Library Philosophy and Practice (LPP)

Publication Profiles > LIS Scholarly Journals > Library Philosophy and Practice (LPP)

 

Publication analysis


About the publication

Title: Library Philosophy and Practice (LPP)

ISSN: 1522-02221

Website: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/

Purpose, objective, or mission: Per their website, this journal “publishes articles exploring the connection between library practice and the philosophy and theory behind it. These include explorations of current, past, and emerging theories of librarianship and library practice, as well as reports of successful, innovative, or experimental library procedures, methods, or projects in all areas of librarianship, set in the context of applied research.”2

Target audience: Library professionals (primarily employees working in academic libraries) interested in exploring the philosophy of librarianship.3

Publisher: University of Nebraska, Lincoln Libraries; University of Idaho Library4

Peer reviewed? Yes.5

Type: LIS scholarly.6

Medium: Online.7

Content: LPP includes research-based articles covering all aspects of philosophy and theory of librarianship. Some of the many topics the journal has covered over the years include extended library-hour service, the information-seeking behaviors of journalists, information ethics, the information needs of women in prison, the creativity of public librarians, gaming theory, the role of academic libraries in developing countries as access points to print and electronic resources, and many more.8

Frequency of publication: Annually.9

About the publication’s submission guidelines

Location of submission guidelines: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/instructions.html

Types of contributions accepted: Research papers on all aspects of philosophy and theory of librarianship.10

Submission and review process: Authors should email their articles (in .doc, .rtf, or html format) to the editors. The editors encourage authors to query them prior to submitting an article.  The journal only accepts unpublished articles and articles which aren’t currently under review elsewhere. Lastly, authors should be aware that “all manuscripts are checked using Safe Assignment software before they are sent for peer review.”11

Editorial tone: Scholarly.12

Style guide used: “Use MLA, APA, or any other style that embeds citations in the article, e.g., (Bolin, 2005), with a list of works cited at the end of the article. Do not use footnote or endnote citations. Please include links to any web resources that are mentioned.”13

Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors

Each issue of LPP covers an extensive variety of topics pertaining to applied research and the theory behind it. The sheer breadth of topics beneath the umbrella of applied LIS research, combined with the journal’s international scope (please see the “Audience analysis” section below) make this publication an excellent choice for new and seasoned LIS authors alike. Additionally, the journal’s flexibility regarding the style used (MLA, APA, etc.) make it an appealing choice for authors in both the humanities and scientific professions.

 

Audience analysis


About the publication’s readers

Publication circulation: Although circulation figures are unavailable, LPP’s papers have been downloaded almost three million times. Nearly 700,000 of these downloads occurred within the past year.14

Audience location: Although LPP is published in the U.S.15, it covers topics pertaining to specific libraries and information organizations all over the world. The map on the journal’s homepage shows that readers live in New Zealand, the U.S., Jamaica, and numerous countries in between.16

Reader characteristics: Readers are educated, have an MLIS, a PhD, or are currently studying in an information and library science program. They may be students yet to work in an information organization, librarians, directors of information organizations, researchers, etc.17

Knowledge of LIS subject matter: In general, it’s safe to assume that most readers will have extensive knowledge of LIS subject matter. However, as mentioned above, the articles vary widely, both in terms of content and complexity. Some articles are written in a less formal style while others are very scholarly, containing advanced language and foreign concepts that even a professional librarian might have trouble deciphering.18

Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors

Due to the broad scope of this journal, authors should write to a specific group of people, rather than trying to please every reader. Articles tend to address very specific topics (e.g., “Information Seeking Behaviors of Journalists in North India”),19 so readers will expect authors to be experts on their chosen topic. Additionally, authors shouldn’t shy away from technical terms or library jargon, since they can safely assume that at least some of their readers will be familiar with it.

 

Last updated: March 5, 2018


References

Show 19 footnotes

  1.  Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  2.  Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  3.  Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  4. Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018, http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/lpp.htm
  5. Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  6.  Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  7.  Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  8. Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  9. Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  10. Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  11. Library Philosophy and Practice: Instructions for Authors,” University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  12.  Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  13.  “Library Philosophy and Practice: Instructions for Authors,” University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  14.  Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  15. Library Philosophy and Practice, Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory, accessed March 5, 2018, http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/title/1520296753644/266299
  16.  Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
  17. Mary Bolin, email message to author, September 16, 2008.
  18. Mary Bolin, email message to author, September 16, 2008.
  19.  Library Philosophy and Practice, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries, accessed March 5, 2018,  https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/
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