PLA Publications Guidelines and Procedures

To assure the continued availability of top-quality PLA publications, the following guidelines and procedures have been developed. These guidelines describe the subject matter of interest to PLA, the three types of PLA publications, the criteria used to evaluate manuscripts and publications, rights of first refusal, the process of getting items published, and the responsibilities of relevant parties. For more information, contact the PLA office at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5PLA.

rev. 6/13/94

The Public Library Association engages in an active program of publishing materials of interest to the public library community. The following statement sets forth the association's policies on what subjects the association will consider, how materials are selected for publication, the format in which those materials will be published, guidelines for authors submitting materials, and preparation, promotion, and publicity for the publications.

1. Publications Of Interest To The Public Library Association
   1. Content

      The highest priority subjects for PLA Publications are:

      • Practical information related to public library operations (such as manuals, cost studies, training guides, etc.)
      • Issues/Hot Topics
      • Applied research useful to library management and staff

      Publications addressing the priority concerns of the Public Library Association are particularly encouraged. The priority concerns are (1991):

      • Adequate funding for libraries
      • Improved management of public libraries
      • Recognition of the importance of all library staff in providing quality public service
      • Recruitment, education, training and compensation of public librarians
      • Effective use of technology
      • Intellectual freedom
      • Improved access to library resources
      • Effective communication with the non-library world

      Subject matter must be timely and focus primarily on public libraries. Topics having the lowest priority are historical and theoretical works.

   2. Audience

      Public library staff, managers and other library personnel comprise the primary target audience for PLA publications.

   3. Format

      The PLA Publications Program includes materials in a variety of formats: monographs, videocassettes, audiocassettes. However, the program's main focus is on manuscripts with sufficient number of pages to constitute a "book." Works of fewer pages may ne more appropriate for Public Libraries, the division journal, and can be sent directly to Public Libraries for consideration.

2. Sources of Publications

   PLA accepts original, never before published material, as well as publications that have been written or produced for another audience but would be of interest to the broader PLA membership. There are currently three categories of PLA Publications:

   1. PLA Unit-Generated Titles

      These include, but are not limited to, publications produced by a PLA unit, in addition to manuscripts related to unit programs given at conferences and workshops.

      WHEN A UNIT IS CONSIDERING A PUBLICATION, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE CHAIR CONTACT THE PLA OFFIE BEFORE WORK BEGINS. THE OFFICE WILL PUT THE CHAIR IN CONTACT WITH THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE.

      To expedite the coordination of activities on publications, the unit originating the publication shall identify an author and a promotion person for each title. (These may be the same person.)

      • The author prepares the text and the camera-ready copy and will be the person the PLA office staff will contact concerning the publication.
      • The promotion person will handle correspondence to selected audiences and identified markets, such as literary groups that might receive a mailing about a PLA publication on the topic.
      PLA can only publish materials that require minimal resources for production. Camera-ready copy is a must.

      For purposes of this program, "camera-ready" means that the document can go directly to a printer once it is received by the PLA office. No additional work is required by the PLA staff to get the document ready for printing. Thus, the author must supply a clean, black and white layout suitable for reproduction, with all art work, supplementary pages (such as table of contents), text and cover in place. Documents not received in this manner will be returned.

      Funding Unit-Generated Titles

      The following two lines have been established in the PLA budget to assist in publication activities:

      • The "prepublication" fund line has been established to assist in getting materials ready to publish, when necesary. While this does not lessen the responsibility of the author and/or committee to deliver camera-ready copy, the funds in this line will be used to underwrite copy editing, cover preparation, and other expenses for selected publications at the discretion of the PLA Executive Director with advice from the Publications Committee.
      • The "promotion" fund line has been established to allow the originating committee of the publication to market its availability to relevant organizations. (For example, it may be useful for the committee that originates a publication on literacy to contact national or regional literacy organizations to tell them about a PLA book on this subject.) These funds can be used to defray the costs of postage, photocopying letters and flyers, and related expenses. Requests for these funds, not to exceed $100 per title, should be sent to the PLA Executive Director.
      Extensive promotion of unit-generated publications, beyond what is discussed in section 5 below, will continue to be the responsibility of the originating committee.

      Neither of these lines will be available for use by publications that are funded through a Challenge Grant, the application for which should include funds to cover these expenses.

   2. Solicited Manuscripts

      These are original manuscripts with "hot topic" contents as identified by members of the Publications Committee. The Committee also solicits authors to write such titles. The finished manuscript must be submitted in camera-ready format.

   3. PLA Select Publications
   These include, but are not limited to, publications produced by or for libraries -- usually in-house documents intended for local decision-making or publications of other library groups, such as state associations. This category constitutes a distribution network of already-existing titles. Please see the "PLA Select Publications Factsheet" for additional titles.
3. Rights of First Refusal

   PLA has the right of first refusal for the work of any PLA unit. This means that potential publications must be offered to PLA first; if turned down by PLA, then they must be offered to ALA. If turned down by ALA, outside publishers may be sought. If an outside publisher accepts the material, the PLA office will work with the publisher and the committee to see the manuscript through to completion.

   This right of first refusal extends to information presented at PLA-sponsored programs. If the presenter has not been contacted by a PLA representative by the end of the thirty days immediately following such a program, the information may be released to another publisher.

4. Role of the PLA Publications Committee

   The charge of the Publications Committee is:

   "To initiate and coordinate the publication of materials and the production of resources pertinent to the role of public library services; to work with PLA sections and committees to evaluate the need for revision of published materials; to aid in originating new publications, and in defining the purpose, audience, and scope of each publication; to ensure representation at meetings of the ALA Publishing Committee; to review publications in the public library field, especially publications of the division, to ensure that they are current and relevant to member needs."

   The PLA Publications Committee is free to pursue Select titles in a broad range of areas. For its Solicited Manuscripts the group seeks to avoid projects that are clearly part of anotehr division's or unit's subject specialty or will consider inviting said divisions or units to participate in a jointly published project.

   The PLA Publications Committee does not have responsibility for PLA publications that have their own dedicated committee, such as Public Libraries and the Public Library Data Service Statistical Report. However, chairs of these committees should regularly update the Publications Committee on the status of their publications.

   Publications distributed by PLA are reviewed by the PLA Publications Committee, except as noted in the case of dedicated committees above. The committee looks at subject matter, intended audience, format, author/scholarship credibility, and presentation. The content of each publication is the work and responsibility of its authors.

5. Role of the PLA Office

   The PLA office manages the publications program. This work includes facilitation of the acquisition process, oversight of the editorial and production process, inventory control, and warehouse/distribution and financial management. The PLA office provides a limited amount of basic promotion for new titles, according to the outline found in this document. The office also sends a staff liaison to the Publications Committee meetings.

6. Guidelines for Evaluating Potential Publications

   The following criteria are general in nature and will guide the Publications Committee in its assessment of manuscripts/media submitted. These should also be kept in mind as unit-generated publications/solicited manuscripts are developed.

   1. Subject
      • Is the topic clearly defined?
      • Is the conclusion clear?
      • Is the subject of current interest?
      • Is the subject addressed significant to public libraries?
      • Does the manuscript provide new information or insights?
      • Does it build on previous work?
      • Does it duplicate existing works?
      • Does the purpose of the manuscript, i.e., historical, reference, etc., fit within the PLA publication priorities as defined in this document?
   2. Audience
      • Is the manuscript clearly directed toward a specific audience?
      • Who is this audience?
      • What is the size of the potential audience?
      • Is the audience clearly identified in the work?
   3. Scholarship/Credibility
      • What are the author's/editor's/compiler's qualifications to write on this topic?
      • If the work suggests a thesis or argument, does the evidence presented support it?
      • If the tone of the work is scholarly, do the points made in the manuscript have supporting documentation such as footnotes, statistics, references, etc.?
      • Is the methodology described clearly? Is it appropriate to the topic?
   4. Organization and Written Expression
      • Does the treatment of the material suit the intended audience?
      • Is the work well organized and coherent? Does it have, for example, an introduction, helpful breaks (chapters, subsections, paragraphs), and a conclusion?
      • Is it clear, logical, and interesting?
   5. Format/Presentation
      • What is the most appropriate format for this work? Monograph, journal article, booklet, AV, other?
      • What is the current format of this work?
      • Is the material camera-ready or will camera-ready material be available?
      • Does the manuscript follow conventional rules for spelling, punctuation, hyphenation, and footnote style?
      • Are tables, graphs, and illustrations effectively used and adequately explained?
      • What is the size and physical complexity of the manuscript?
      • What resources are needed for publication?
   6. Bibliographies as Separate Publications
      • Is the objective of the bibliography clearly stated?
      • Is the basis of selection stated and adhered to?
      • Is the format consistent and easy to understand?
      • If annotated, are the annotations in a consistent style and format?