriate place in the manuscript.

Inquiries

If you have any questions about the preparation of your manuscript, please consult the Managing Editor of Library Trends, Cindy Ashwill, Assistant Dean for Communications, School of Information Sciences, email: cashwill@illinois.edu

The Hopkins Press Journals Ethics and Malpractice Statement can be found at the ethics-and-malpractice page.

Peer Review Policy

Each issue of Library Trends is a special-topic issue and is overseen by one or more guest editors. Articles are invited or the result of a call for proposals. The guest editors manage a peer review process for each issue and draw upon a reviewer pool developed for their expertise around that issue's topic. The process may be single-blind, double-blind, or open at the discretion of the guest editors. 

Coeditors-in-Chief

Clara M. Chu, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Jaya Raju, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Managing Editor

Cindy Ashwill, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Editorial Board

Hermina G.B. Anghelescu, Wayne State University, USA
Helena Asamoah-Hassan, African Library and Information Associations and Institutions, West Africa
Tiago Emmanuel Nunes Braga, Brazilian Institute for Information in Science and Technology, Brazil
Camille Callison, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada
Ayub Khan, Warwickshire County Council, England
Kathryn La Barre, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Amal W. Mostafa, Cairo University, Egypt
Gillian Oliver, Monash University, Australia
Aida Slavic, Universal Decimal Classification, The Netherlands
Linda C. Smith, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Yoo-Seong Song, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao, Nanjing University, China

Abstracting & Indexing Databases

• Clarivate Analytics
  • Current Contents
  • Web of Science
• De Gruyter Saur
  • Dietrich's Index Philosophicus
  • IBZ - Internationale Bibliographie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Zeitschriftenliteratur
  • Internationale Bibliographie der Rezensionen Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaftlicher Literatur
• EBSCOhost
  • Academic Search Alumni Edition, 1/1/1993-
  • Academic Search Complete, 1/1/1993-
  • Academic Search Elite, 1/1/1993-
  • Academic Search Premier, 1/1/1993-
  • Academic Search: Main Edition, 1/1/1993-
  • Biography Index: Past and Present (H.W. Wilson), vol.38, 1989-vol.56, no.4, 2008
  • Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson), Apr.1984-
  • Business Source Corporate, 1/1/1993-, dropped
  • Business Source Corporate Plus, 1/1/1993-
  • Corporate ResourceNet, 1/1/1993-
  • Current Abstracts, 1/1/2000-
  • Education Abstracts (H.W. Wilson), 4/15/1984-
  • Education Index (Online), 1984/04-
  • Education Research Complete, 1/1/1993-
  • Education Research Index, Jan.1993-
  • Education Source, 4/15/1984-
  • Information Science & Technology Abstracts, 1/1/1993-
  • Library & Information Science Source, 1/1/1937-
  • Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson), 04/15/1984-
  • Library Literature & Information Science Index (H.W. Wilson), 4/15/1984-
  • Library Literature & Information Science Retrospective: 1905-1983 (H.W. Wilson), 1/1/1937-12/16/1983
  • Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), 1/1/1966-
  • MainFile, 1/1/1993-
  • MasterFILE Complete, 1/1/1993-
  • MasterFILE Elite, 1/1/1993-
  • MasterFILE Premier, 1/1/1993-
  • MasterFILE: Main Edition, 1/1/1993-
  • MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association)
  • OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson), 4/15/1984-
  • Professional Development Collection, 1/1/1993-
  • Professional Development Collection: Main Edition, 1/1/1993-
  • Public Affairs Index, 6/1/1993-
  • RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale)
  • Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies
  • TOC Premier (Table of Contents), 1/1/1995-
• Elsevier BV
  • Scopus, 1980-
• FRANCIS
• Gale
  • Business & Company ProFile ASAP, 1/2000-
  • Business ASAP, 1/2000-
  • Business ASAP International, 1/2000-
  • Business Insights: Essentials, 06/1978-
  • Business Insights: Global, 06/1978-
  • Gale Academic OneFile, 06/1978-
  • Gale Academic OneFile Select, 06/1978-
  • Gale General OneFile, 06/1978-
  • Gale in Context: College
  • Gale in Context: Elementary
  • Gale OneFile: Business, 06/1978-
  • Gale OneFile: Educator's Reference Complete, 06/1978-
  • Gale OneFile: High School Edition, 01/1985-
  • Gale OneFile: Information Science, 06/1978-
  • Gale OneFile: Leadership and Management, 06/1978 -
  • Gale OneFile: Popular Magazines, 06/1978-
  • General Business File ASAP, 1/2000-
  • General Reference Center, 06/1978-
  • General Reference Center Gold, 06/1978-
  • General Reference Centre International, 1/1980-
  • InfoTrac Custom, 1/1980-
  • MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association)
  • Student Resources in Context, 06/1978-
• Gale In Context: Canada, 06/1978-
• Gale in Context: High School
• Magazine Index Plus, Jan.1998-
• National Library of Medicine
  • PubMed
• OCLC
  • ArticleFirst, vol.38, no.3, 1990-vol.60, no.1, 2011
  • Education Index (Online), 1984/04-
  • Electronic Collections Online, vol.54, no.1, 2006-vol.60, no.1, 2011
  • Library Literature, vol.32, 1984-vol.59, no.1/2, 2010
  • Periodical Abstracts, v.36, n.3, 1988-v.59, n.1/2, 2010
• Personal Alert (E-mail)
• ProQuest
  • Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database, 1/1/1988-, dropped
  • Education Collection, 1/1/1988-
  • Education Database, 1/1/1988-
  • Library & Information Science Collection, 01/01/1988-
  • Library Science Database, 01/01/1988-
  • LISA: Library & Information Science Abstracts (Online), Core Coverage - Actively Indexed
  • MLA International Bibliography (Modern Language Association)
  • PAIS Archive, vol.6, 1957-vol.25, no.2, 1976
  • Periodicals Index Online
  • Professional ProQuest Central, 01/01/1988-
  • ProQuest 5000, 01/01/1988-
  • ProQuest 5000 International, 01/01/1988-
  • ProQuest Central, 01/01/1988-
  • ProQuest Professional Education, 01/01/1988-
  • ProQuest SciTech Collection, 1/1/1988-
  • Research Library, 01/01/1988-
  • RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (Repertoire International de Litterature Musicale)
  • SciTech Premium Collection, 1/1/1988-, dropped
  • Social Science Premium Collection, 01/01/1988-
  • Technology Collection, 1/1/1988-, dropped
• VINITI RAN
  • Referativnyi Zhurnal, coverage dropped

Abstracting & Indexing Sources

• Chicano Index   (Ceased)  (Print)
• Children's Literature Abstracts   (Ceased)  (Print)
• Family Index   (Ceased)  (Print)
• Legal Information Management Index   (Ceased)  (Print)
• Personnel Literature   (Ceased)  (Print)
• Middle East: Abstracts and Index   (Researched / Unresolved)  (Print)

Source: Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory.

0.8 (2022)
1.1(Five-Year Impact Factor)
0.00063 (Eigenfactor™ Score)

Rank in Category (by Journal Impact Factor):
69 of 84 journals in “Information Science & Library Science”

© Clarivate Analytics 2023

Published quarterly.

Readers include: College and research libraries, public libraries, library systems and networks, special libraries, and international college and research libraries

Print circulation: 285

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