Writing Opportunity: ITAL's "Public Libraries Leading the Way" Column

Information Technology and Libraries
<https://ital.corejournals.org/index.php/ital> (ITAL), the quarterly
open-access journal published by ALA’s Core: Leadership, Infrastructure,
Futures division, is looking for contributions to its regular “Public
Libraries Leading the Way” column for the four 2025 issues (to be published
in March, June, September, and December). This column highlights a
technology-based innovation or approach to problem solving from a public
library perspective. See https://ital.corejournals.org/index.php/ital/pllw
for a list of columns published in this series.

Topics we are interested in include the following, but proposals on any
other technology topic are welcome.


   -

   Virtual community engagement
   -

   Virtual education and learning
   -

   Technology to enable contactless service
   -

   Civic technology
   -

   Drones
   -

   Technology that expands diversity, equity, and inclusion
   -

   Privacy and cyber-security
   -

   Virtual and augmented reality
   -

   Artificial intelligence
   -

   Big data
   -

   Internet of things
   -

   Robotics
   -

   3-D printing and makerspaces
   -

   Geographic information systems and mapping
   -

   Materials handling automation
   -

   Self-service technology
   -

   Library analytics and data-driven services
   -

   Anything else related to public libraries and innovations in technology


To propose a topic, use this brief form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGdx926lHtFsrSdKEXAqzmX1ayFw7g2nY6J1IeGy-qt6lUbQ/viewform?usp=sf_link>,
which will ask you for four pieces of information:

   -

   Your email address
   -

   Your name
   -

   A brief (75-150 word) summary of your proposed column that describes
   your library, the technology you wish to write about and your experience
   with it.
   -

   The quarterly issue(s) whose deadlines you can commit to


Columns are in the 1,000-1,500 word range and may include illustrations.
These will not be research articles, but are meant to share practical
experience with technology development or uses within the library.
Proposals are due by December 13, 2024, and selections will be made by
January 10, 2025.

If you have questions, contact Ken Varnum, Editor, at varnum_at_umich.edu, or
Marisha Kelly, Assistant Editor, at marisha.librarian_at_gmail.com.

--
Ken Varnum
Senior Program Manager and Discovery Strategist
Library Information Technology | University of Michigan Library
varnum_at_umich.edu | *he, him, his*
https://www.lib.umich.edu/users/varnum

*Want to improve transparency in library discovery? Submit your Open
Discovery Initiative (ODI) conformance statement
<https://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/download.php/23872/NISO_RP-19-2020_ODI_Open_Discovery_Initiative.pdf>
and
be part of the solution.*