Inside Higher Ed is an online publication that targets all members of higher education institutions from students and staff to faculty and administration. The website gets 7.5 million visitors per month, and thus offers authors looking to publish in a prolific publication a remarkable opportunity to reach a large audience.
Inside Higher Ed was founded in 2004 by Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman, both of whom had been editors for another higher education publication — The Chronicle of Higher Education. They were joined in their new business venture by Kathlene Collins, a previous business manager at The Chronicle of Higher Education.1 Since its inception, Inside Higher Ed has delivered “. . . independent news and analysis that informs the world about higher education [and has provided] essential tools and services to help organizations and professionals be more effective.”2
Although this publication is not specifically targeted to the LIS community, Inside Higher Ed is receptive to librarian views. A perfect example is the popular decade-long column, “Library Babel Fish: A college librarian’s take on technology,” written by Barbara Fister. Now that Fister is no longer publishing a weekly blog for Inside Higher Ed, there is a potential opportunity for authors who would write on LIS topics. Several commenters lamented on her final post that they were sad to see her and the consistent representation of libraries on Inside Higher Ed go.
Authors interested in covering LIS topics and issues for Inside Higher Ed can submit pieces to the following sections:
Views
Submissions that focus on new topics, challenge the current way of thinking, or discredit myths are encouraged. Examples of articles in this section include: “Changed, Changed Utterly and Questioning the Textbook Rep Culture.”
Careers
The articles in this section aim to give career or educational advice to individuals in higher education. The Careers section also includes a section with job postings in higher education institutions. The following is an example of an article included in this section: “Academic Careers You May Not Have Considered.”
Letters to the editor
Authors should use the letters to the editor format to challenge or comment on the views or opinions included in current news articles published on Inside Higher Ed. As of December 2020, there are a plethora of articles on the topic of libraries that authors might consider challenging or commenting on such as “Overdue: Closing Libraries“, “Libraries Brace for Budget Cuts“, “A Library’s Past“, and “Libraries as Student Success Hubs.”
For specific submission guidelines and more information on the readership of Inside Higher Ed, visit the wiki page for this publication.
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