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College & Research Libraries News submission guidelines

Editorial purpose
College & Research Libraries News (C&RL News) publishes articles, reports, and essays written by practitioners addressing philosophy and techniques of day-to-day management of academic library services and collections. C&RL News provides current information relating to issues, activities, and personalities of the higher education and academic and research library field. Information literacy, scholarly communication, technology, professional education, preservation, government actions that affect libraries, acquisitions, grants to libraries, product updates, and the business of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) are covered in C&RL News. Established in 1966, C&RL News is the official newsmagazine and publication of record for ACRL. It maintains a record of selected actions and policy statements of the association and publishes timely reports on the activities of ACRL and its units. It is published 11 times per year.

Content
The editor bears all responsibility for the content of each issue of C&RL News and selects material for publication. The editor also reserves the right to make appropriate revisions in material selected for publication to standardize style or improve clarity (except official ACRL documents). The editor may refer articles on high-profile topics to editorial board members with appropriate subject expertise for comment. Note: Formal, theoretical, or research-oriented articles inappropriate for C&RL News will be forwarded to the editor of College & Research Libraries for consideration.

Material selected should fall into one of the following categories:

1. Articles on a project, program, or service dealing with a topic relevant to academic librarianship (e.g., “Using a wiki to manage a library instruction program,” April 2007).

2. Essays for “The Way I See It” that offer reasoned and informed speculation or comment on relevant topics (e.g., “Reflections of a former CIO,” October 2007).

3. Topics for the “Internet Resources” column. Submit a topic idea and brief information about the compiler’s knowledge of the proposed topic. Compilers whose topics are selected will receive specific manuscript preparation information.

4. Essays that explore the ACRL President’s theme. Topics and authors are selected by the President’s Program Planning Committee.

5. Humorous essays related to issues of academic librarianship and higher education.

6. Essays for the “Scholarly Communication” column. ACRL’s Scholarly Communication Committee has editorial responsibility for this column; manuscript ideas should be sent to the committee chair.

7. Standards, guidelines, or recommendations of an ACRL committee or other official ACRL group.

8. Requests for the donation of books or materials to libraries. C&RL News may occasionally initiate requests for the donation of books or materials to libraries, especially foreign libraries, which have suffered extensive loss through fire, hurricane, or natural disaster. Other libraries soliciting contributions for other reasons will be referred to the rates for classified advertising in C&RL News.

Instructions to authors
1. Style. Articles should be practical; written in an informal, accurate, and informative manner; and follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed.

Manuscripts should be original and not published elsewhere. (Exceptions may be made for items previously published in institutional newsletters.) Footnotes, charts, and tables should be kept to a minimum.

2. Length. News notes may be 150–350 words; essays for “The Way I See It” should be 750–1,000 words; articles should be no more than 2,000 words.

3. Graphics. Whenever possible, photographs, illustrations, images from Web sites, etc., should accompany article submissions. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use graphic materials. Submit camera-ready artwork for all illustrations; digital files should be 300 dpi. If sending nondigital material, include complete contact information on the back of the artwork. A brief caption and credit (if appropriate) should be provided for all images submitted.

4. Submitting manuscripts. Manuscripts must be submitted electronically to the editor at dfree@ala.org. (Note: An e-mail note of inquiry may precede submission of the article.)