*Library Trends* invites proposals for issue on Evidence-based Practices
for eLearning in Information Organizations
Guest Editors:
- Becca Greer, Director of Organizational Development & Learning,
University of California, Santa Barbara Library
- Melissa A. Wong, Adjunct Instructor and Editor in Chief, *Library
Trends*, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
Libraries and information centers have been using online learning to expand
learning opportunities for a diverse range of learners for some time.
However, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, online learning became a
necessity for continuity of educational, outreach, and community
programming amid social isolation, leading more information professionals
to experiment with the creation of instructional videos, multimedia
tutorials, asynchronous learning modules, and online instruction and
programming. Adjusting curriculum and the delivery of that curriculum under
these unexpected conditions was highly variable, but it demonstrated the
ways in which digital learning resources can reach more patrons and provide
continuity when learning disruptions occur. For many information
organizations, the pandemic forced a deeper engagement with and integration
of online learning into established instruction and programming offerings.
Post-pandemic, online learning is poised to yet again buffer resource
limitations, including reduced budgets and staffing shortages, which have a
profound impact on organizational capacity. Even in the best of
circumstances, time and resources are limited. How does one know their
online learning interventions were effective? What principles, frameworks,
or guidelines can inform information professionals' approach in their
design and assessment of not only the learning, but the workflow of
developing and maintaining these digital learning assets?
This issue of *Library Trends* will explore evidence-based practices that
can inform the development, promotion, and assessment of effective online
learning in libraries, archives, and information centers.
Examples of topics might include, but are not limited to:
- Applying evidence-based practices such as Mayer's Multimedia Principles
- Utilizing design frameworks such as ADDIE, Universal Design, or the
Agile framework
- Catalyzing high-impact practices for diverse learning communities
- Instituting accessible design for inclusive learning environments
- eLearning in archival settings, such as the intersection of digital
archives and online learning, teaching physical archives in online spaces
- Training and development of information professionals using eLearning
- Choosing a modality based on curricular and patron needs
- Engaging learners and/or partners as part of the design process
through participatory design, focus groups, beta testing, usability
testing, etc.
- Evaluation and assessment of learning objects, including assessment of
learning, measuring reach/impact, return on investment (ROI), and
data-driven decision making
- Management of digital learning resources such as version control,
migration between platforms, coordinating design teams, and managing
employee workload
- Application of AI in the design and development of digital assets
- Challenges and benefits of (open/closed) systems of cooperative
solutions, either cross-institutional or within an organization
- Training and development in instructional design / online learning for
information professionals and others such as faculty or community members
Article Length (not including bibliographic references): 7,000-10,000 words
*Submitting a Proposal*
Prospective authors are invited to submit an abstract outlining their
proposed article
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSen5gC2tu1s9yxulQDyxxiBoQxv3G9oGmcjhIiA1EVUckP7ag/viewform>
by
April 3, 2026. Decisions about the proposals will be communicated by April
13, 2026, with manuscripts due for peer review July 31, 2026.
This issue will use an open peer review process in which article authors
review 1-2 manuscripts by other contributors. As part of submitting an
article proposal, authors will be asked to commit to participation in this
process as both an author and a reviewer.
For proposals, authors may use any citation style. For manuscripts, authors
should use Chicago author-date.
*Important Dates*
- April 3, 2026 – Proposals due
- April 13, 2026 – Notification of proposal acceptances
- July 31, 2026 – Manuscripts due
- August 7, 2026 – Peer Reviews assigned
- August 28, 2026 – Peer Reviews due
- September 11, 2026 – Reviews returned to authors
- October 9, 2026 – Revised manuscripts due
- February 2027 – Anticipated publication date
*Additional Information*
Questions about the issue and/or proposal process should be directed to
Becca Greer (rrgreer_at_ucsb.edu) and Melissa Wong (mawong_at_illinois.edu).
More information about the journal, including author instructions, is
available on the *Library Trends*
<https://ischool.illinois.edu/news/publications/library-trends> website
<https://ischool.illinois.edu/news/publications/library-trends>.
--
*Ben B. Chiewphasa** (he/him/his)
*Social Sciences & Policy Librarian*
Columbia University Libraries
(212) 853-4255 | e: bbc2129_at_columbia.edu
ORCID: 0000-0003-4582-8461 <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4582-8461>
*pronunciation: chew-pah-sah
Received on Fri Mar 13 2026 - 12:37:12 EDT