New journal: The Journal of Library Innovation

The Western New York Library Resources Council is pleased to announce plans to publish The Journal of Library Innovation, one of the first journals devoted explicitly to innovation and creativity in libraries. This peer reviewed, electronic journal will publish original research, literature reviews, commentaries, case studies, reports on innovative practices, letters, as well as book and product reviews. The journal will also welcome provocative essays that will stimulate thought on the current and future role of libraries in an Internet Age.

The inaugural issue will be published in January 2010. Please watch for a call for papers in the near future. For more information, please contact Editor-in-Chief Sheryl Knab (sknab@wnylrc.org) or Managing Editor Pamela Jones (pjones@medaille.edu).

Posted by David Schoen, Niagara University

Call for Submissions (Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook)

A Library Writer's Blog: Call for Submissions (Librarians as Community Partners: An Outreach Handbook)

CFP: The Journal of Library Metadata

A Library Writer's Blog: CFP: The Journal of Library Metadata

Call for Papers: Journal of Web Librarianship

**Call for Papers/Complimentary Sample Copy**

The Journal of Web Librarianship (http://www.lib.jmu.edu/org/jwl/) welcomes submission of manuscripts dealing with all aspects of librarianship as practiced on the World Wide Web, including both existing and emerging roles and activities of information professionals in the Web environment. New authors are welcome!

A peer-reviewed, international quarterly, the Journal is published by Haworth Press, now part of the Taylor & Francis Group, with offices in Philadelphia, London, and other countries. A complimentary sample copy may be obtained by sending an e-mail to <marisa.starr@taylorandfrancis.com>.

Papers are welcomed in the areas of:

* library website design
* usability testing of library or library-related sites
* cataloging or classification of web-based information
* international issues in web librarianship
* scholars' use of the web
* information architecture
* library departmental web pages
* RSS feeds
* podcasting
* library services via the web
* historical aspects of web librarianship
* emerging roles of web librarians

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Jody Condit Fagan

Editor, The Journal of Web Librarianship Associate Professor and Content Interfaces Coordinator James Madison University Preferred email: faganjc@jmu.edu

Reference Renaissance conference call for proposals

Call for Participation - A Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends
August 4-5, 2008, Denver, CO
Conference website: http://www.bcr.org/referencerenaissance

Sponsored by BCR (Bibliographical Center for Research) and
RUSA (Reference and User Services Association), an ALA Division

Rumors of the “death of reference” have been greatly exaggerated! Reference and information services now encompass not just traditional forms such as in-person point-of-service, telephone, and e-mail, but also Instant Messaging, Text Messaging (SMS), blogs, wikis, library pages on MySpace and Facebook, and virtual reference desks in Second Life.

A Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends conference will explore all aspects of reference service in a broad range of contexts, including libraries and information centers, in academic, public, school, corporate, and other special library environments. This two-day conference will incorporate the multitude of established, emerging, and merging types of reference service including both traditional and virtual reference. It presents an opportunity for all reference practitioners and scholars to explore the rapid growth and changing nature of reference, as an escalating array of information technologies blend with traditional reference service to create vibrant hybrids.

Our theme of a “Reference Renaissance” was taken from an editorial by Diane Zabel, in a recent issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly (winter 2007). Zabel wrote of a “resurgence of interest in reference” and that “reference is experiencing a regeneration, a reference renaissance.”

Submissions of papers, panels, and workshop proposals are welcomed that analyze issues, identify best practices, advance organizational and technological systems, propose standards, and/or suggest innovative approaches that will reveal as well as invent the future of reference in this exciting and unfolding landscape. The conference will be organized around the following interest tracks. Please note that the sub-bullets are intended to be suggested topics, not to be a comprehensive listing.

• Virtual Reference (including e-mail, chat, IM, SMS, Second Life, etc.)
• Interpersonal aspects of reference service across different types of service
• Comparison of VR modes
• Innovative Service Models (including face-to-face, outreach, and Web 2.0)
• Comparison of different modes (locations, configurations, etc.) of service delivery
• Social networking applications (such as blogs, wikis, Facebook, MySpace, etc.)
• Case studies in virtual outreach
• Satellite (or outpost) reference, roving reference
• Managing Reference Services
• Assessment/Evaluation (including guidelines and best practices, benchmarking performance, service quality, accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency)
• Hiring, training and motivating staff in an era of rapid change (including performance issues)
• Marketing initiatives
• Approaches, Values, & Philosophy of Reference Services
• Reference as teaching
• How much help to give (e.g., homework, course assignments)
• Wild Card (including, but not limited to, controversial issues, comparisons, other innovative topics – be creative!)
• Sustainability and budgeting issues
• Reference consortia issues
• Software and hardware development
• Vendor (including demonstrations and workshops)
• Vendor software and hardware development

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS:

1. Papers (500 word abstracts): include reports and research studies on any aspect of reference, user studies, evaluation projects, innovative practical applications, theme papers, or theoretical developments. In addition, works in progress and student papers are invited. Submissions should include: 1) a cover sheet with the paper title, author(s), contact information and affiliations(s) for each author, conference track(s) and 2) a second page consisting of a 500 word abstract that summarizes the paper but does NOT show your name or any contact information. Papers will be refereed by the program committee.

2. Panels: include proposals for 1.5 hour long sessions on topics such as reference innovations, implementation of new technology, evaluation projects, reports by practitioners on current initiatives, theme panels, and contrasting viewpoints on controversial or hot issues. Innovative formats are sought, especially those that encourage audience participation, such as: roundtable discussions, debates, forums, or case studies. Submissions should include: panel title, names, affiliations, and contact information for all participants (moderators, panelists, respondents, etc.), conference track(s), and a brief overview (250 words) of the issues, projects or viewpoints to be discussed. Panels will be refereed by the program committee.

3. Workshops, Demonstrations, and Reports from the Field: include proposals for 30 minute sessions on working projects, new services, new approaches to reference instruction, or to developments-in-progress. These can be educational in nature. Submissions should include workshop of demonstration title, names and affiliations of all participants, contact information, conference track(s), and brief overview (250 words) of the session.

DEADLINES:
April 4, 2008 Deadline for All Submissions
May 5, 2008 Notification of Acceptance to Speakers

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
Submissions should be sent in electronic format (as an e-mail attachment as a Word document or pdf) to Program Chair Marie L. Radford (mradford@scils.rutgers.edu).

Information on conference registration and hotel reservations will be forthcoming on the conference website at: www.bcr.org/referencerenaissance

23 Things on a Stick

A Learning Library 2.0 Program

Minnesota 23 Things on a Stick encourages play and learning focused
on Web 2.0

Sign up by February 15, 2008 and finish by April 16, 2008 to be eligible for prizes!
For details visit: http://23ThingsOnaStick.blogspot.com

Library Hi Tech Call for Papers

Call for Papers:

Library Hi Tech is now over a quarter century old and to celebrate we are planning a series of papers that looks at the last 25 Years of library technology to consider what we have learned and where we need to do more research.

Articles can look at changes in particular institutions or can look at how particular technologies have changed how we think about our jobs as librarians. Articles should be scholarly in their approach and broad in their perspective.

Articles for Library Hi Tech should be 4000-8000 words long and should follow the Emerald style guide. Library Hi Tech is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that is indexed in Current Contents/Social and Behavioral Sciences, Social Sciences Citation Index, Social Scisearch and Journal Citation Reports/Social Sciences Edition.

Those interested in contributing should submit a brief (300 word) abstract to Michael Seadle at: “seadle (at) ibi.hu-berlin.de”.

Articles must be in English in their final form. The abstract may be in English, German, or French.

Best wishes ... Michael

Prof. Michael Seadle
Director, Institute for Library and Information Science
Humboldt University in Berlin
Editor, Library Hi Tech

Submissions: http://jade.emeraldinsight.com
Location: Dorothenstrasse 26
Mailing address: Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin
Phone: +49 [30] 2093-4248
Fax: +49 [30] 2093-4335
seadle@ibi.hu-berlin.de

Internet Reference Services Quarterly Call for Submissions

Is your New Year’s resolution to publish in a peer-reviewed journal? Are you currently using web technologies to deliver services and enhance the experiences of your users? Have you conducted a study or analyzed a trend concerning the use or application of web technologies in libraries? Consider submitting a manuscript to us!

Internet Reference Services Quarterly (IRSQ), a peer-reviewed journal published by Haworth/Taylor and Francis, welcomes the submission of manuscripts for its next issue. Don't let the word "reference" in the title fool you. IRSQ highlights the theory and practice behind emerging Internet services, sources and resources in all areas of librarianship. Research-based studies, case studies of successful services or programs, and authoritative articles highlighting best practices are welcome.

Topics of interest include: tags and folksonomies, social bookmarking, wikis, mash-ups, XML applications, digital copyright law, open source solutions, next generation catalogs, electronic resource management systems, Facebook and MySpace modules and interactions, personalization of library products or services, search engine technologies, information services for cell phones or iPods, podcasting and YouTube-ing, Internet gaming and virtual worlds, Internet security, plagiarism in an online world, virtual reference, web-based instruction and streaming video and audio.

Submissions should follow the guidelines for manuscript format and preparation available at http://www.haworthpress.com/journals/instructionsforauthors.asp. All submissions should be accompanied by a Manuscript Submission and Copyright Transfer form, available at http://www.haworthpressinc.com/pdfs/jmanuscript.pdf.

All accepted manuscripts will be published in the journal's next issue, Volume 13, No. 4. The due date for submission of manuscripts is February 1, 2008; however, we are always looking for good submissions and would consider manuscript at any time during the year. For more information or manuscript submission questions, please contact Christopher Cox at coxcn@uwec.edu or at the address below. We look forward to reading your work and having the opportunity to share it with other librarians.

Sincerely,
Christopher Cox
Editor, Internet Reference Services Quarterly

Christopher Cox
Assistant Director of Libraries
Editor, Internet Reference Services Quarterly
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
105 Garfield Avenue
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
Phone: (715) 836-4454
Fax: (715) 836-2949
Email: coxcn@uwec.edu

Call for Proposals: LITA 2008

Do you have a new or innovative way of providing services to your users? The LITA 2008 National Forum is a great way of sharing your knowledge with others.

Due Date for proposals: December 15, 2007

The 2008 National Forum Committee seeks proposals for high quality concurrent sessions and poster sessions for the 11th annual LITA National Forum to be held at the Hilton Netherland Plaza hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio from October 16-19, 2008

Theme: Technology and Community: Building the Techno Community Library

The Forum Committee is interested in presentations that highlight specific technology implementations; just over-the-horizon technologies that aren't quite ready for implementation; or information technology research. We are interested in all types of libraries: public, government, school, academic, special, and corporate. Proposals on any aspect of library and information technology are welcome.

Some possible ideas for proposals might include:

1. Social Computing: social tools, collaborative software, etc.
2. User created content: Book reviews, tagging, etc.
3. Mobile connectivity: iPhones, iPods, handhelds
4. Virtual worlds
5. Multiplayer Gaming in Education and Libraries
6. Open Source Software: creative uses of OSS, technology on a budget.
7. Federated and Meta-Searching: design and management, integrated access to resources, search engines
8. Digital Libraries/ Institutional Repositories: developments in resource linking, preservation, maintenance, web services
9. Authentication and Authorization: Digital Rights Management (DRM), authentication, privacy, services for remote patrons
10. Web design: information architecture, activity-centered design, user-centered design, usability testing
11. Technology Management: project management, geek management, budgeting, knowledge sharing applications
12. Internet Law: privacy, copyright, filtering
13. RFID in libraries

Presentations must have a technological focus and pertain to libraries and/or be of interest to librarians. Concurrent sessions are approximately 75 minutes in length. Forum 2008 will also accept a limited number of poster session proposals. Presenters are required to submit handouts one month in advance for the Forum notebook, and handouts will be made available on the Web site after the event.

Your proposals are welcome and much appreciated! To submit a proposal, send the following information via email (in ASCII, PDF, or RTF format):

• Title
• Abstract and brief outline
• Level indicator (basic, intermediate, or advanced)
• Brief biographical information. Include experience as a presenter and expertise in the topic
• Full contact information
• Is this proposal for a concurrent session?
• Is this proposal for a poster session?
• If this proposal is for a concurrent session, might it be considered for a poster session?
• How did you hear about the 2007 Forum call for proposals?

The 2008 Forum Planning Committee will review proposals at the ALA Midwinter Conference in January 2008. You will be contacted about the status of your proposal by the end of February 2008.

Submit proposals (in ASCII, PDF, or RTF) by December 15, 2007 to:
Mary Taylor
mtaylor@ala.org
Executive Director
Library and Information Technology Association