About Weave

Weave: Journal of Library User Experience is a comprehensive, rigorous publication for library UX professionals to share with and learn from their colleagues. Weave is fully open access and web-based, helping practitioners and researchers come together to make libraries better.

Position Overview

Weave has an active, collaborative, highly engaged editorial team that keeps the journal running. Like all positions at Weave, editors are volunteers and work remotely from anywhere in the world. The Dialog Box is the non-peer-reviewed section of our journal. The Dialog Box Editor works in collaboration with our team of editors to manage the process of receiving, reviewing, accepting, and editing all non-peer-reviewed content in the journal. The Dialog Box editors work with authors to develop pitches and ideas into publishable pieces.

Dialog Box pieces are unique in that they can come in a variety of formats, including novel and innovative approaches to scholarly communication. Dialog Box works can include:

- Interviews

- Opinion pieces

- Argumentative essays

- Personal reflections

- Visual storytelling (e.g. storyboard or sketch notes)

- Design and research artifacts

- Recaps of events, symposia, or conferences

- How-to articles

- Book reviews

While the Dialog Box is in place, it continues to evolve. The Dialog Box Editors are encouraged and empowered to shape the future direction of this section.

The successful Dialog Box Editor has excellent communication skills, both written and oral, as well as a commitment to open access and sustainable models of open scholarship. They also have experience or interest in:

- Soliciting creative forms of publication and dissemination of knowledge

- Improving user experience within libraries

- Publishing in academic and non-academic settings

- Mentoring or coaching others

- Collaborating with others on written works

Qualifications

The main qualification is an interest in and dedication to improving user experience in libraries. Communication skills and problem solving are also relevant. You might not have edited a journal before, but you'll get guidance from our Editor-in-Chief and other members of the editorial team. We'll make sure you're supported and successful.

We recognize systemic inequities in academic publishing and are developing more inclusive editorial practices, such as requiring inclusive language from authors and exploring open peer review and ways to advance the work of marginalized scholars. We are actively building an editorial staff that reflects a diversity of experiences, and specifically encourage applications from people of color, people who identify as LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities. As UX practitioners ourselves, we're committed to improving the experiences of all of our readers, authors, and editors.

Responsibilities

As Dialog Box Editor, you’ll spend 5–10 hours a month on the journal, working collaboratively with the editorial staff and board. Your duties include:

- Providing a vision and setting direction for Dialog Box

- Soliciting and reading Dialog Box pitches and offering constructive feedback to authors

- Reading and providing feedback on author drafts

- Helping to choose content for each issue of the journal

- Attending monthly virtual meetings with the rest of the Weave team

- Participating in communication between meetings (e.g. Discord, Google Drive, email)

- Navigating editorial workflow software and procedure

All editors work on deadline. Our busiest times are three months before each issue is published, as we get everything ready for copyediting and production. (We usually publish issues in early April and October.)

Terms and Appointments

The Dialog Box Editor serves an initial three-year term, with possibility of renewal. Editors are appointed through a competitive search process led by the Weave board. See more details in our Weave Executive Plan.

How to Apply & Learn More

Applications are due October 30 for a planned initial term of December 2026 – December 2029.

Weave editor-in-Chief Scott Young is chairing our search. Ask questions and submit your application by email: scott.young6@montana.edu.

Include your CV, a brief letter of interest, and a writing sample (can be academic or creative). In the letter of interest, include:

- Why you’re interested in the position

- How you might imagine shaping the vision and direction for the Dialog Box

If you have questions or want to learn more, we’re offering two open Q&A sessions where members of our editorial team and editorial board will be present to share experiences and information about the work of the journal. Register for these sessions via Zoom:

- Register for Thursday, October 8, 3:15–4pm Eastern

- Register for Monday, October 19, 2:15–3pm Eastern

All best,

The Weave Dialog Box Editor Search Committee

Frank Sweis

Dhruti Bhagat-Conway

Scott W. H. Young (Chair)