Call for Submissions: Special Issue on Maine Libraries

It is with great pleasure that the editors of Maine Policy Review announce a call for submissions for a special issue devoted to identifying and exploring the complex challenges surrounding Maine libraries. We hope to explore internal and external threats and opportunities to library services along with policy actions and innovations affecting libraries. Because of the nationwide scope of policy issues facing libraries, we would like to encourage submission from authors from other states where libraries are exploring innovative ways to provide library services to aging populations, to immigrants and English language learners, to K–12 and college students, and across rural areas with unequal access to library services.

We welcome perspectives from multiple stakeholders. The scope of potential topics is large, and is in no way limited to, the following areas:

• Newcomers/immigrants and libraries
• User perspectives of different types of libraries
• Information literacy
• Lifelong learning
• Book banning and book challenges
• Misinformation
• AI implications
• Health science libraries
• Adaptive technologies
• Lessons learned from the COVID pandemic or other past crises
• Issues affecting K-12 libraries 

We are soliciting the following types of submissions:

• Short pieces (500–1000 words) commenting on some aspect of public policy affecting Maine libraries of all types or presenting the perspective of library users.
• Medium-length commentaries (1000–2500 words) exploring the history of libraries, or recent challenges to or innovations in library services, or summary of recent events or policy processes relevant to any type of library.
• Full-length research-based articles (2500–6000). Full-length articles will be expected to provide a historical framework, background and data, a short literature review, and a discussion of policy implications. (Word limits do not include references, endnotes.)

Those interested in being considered for this issue will need to submit an abstract of the proposed submission (of no more than 250 words) to mpr@maine.edu by April 1, 2024. Final submissions will be due in August 2024 for review and editing, and the issue will be published in late 2024. Examples of past MPR issues are available at MPR’s Digital Commons site. For more information, see our detailed submission guidelines.

We are excited about this issue and its great importance. Please feel free to contact us if you want to talk about your ideas or have questions.

David Nutty, Guest Editor: david.nutty@maine.edu

Linda Silka, Special Issues Editor: lndsilka7@gmail.com

Joyce Rumery, Coeditor: rumery@maine.edu

Barbara Harrity, Coeditor: mpr@maine.edu