Do you have knowledge, experience, expertise, or passion for sustainability in libraries and archives? Check out this opportunity to make your voice heard!
Although more and more books about sustainability are being written for the library science field, none of them has specifically focused on leadership for sustainability. This call for proposals is for a peer-reviewed, edited book on sustainability leadership in libraries and archives with an international focus. The editor is looking for chapters from all levels of librarians and archivists–not just those formally occupying positions of authority. This book is being proposed for publication to Routledge as part of their Critical Issues in Library and Information Sciences and Services series, and is specifically looking for leadership challenging the status quo of libraries and archives and focusing on transformative leadership in sustainability. The goal of this publication is to feature practices, ideas, theories, and frameworks that are replicable in libraries and archives as they stand right now, and also those that help libraries and archives move into the future with sustainability as a framework.
Sustainability Defined
There are many different frameworks people use to understand sustainability. Two of the most popular and well-known are the three-legged stool framework of environment, economy, and equity, which stems from the Our Common Future report and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. There are, however, many different sustainability frameworks in use in libraries, education, and other fields that may be appropriate for an author’s chapter. Because there are many approaches to understanding and implementing sustainability, there’s not one specific framework authors are required to use for their chapter proposal. Instead, a description of the chosen sustainability framework should be an essential part of the chapter. In this way, this book aims to bring multiple perspectives of sustainability to the table and get a bigger picture of how libraries and archives define it and how they are implementing it.
Book Structure
Proposals for chapters for the book should be written for one of the following sections:
- sustainability leadership from within,
- sustainability leadership collaborations,
- sustainability leadership in the community,
- sustainability leadership strategies, and
- sustainability leadership and stakeholder relationships.
Chapters can focus on real situations from authors’ daily practice or focus on conceptual or theoretical work. Final chapters should be 5,000 to 8,000 words long using APA 7th Edition style.
Proposal Submission and Review
Proposals are being accepted via Google forms. Please submit an abstract no longer than 300 words, double spaced. Please make sure you note specifically what sustainability framework your chapter will be using. Include the title of the proposed submission, name(s) of the author(s), institutional affiliation, contact information with email address, and a short
biography of the author(s).
Detailed guidelines for chapters will be provided to authors whose proposals are accepted. Chapters will be double-blind, peer-reviewed by volunteer peer-reviewers other than the editor. Proposals can be submitted using this proposal form. If you would like to be a peer-reviewer for this book, please fill out this peer-reviewer form.
Anticipated Timeline
Chapter proposals will be collected January to February 2025. Responses to proposals anticipated by the end of March 2025. Full chapters due by May of 2025. Chapters will be sent to peer reviewers and returned to editor by end of July 2025. Final chapters (with revisions etc.) by end of 2025/beginning of 2026. The full book will be submitted to the publisher no later than May 2026.
This project will be edited by Erin Renee Wahl, PhD. Questions about the book can be directed to ewahl@nmsu.edu.