Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Library Leadership and Management (formerly Library Administration and Management)
ISSN: 1945-8851 (Print) and 1945-886X (Online)1
Purpose, objective, or mission: Per their site, “Library Leadership & Management (LL&M) is the official journal of the Library Leadership and Management Association. LL&M focuses on assisting library administrators and managers at all levels as they deal with day-to-day challenges. In-depth articles address a wide variety of management issues and highlight examples of successful management methods used in libraries. Features include interviews with prominent practitioners in libraries and related fields, and columns with practical advice on managing libraries.”2
Website: http://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm
Target audience: The publication is directed toward library administrators and managers in all sectors, including public, special and academic libraries.3
Publisher: American Library Association.4
Peer reviewed? Hybrid journal: “LL&M offers both formal peer review and editorial review options depending on the author’s preference.”5
Type: LIS professional news.6
Medium: Online.7
Content: Research-based articles, interviews, new developments and success stories related to managing libraries. Specific topics relate to management, leadership, and administration.8
Frequency of publication: Quarterly.9
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/about/submissions#authorGuidelines
Types of contributions accepted: Per guidelines, “Recognizing the LLAMA is a diverse organization, Library Leadership & Management (LL&M) welcomes articles that correspond to the interests of the membership. This includes manuscripts that relate to leadership, management, and administration, as well as manuscripts that mirror the topical interests of the sections and discussion groups.”10
“The journal accepts both longer, in-depth manuscripts of 4,000 to 6,000 words and briefer practice-based articles of 1,000 to 2,500 words. Manuscripts longer than 6,000 words should be discussed with the Editor(s) prior to submission as there may be interest in converting it into a series of articles.”11
Submission and review process: Article submission is through their online portal. Review process depends on author’s preference: editorial or peer review.12
Editorial tone: Informative.13
Style guide used: The Chicago Manual of Style and Random House Webster’s College Dictionary are listed as resources for writers.14
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
Authors able to write on the topics associated with library administration and management would be a good fit for this publication. Recent articles focused on job satisfaction and employee turnover, diversity, innovative space planning, award winners, and customer satisfaction.15 The editors will consider articles presented at conferences, making this publication a possibility for LIS graduate students.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: This is an online publication with Open Access Policy providing unrestricted access to published content indicating a larger audience beyond the LLAMA membership.16
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Although headquartered in Chicago as part of the American Library Association,17 LLAMA and its membership is national in scope. The articles are domestic in nature, and the LLAMA Board of Directors all are from U.S. institutions.18 The publication is printed in English.19 Despite the fact that many LLAMA members manage libraries in ethnically diverse communities, the articles in the journal focus on general management issues that all administrators face, such as strategic planning, fundraising, library boards, and internet ethics, not community-specific issues.20
Reader characteristics: The commonality of LLAMA members is that they are at a managerial level within a library organization. It can be assumed that the majority of LLAMA members have been in the library business for a number of years, however no demographics are available. Unless they are a one-person operation (which could be the case for a school librarian), they hold supervisory roles within their organizations. Their interests are based on financial, human resource, building, and legal and ethical issues as they affect the success of their particular organizations. They are concerned with strategic planning, disaster planning, and facility planning.21 In looking over the editorials from recent issues, the overall value that can be attached to this journal would be one of empowerment. The content seeks to provide library managers with the tools needed to develop successful organizations out of preparedness rather than reactionary responses to a crisis.22
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Despite the fact that these are library managers, they may or may not have MLIS degrees, as some library managers followed business, not library, career tracks.23 Recent articles did not contain overly technical topics or LIS jargon, veering more toward business concepts.24
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
The audience is more specific than American Libraries, which is directed toward all library personnel. In contrast, LL&M is designed for library managers and administrators. This could be an opportunity or a challenge for a writer. Things such as negotiating with a vendor, ergonomic work stations, and staff development are matters of concern to nearly any organization manager. Topics such as working with a library board, dealing with book challenges, and internet filters are problems that are specific to library management. But both categories have a place in this publication and therefore open up a host of possibilities for articles. However, these readers, as organization managers, most likely have very limited time to pursue professional reading. Authors for the journal need to be on top of the issues at the forefront of the managers’ daily lives in order to offer something new to say that is of value.
Last updated: June 12, 2019
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