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, 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 our upcoming issue themes and calls for papers. We accept submissions that may not fit our theme but are still important to our community.

How to submit an article, column, or creative work

Email your submission as a .doc, .docx, or Google Doc file to [email protected]. Author works should be publication-ready prior to submission. These instructions apply to all submissions. Include the following in the email:

• Author and article information: 

  • Unique title.

  • Your name and affiliation(s).

  • Short bio written in third-person, and a headshot. These can be as professional 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.

Call for Papers: Libraries, Disrupted

Alki’s Winter issue submission window opens today!

You voted and we listened! Alki thanks everyone who offered ideas and voted in our surveys for the December theme. Due to the significant thematic overlap between your top two choices, we decided to combine them and let the submissions we receive shape the direction of the next issue. 

Consider the following ideas while you work on your articles:

• Politics pit us against them. How do you and your library handle the negativity? What do you do to combat anti-library rhetoric? Tell us about your community.

• Change is inevitable and–good or bad–it disrupts the routine. What disruptions do you encounter in your library?

Creative pieces, art, and photos are always encouraged.

Sign up for your spot today by emailing your name, a working title of your proposed piece, your bio, and a headshot to [email protected].

Do you have an article ready? Email your submissions as a .doc, .docx, or Google Doc to [email protected] before Tuesday, October 17th.

For inspiration, check out past issues of Alki.