Crawford, 'Letter from the Editor', LITA Newsletter v15n02
URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/lita/lita-v15n02-crawford-letter

V15N2.EDITOR LITANEWS
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Letter from the Editor
Walt Crawford
 
Getting the Word Out
 
YOUR INTEREST GROUP has put the finishing touches on a great program
for Miami Beach, and you've got some good ideas for another program a
year or two down the road. But now you need to get the word out. In
fact, if that program is as good as you think it is, don't you want to
see the contents reach an even wider audience?
   Think about publishing. LITA's publishing program is healthy and
growing, and needs your ideas and energy to keep on growing.
 
Articles for ITAL
 
Information Technology and Libraries has a whole new look and
continues to reach a large audience, ten to twenty times that of a
well-attended conference program. Are some of the speeches that make
up your program strong enough to become contributions or refereed
articles in ITAL? Does the whole program look like a candidate for a
special section? If the answer is yes, let Tom Leonhardt know
(Internet: qc6305@uokmvsa.uoknor.edu). If you're not sure, talk to him
or contact any member of the ITAL Editorial Board.
   ITAL is always looking for good articles and special sections,
including checklists and other items that a committee or interest
group can prepare. The journal is widely abstracted and indexed, held
by many libraries, and a fine way to get the word out.
 
LITA Guides and Monographs
 
The LITA Publications Committee welcomes your ideas for publications
of various types and lengths. Ideally, LITA interest groups and
committees would be the sources of most new LITA publications--but that
requires not only good ideas but also ongoing effort. The effort need
not be massive; LITA can and does publish brief guides as well as
longer monographs.
   You need an idea and people with the expertise to turn the idea
into text. That may take several years, or it might take nine months
from idea to publication. The publication must be one that will serve
LITA's goals and reach enough people to make sense as a print
publication. Members of the LITA Publications Committee can help you
to define and refine your ideas. For that matter, LITA isn't limited
to print publication, although that's currently the only way the
division can gain revenue to recover expenses. LITA is launching an
electronic journal, Telecommunications Electronic Reviews, and the
LITA Newsletter continues to be available electronically.
   When you have an idea or a proposal for a publication, contact the
Publications Committee Chair (currently Charles W. Bailey, Jr.,
University of Houston Libraries, Houston, TX 77204-2091;
lib3@uhupvm1.bitnet) or send your idea or proposal to the Committee
through the LITA Office.
   There are other possibilities, now and in the future. It's likely
that the new LITA Newsletter editor will be interested in new columns.
Several LITA interest groups and committees maintain listservs at
various levels of formality, at least "getting the word out"
internally. If you have ideas that go beyond what's mentioned here,
there are certainly chances to discuss them--and the LITA Publications
Committee is probably the best place to start.