For LRTS Authors

Instructions

Scope

Library Resources & Technical Services ( LRTS) is the official journal of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. Its purpose is to communicate thoughtful reflection on practice as well as research. Any contribution will be considered that takes a critical approach to the questions and problems facing libraries with regard to:

• collections (physical and electronic),
• preservation (including digitization),
• acquisitions (including economic elements of acquisition and licensing),
• continuing resources (in all media), and
• cataloging and classification (of all types of objects).

Editorial Policy

All submissions will be rigorously reviewed in a double-blind process to insure that all published papers are of high quality. The editor and members of the editorial board will work with authors whose work is promising in order to improve methodology, analysis, or presentation. For the profession to thrive, beginning professionals, as well as experienced librarians, should address the most pressing issues we face. While the peer review process LRTS follows will meet the criteria for those in tenure-track positions, the goal of the journal is to present both reflective investigation of issues and pertinent exploration of practical topics. Papers on operations in libraries will be considered, as long as they communicate an evaluative approach to practice and a serious examination of the work’s impact on libraries in general. We do not limit the journal’s content to a narrow definition of research.

Manuscript Preparation

Follow these guidelines and procedures for preparing manuscripts for Library Resources & Technical Services ( LRTS):

• Original manuscripts: Submit original, unpublished manuscripts only. Do not submit manuscripts that are being considered for publication in other venues. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of statements included. Identify papers presented at a conference with the conference name in an acknowledgement at the beginning of the paper. Papers of 5,000 to 10,000 words are preferred.
• Style: Write the paper in a grammatically correct, simple, readable style. Use active voice to the extent possible. Avoid jargon, anthropomorphism, and informal vocabulary. The first use of acronyms must be accompanied by their full spelled-out form. Verify the spelling and accuracy of all names in an appropriate source. Consult The Chicago Manual of Style15th ed. (Chicago: Univ. Chicago Pr., 2003) for capitalization, abbreviations, use of numbers, tables, captions, and elements of bibliographic style.
• Anonymous submission: Do not identify the author(s) in the manuscript.
• Title: Give the article a brief title; if the title does not fully describe the content of the article, add a brief subtitle.
• Abstract: Provide a brief, informative abstract.
• Format: Double space the manuscript. Use Times New Roman 11 point font. Do not use centering; left justify everything. Do not use bold. Use standard word processing software on an IBM-compatible or Macintosh computer. The preferred word processor is Microsoft Word, but files prepared with most major word processors can be accommodated.
• References and documentation: Papers published in LRTS follow The Chicago Manual of Style style called “Notes and Bibliography,” also sometimes known as the humanities style (see chapters 16 and 17). 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. Consult recent issues of LRTS for examples.
• References to online databases, websites, electronic journal articles, and other online sources: Use standard format for citing print resources and conclude the reference with the data accessed and the URL, e.g, Library of Congress, Network Development and MARC Standards Office, “MARC 21 Concise Bibliographic: Control Field 008” (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 2004), www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/ecbd008s.html#mrcb008b (accessed May 8, 2005). If the source URL begins with www, do not use http[://
• Tables: Follow the examples and suggestions in chapter 13 of The Chicago Manual of Style in designing tables. Submit each table as a separate file; do not insert illustrative matter in the text. Indicate the preferred placement in the text with an instruction in square brackets, i.e., [insert table 1 here]. Provide each table with a brief, meaningful caption. Number each table consecutively. Each column in a table should have a heading. Table footnotes and sources, if any, should be typed double-spaced beneath the table.
• Figures (illustrations and screen capture): Follow the examples and suggestions in chapter 12 of The Chicago Manual of Style in working with illustrations. Provide electronic files (.tif, .eps, or .pdf). Resolution for all illustrations must be 300 dpi or higher. Submit each figure as a separate file; do not insert illustrative matter in the text. Indicate the preferred placement in the text with an instruction in square brackets. Provide each figure table with a brief, meaningful caption. Number each figure consecutively.

Manuscript Submission

Submit manuscripts and supplemental materials through the online Aries Editorial Manager system. A paper copy is not necessary. Authors are first be asked to register. Upon registration the author will immediately receive a notification e-mail containing his or her username and password and can then “LOGIN” to the system. The author will be directed through the process to enter information about the paper (author/s, title, abstract, etc.) and to upload the files (manuscript, figures, tables, appendixes).

Editing

Papers are edited to improve the exchange of ideas, for clarity, and for consistency with LRTS’ style and format. Papers needing extensive editing will be returned to the author for attention. Authors receive page proofs prior to publication and will be expected to respond promptly.

Copyright

When a paper is accepted, the author or authors will be asked to complete one of two copyright forms used by the American Library Association.

The American Library Association grants authors whose works are published in the Library Resources & Technical Services journal (" LRTS Journal") permission to submit a PDF of the author's published paper (the "Work") to an institutional or disciplinary repository, so long as the Work is not modified or altered and the author cites the LRTS Journal, including volume, issue, and date, as place of original publication. Author may not make any other publication of the Work without ALA’s prior written express consent. This policy applies to both past and future articles published in the LRTS Journal.