Submissions

Author Guidelines

Thank you for considering Library Leadership & Management as a possible venue for your manuscript to be published. Please use the online submission process. If you have any problems or questions that are not answered in this document, contact information for the Editor(s) is provided at the end of the document.

What LL&M Publishes

Library Leadership & Management (LL&M) seeks articles that correspond to the diverse interests of the members of Core. This includes manuscripts that relate to leadership, management, and administration, as well as manuscripts that mirror the topical interests of the division’s sections, committees, discussion, and interest groups as they relate to leadership and management. The Editor(s) actively seek the following types of articles:

• Research-based manuscripts exploring issues or concerns relevant to Core
• Practical/experiential manuscripts 
• Articles highlighting a methodology or technique that has been used successfully in one or several libraries and would be transferable to other environments/settings
• Articles that address or offer an innovative solution to a management challenge
• Interviews with prominent library administrators or others in related fields, such as vendors or publishers that provide professional insights or development opportunities
• Announcements of opportunities, programs, and other activities being sponsored by Core at Core Forum, ALA Annual Conference, or LibLearnX Meeting

LL&M offers both formal peer review and editorial review options depending on the author’s preference. The review process used will be documented on the published version of the article. The journal accepts both longer, in-depth manuscripts of 4,000 to 6,000 words, and briefer practice-based articles of 1,000 to 2,500 words. Manuscripts longer than 6,000 words should be discussed with the Editor(s) prior to submission as there may be interest in converting it into a series of articles. At the time of submission, manuscripts should not be under consideration for publication in another venue or publication. 

The following items are not generally published in LL&M:

• Press releases describing products or services offered by vendors, unless such releases are part of a paid advertisement
• Unsolicited book reviews prepared by the author of the book

Author Responsibilities

Articles must be logically organized and written in a grammatically correct, simple, readable style. The author is responsible for the accuracy of all statements in the article. Authors shall provide complete and accurate bibliographic citations as noted in the style guide. All citations and any quotations should be carefully checked by the author. 

If the paper has been accepted or presented at a conference (the proceedings of which will not be published), the author should identify the conference by name and date on the cover page. Often material prepared for a presentation or program format will need to be revised into an appropriate narrative format before submission. Upon submission, the author is responsible for indicating previously published material or revised material that was published or presented elsewhere for a different audience. This will be noted by the Editor(s) upon publication. The author must supply the necessary rights and permissions to use previously published material if a publisher holds the copyright to the material. Authors are urged to consult with the Editor(s) as questions or concerns arise.

Submissions

We welcome submissions from individuals of all ethnicities, races, countries of origin, gender identities and expressions, ages, abilities, religions, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, scholarly and professional backgrounds and experiences, types and sizes of institutions, and other differences. We are committed to amplifying and highlighting lived experiences from these different perspectives as they relate to leadership and management.

The preferred method of submission is through the online portal to the journal. Authors of articles should submit their manuscripts in Microsoft Word or .rtf format. Abstracts are required for articles between 4,000-6,000 words, but are optional for shorter pieces. Please include full contact information and please allow a minimum of one month for editorial review. In the event you encounter problems submitting your manuscript or need to submit through other means, please contact the Editor(s).

Style Guide

Please consult the Random House Webster’s College Dictionary for spelling and usage. Use the first spelling. Verify the spelling and accuracy of names in an appropriate reference source. Please consult the most current version of the Chicago Manual of Style for all grammatical and citation style rules. When appropriate, embed figures and tables into the manuscript as you would want them to be displayed. Papers published in LL&M follow The Chicago Manual of Style style called “Notes and Bibliography,” also sometimes known as the humanities style (see chapter 14). Bibliographic reference should be consecutively numbered throughout the manuscript, using Arabic numerals, and treated as endnotes. Authors should use the automatic endnoting feature in word processing programs. Do not provide a separate bibliography. Full publication details are given in the endnote for the first mention of any work cited. Verify each citation very carefully. 

Editor Contact Information Elizabeth Nelson Editor enelson@mchenry.edu