Call for Papers: Rooted

Alki is seeking submissions for our spring issue on the theme of “Rooted.” Roots are deep and entangled; they speak to underground histories, foundational supports, and deep-seated potentials promising future growth. They tell us about origins, resources, survival strategies. We want to know: how is your library rooted? What is your library’s history or what important history does it contain? What is it rooted in—what communities, visions, practices? What future growth is your library patiently building toward?

Possible topics might include:

• Library histories or origin stories

• Foundational practices or core competencies

• Library support systems

• Community and communication networks

• Deep-seated missions and values

• Long-term programs and strategic planning

• Distant future projects

• Intentional practice in your library

• Experiences of trial and error in library programs or practices

As always, creative pieces, art, and photos are always encouraged!

Sign up for your spot today or work through a potential article concept by emailing your name and a working title of your proposed piece to [email protected].

Do you have an article ready? View our newly updated submission guidelines below, and email your submissions as a .doc, .docx, or Google Doc to [email protected] by Tuesday, February 4th.

For inspiration, check out past issues of Alki. 

Submission Guidelines

Alki: The Washington Library Association Journal (ISSN: 8756-4173) is published three times a year in March, July, and December. Alki is a journal by and for the Washington library community. We welcome content from all library workers, students, supporters, volunteers, and trustees. We publish peer-reviewed articles, library program reports, opinion pieces, creative writing, and art. The Alki editorial committee is available to discuss ideas and expectations. Reach out by contacting us at [email protected]. For inspiration, check out past issues of Alki. 

See below for a list of article types, upcoming issue themes and calls for papers. We accept submissions that may not fit our theme but are still important to our community. Please note that the word counts listed for each article type are for the benefit of the author in identifying the most appropriate article type and in drafting the article; they are not binding, but instead representative of typical submissions within that category. Please feel free to discuss article length with the Editor-in-Chief and to draft the article in a way that is appropriate to the content and the goals of the piece.

Scholarly & Academic Articles: 

These pieces receive open peer review and editorial support. They are expected to meet the publication’s standards for academic publishing and/or scholarship. Articles may range in length from 2000 – 6000 words depending on the needs of the piece itself.

1. Research: Research articles are reports on original research. They should include:

   1. Introduction

   2. Literature review that provides a synthesis of existing literature on the topic

   3. Methodology

   4. Results

   5. Discussion

   6. Conclusion

2. Program or Project: These articles report on programs or projects that have been conducted at libraries in Washington State. They should include information related to the conception, implementation, and outcomes of the program or project in addition to citations to relevant existing literature.

3. Theory: Articles that focus on the development of theory should include a literature review in addition to investigation of the novel or developing theory. Sections may vary depending on the needs of the piece.

4. Other: We invite submissions that may fall into a category other than those listed above. These articles should include any relevant sections and appropriately develop or report on the topic or research question.

Columns: 

Alki may publish columns that are managed and edited either by the Editor-in-Chief and/or a member of the Editorial Committee, such as “A Day in the Fray” and “I’d Rather Be Reading.” Columns follow a chosen theme over multiple issues, and may be written either by the column editor or another author. Columns may include pieces that can be characterized as Commentary, Creative Pieces, or Field Notes, but do not include Scholarly & Academic Articles. Columns do not receive peer review. Contact the Editor-in-Chief to learn more about solicitation for columns.

Field Notes: 

These pieces are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and/or a member of the Editorial Committee. They are expected to meet the publication’s style guidelines and be clear, organized, and accurate. Articles may range in length from 500 – 2000 words depending on the needs of the piece itself.

1. Commentary: Submissions provide commentary on one or more aspects of libraries, librarianship, current events, or other ideas relevant to Washington libraries. Commentary pieces may verge into creative nonfiction; when more personal in nature, commentaries should include relevant positionality as needed for clarity and accuracy.

2. Reports: Submissions report on events, programs, personal experiences in the field of libraries and librarianship, and the goings-on of the Washington Library Association. Reports differ from Scholarly or Academic Articles in length and style and do not require references.

Milestones: 

Short announcements (up to 100 words) related to milestones within the Washington Library Association membership, including anniversaries, retirements, awards, deaths, etc. Milestones are managed by the Editor-in-Chief and do not receive peer review.

Submission Process

You may submit your article at any time. Calls for Papers are distributed several months in advance of each issue, and are usually based on a theme chosen by the Editorial Committee. Articles are encouraged to respond to the theme, but are by no means required to do so.

To submit an article, email your document (.docx or Google Doc) to the Alki Editor-in-Chief, and include (1) the type of article, and (2) corresponding author with whom the Editor will communicate. If accepted for publication, you will be asked for (1) a short bio of each author, and (2) a picture of each author, both of which will be included with the published article.

Upon receipt of a Scholarly or Academic Article, the Editor-in-Chief will determine whether the piece fits within the scope of the publication. If so, it will be forwarded to two or three reviewers for peer review. Once reviews have been returned, the Editor-in-Chief will communicate with the corresponding author to advise them as to the status of the article. Article submissions may be returned for major or minor revisions, or rejected. If rejected, the Editor-in-Chief will provide guidance as to whether the piece could be reworked and resubmitted in the future. Please note that we expect all accepted articles will go through at least one round of revisions. After revisions, the Editor-in-Chief will then accept or reject the article. Alki uses Open Peer Review, meaning that neither the submission nor the reviewers’ responses are blinded to the other party. This allows for an engaging interaction between author and reviewer, and provides transparency in the review process.

Upon receipt of all other article types (not peer reviewed), the Editor-in-Chief or Column Editor will evaluate the article and communicate with the corresponding author regarding its status. Commentaries, Creative Pieces, Field Notes, and Columns may be returned for minor or major revisions, or rejected.

Milestones will receive Editorial support as needed. Milestones that fall within the scope of Alki will be published in the next issue.

Please note that articles are considered based on their qualities within that article type. Therefore, articles that are scholarly in nature and undergoing the peer review process may have different expectations than those of a more professional or personal nature and vice versa. It is possible that the Editor-in-Chief and/or reviewers will recommend that an article be considered within a different category than the one in which it was submitted. In this case, the Editor-in-Chief will discuss the options with the author before proceeding further.

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) will be applied to all article types (excluding Milestones). 

Style Guidelines

Please include the following within your submission email.

Author and article information: 

• Unique title.

• Your name and affiliation(s).

• Type of Submission (see above)

• Short bio written in third-person, and a headshot. These can be as professional, personal or silly as you’d like. The goal is to give readers an idea of who you are, not just what you do professionally.

Images:

• Attach .jpg or .png images to the email.

• Ensure attached images are named YourLastName_#_ArticleTitle.jpg/.png, where # is the order in which the pictures should be published. Example: Smith_1_LibrariesRule and Smith_2_LibrariesRule.

• Include both captions and alt-text for each image.

• Provide photo credit information if you are not the image’s creator.

Article:

• Format body text as size 12 or greater, in Arial or another sans serif font.

• List any sources at end of the article using American Psychological Association (APA) format. Reference these sources in your text by including superscript footnotes. Do not link the footnotes, as this makes it difficult for us to copy, move, and format the text on our website.

• Save the article as a .doc or .docx file named according to the following template: YourLastName_ArticleTitle.doc

Alki’s Editing Process

We utilize the Open Peer Review Process: the author and reviewers have direct access to the names and emails of each person who works on an article. Every Alki article is reviewed by two volunteer Alki Editorial Committee members and the Editor in Chief before the author gives their final approval to publish. Authors should expect at least one round of revisions based on editor feedback. Editor feedback includes copy edits and grammar checks, as well as consistency of voice and soundness of content. Historically, we publish most of the articles we receive. The only exception to this rule are the rare pieces that do not align with Alki values, and pieces that require more work before they are publication-ready. It is recommended that authors do their own peer-review process amongst their colleagues and friends before sending in for publication to make the editing process as smooth as possible.

To view our Editorial Policy, visit alki.pubpub.org/about.