About

Aims and scope

Ticker: The Academic Business Librarianship Review (biannual, ISSN: 2369-9779) publishes a variety of contributions from practitioners of business librarianship, and other closely related sub-fields: original research, commentary, conference reports, case studies, renovation profiles, stories of innovation, library management and best practices, and evidence-based pieces.

In addition, the journal features examples of translational research — instances where academic business libraries have implemented faculty research findings on management best practices (i.e., collaboration, work-around techniques, staff motivation, space redesign, vendor negotiations, etc.). We are a practitioner-friendly journal, highly valuing works about the practice of business librarianship.

Our core audience is business librarians in academic, public, and special libraries, but much of our content would be of value to librarians working in managerial, collections, and data-focused roles in any library setting. Our authors and content represent both the US and international work environments and perspectives.

We welcome new librarians and new authors to submit articles. We recognize you may have questions and would like to support you during the manuscript submission and review process by giving you insightful and useful feedback. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to relevant members of the editorial team with any questions or concerns.

Ticker publishes 2 issues each year, one in July and one in January. The January issue focuses on the annual ABLD conference in the Conference Reports section, but also accepts articles as usual for the other sections. The July issue does not focus on the annual ABLD conference and only accepts articles from each section.

Articles can be as short or long as needed. There is no set word length. Many of our practitioner articles end up being in the range of 1,500-3,000 words. The average length of a peer-reviewed article is 5,000 - 7,000 words.

Ticker sections

Feature Articles

Editors: Ash Faulkner, the Ohio State University; Kelly LaVoice, Vanderbilt University

Ticker welcomes submission of substantive research articles that fall within the scope described above. Papers will go through a double-blind peer review process.

Teaching & Learning

Editors: Christina Sheley, Indiana University Bloomington; Sandy Miller, Southern Methodist University

The Teaching & Learning section seeks empirical studies, case studies, or opinion pieces about business reference, instruction, and/or information literacy in a business context (theory, practice, or method) in academic libraries. The scope of this section is on teaching and learning activities that can inform or invite dialogue about efforts to assist patrons in the attainment of information literacy skills or the engagement of learners in critical thinking and creative problem solving. Content can include links, graphics, and should be in English. Research articles submitted to this section will go through a double-blind peer review process, while case studies will undergo editorial review. (If you have a case study you feel is suited to peer review, consider submitting to the Feature Articles section instead.)

Tips

Editors: Ryan Splenda, Carnegie Mellon University; Eve Wider, University of Pittsburgh

The Tips section seeks informal, non peer-reviewed articles capturing practical information and/or advice for both new business librarians and business librarians with management responsibilities. The scope of this section is fairly broad with a range of topics covering reference, collections, outreach, teaching and instruction, supervision and management, vendor negotiations, and more. Tips section articles should include links as needed and should be written in English.

Business Libraries by Design

Editor: Laura Walesby, Michigan State University

This section is devoted to case studies of space design in business libraries, including libraries that have been built anew as well as those that have been undergone a significant redesign or renovation. Articles should discuss some aspect of the building or renovation process such as preliminary user experience studies, facilities planning and construction or the assessment of the project’s final outcomes. Design challenges faced throughout the process and emerging design trends are also appropriate topics for this section. Submissions that include photos, illustrations, diagrams and/or floor plans are strongly encouraged. Submissions to this section will undergo editorial review.

International Outlook

Editor: Angela Horne, UCLA; HD McKay, Vanderbilt University

This section will present reports from business librarians outside the United States and Canada on factors affecting business librarianship in their region, including descriptions of services, resources or facilities unique to their region. The use of links or illustrations as appropriate is encouraged; reports will undergo editorial review.

Conference Reports

Editor: Corey Seeman, University of Michigan

The Conference Reports section seeks informal articles capturing the themes, key speakers, vendor exhibits, resources and other information about library conferences. In particular, the articles sought out for this section focus on the needs of business librarians. Reports for any business librarian meetings (such as with ABLD, EBSLG, APBSLG, CLADEA, etc.) are relevant, as are reports focused on business-related sessions are larger conferences such as SLA, ALA, ACRL, Charleston Conference, etc. The conference reports should include links as needed and should be in English.

Opinions & Thought Pieces

Editor: Ash Faulkner, The Ohio State University

Items that are speculative and thought-provoking and based primarily on the experiences and opinions of the author may be submitted for this section. These are subject to editorial review.