Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: Urban Library Journal (ULJ)
ISSN: 1944-9682
Website: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ulj/
Purpose, objective, or mission: ULJ “addresses all aspects of urban libraries and librarianship.” The journal was formerly titled Urban Academic Librarian.1
Target audience: ULJ’s audience includes librarians, LIS students, and other professionals working in urban libraries, those serving diverse and urban populations, and those interested in these and related fields.
Publisher: ULJ is published by the Library Association of the City University of New York (LACUNY)2 and is sponsored by the Office of Library Services at CUNY Central.3 The journal is hosted by CUNY Academic Works.4
Peer reviewed? Yes, double-blind peer review.5
Type: LIS scholarly journal.
Medium: Online.6
Content: ULJ publishes research, theory, and practice articles addressing “all aspects of urban libraries and librarianship.”7 The journal has a regular book review section. Furthermore, the journal publishes Selected Proceedings from the 2017 LACUNY Institute, which regularly appear in one issue of each volume.8
Frequency of publication: ULJ “is published online on a rolling basis, and will be collected into issues twice per year.” 9
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: Author Guidelines.
Types of contributions accepted: ULJ “welcomes articles dealing with academic, research, public, school, and special libraries in an urban setting”10 The journal’s scope is broad, as it invites manuscripts on “areas such as public higher education, urban studies, multiculturalism, library and educational services to immigrants, preservation of public higher education, and universal access to World Wide Web resources.” Further, the editors invite recommendations for columns or special issues.11 The website lists the most popular articles, according to full-text download statistics.12
Submission and review process: ULJ accepts submissions via the journal’s website.13 Authors can submit manuscripts at any time. Manuscripts that the editors determine to be in the journal’s scope are sent to at least two reviewers for double-blind peer review, and authors receive reviewers’ comments. The editors strive to make decisions on manuscripts, including peer review, within sixty days of receipt.
Editorial tone: Articles exhibit a formal, academic style.
Style guide used: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.14
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
ULJ is a long-established leading journal, and its peer-review process, emphasis on research, and scholarly tone make it a viable option for LIS professionals and scholars with experience in urban libraries or whose research focuses on theories and practices in urban and diverse settings. It may not be suitable for beginning or student authors, but those with workable ideas should not be discouraged from submitting.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Data are not available for ULJ. LACUNY, the journal’s publisher, has about 150 members.15
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: LACUNY members are City University of New York faculty and staff, as well as library employees from affiliated institutions.16 ULJ editorial board members are mostly from CUNY campuses. However, the journal’s reach and relevance are broad because it is an open-access journal and its articles are of interest to LIS professionals throughout the United States and in other countries. It is written in English.
Reader characteristics: Overall, readers have master’s degrees in educational technology, computer science, and library science, and are associated with urban academic libraries. The journal is also relevant to librarians, library staff members, and other LIS professionals in a variety of libraries in urban settings or with diverse populations. Academic librarians and practitioners in other types of libraries, including school, public, and special, contribute to the journal, showing that the interest in urban libraries is emphasized more than the library type.
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers will possess considerable knowledge about LIS topics and subjects, with many readers knowledgeable about the inner workings of academic libraries. However, specialized jargon should be avoided or explained, in order to appeal to a wide range of librarians.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
ULJ is a scholarly journal that publishes theoretical, practical, and heavily researched articles. Readers are from academic, public, school, and special libraries serving urban and diverse populations. Topics including services to immigrants, services to students, affordability and open educational resources, libraries as community spaces, advocacy, and the urban library setting are all suitable.
Last updated: March 23, 2018
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