by Aarushi Mohan
Emerging Library & Information Perspectives (ELIP) is the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) student-run, peer reviewed, open access journal at Western University. This journal is supported by the FIMS Graduate Library and hosted by Western Libraries on a local instance of Open Journal Systems. ELIP was established in 2013 and has published four issues so far. You can view our past issues here: https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/elip/issue/archive
ELIP uses a double-blind peer review process, which means that the identities of peer reviewers and authors are kept confidential. We hope to offer empathetic and constructive peer review feedback that assists authors in sharpening and clarifying their arguments. Our peer reviewers are students in Melissa Seelye’s Scholarly Communication & Open Access Publishing course. Being an ELIP peer reviewer is an exciting way to gain hands on experience with the principles and practice of the academic publishing cycle.
Another exciting aspect of ELIP is the range of formats we offer for our authors to present their scholarship. We accept five main categories of submissions: Articles, In the Field, For the Field, Reviews and Interviews. In short, articles are longer research and scholarly papers, while In the Field pieces are reflections on the author’s experiences in the Library and Information Science (LIS) workplaces, and For the Field pieces include suggestions for other professionals in the field. Reviews are short reviews of materials (including books, databases or board games) pertaining to LIS. As the name suggest, interviews are conversations between MLIS students and peers, mentors or LIS professionals. For more information on submissions, you can consult this page: https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/elip/about/submissions
ELIP’s team comprises the Managing Editor, the Editorial Team Advisors, the Editorial Advisory Board members, and our production volunteers. Speaking to my experience on the team, the Managing Editor’s role is a dynamic and multi-faceted. My favourite part has been finding ways to virtually connect with our authors, volunteers, Editorial Team Advisors and Editorial Advisory Board members virtually during the pandemic. As the 2020-21 Managing Editor, I have learnt so much about flexibility, project management and clear communication. It has also been exciting to join a relatively new academic journal since we get to improve our workflow with every iteration.
For potential authors
One way to decide whether your submissions are a good fit for ELIP is to read our past volumes. For example, our current issue includes publications about public library responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the failures of bibliographic description in meeting the needs of Indigenous patrons, and the creep of commodification in library makerspaces. Publishing your reflections from your co-op experience, a strong final paper from a class you loved or an interview with a mentor or peer in ELIP can be a great way to share your unique insights with the LIS community. For a small journal, ELIP has a pretty large reach with over 55 submissions published to date. For example, Jim Seale and Nicole Schoenberger’s ELIP publication “Be Internet Awesome: A Critical Analysis of Google’s Child-Focused Internet Safety Program” was cited in a New York Times article, and has been downloaded over 1100 times.
We also accept multiple styles of submissions because we know that the boundaries around disciplinary knowledge production can be rightly drawn, and we hope to support you in presenting your ideas in the form that best fits your voice, subject and vision. We also encourage multimedia submissions are happy to talk through the logistical details with potential authors.
Any MLIS student at Western who is currently enrolled, or was enrolled in the Summer or Winter term before the Fall semester when the publication cycle begins, is eligible to make submissions to ELIP. For example, current students and any student who was enrolled in courses in either the Winter 2021 or Summer 2021 semester can submit to the Fall 2021 Call for Submissions.
Our submission deadline opens later in the fall, usually around November or December. But please feel free to reach out at any time of the year if you would like to get started early on refining your submission.
Are you interested in joining our team?
We usually send out a call for volunteers around late February, and our production process usually runs between March and May. Our production volunteers work on copyediting, APA formatting, and fact checking. This work is invaluable and can serve as great experience for those interested in the behind-the-stage world of academic publishing. If you’re worried about being unprepared, we provide a training for our volunteers, and these are all tasks you have done for your own research papers. Additionally, your work will be credited in the journal, and you can include it on your resumé!
We are also always looking for library and information science professionals to join our editorial team, so please reach out to elip@uwo.ca if you are interested!
