Call for Essays

Working Title: We Can Do I.T. : Women in Library Information Technology
Editors: Jenny Brandon, Sharon Ladenson, Kelly Sattler
Submission Deadline: March 27, 2017
Publisher: Library Juice Press

Description of book:
What roles are women playing in information technology (I.T.) in libraries? What are rewards that women experience, as well as challenges they face in library I.T.? What are future visions for women in library I.T.?

This edited collection will provide a voice for people to share insights into the culture, challenges, and rewards of being a woman working in library I.T.  We are soliciting personal narratives from anyone who works in a library about what it is like to be a woman, or working with women, in library I.T. We also seek essays on visions for the future of women within library I.T. and how such visions could be achieved. This collection should be useful not only for those pursuing a career in library I.T., but also for library managers seeking to facilitate a more inclusive environment for the future. Through publishing a collection of personal narratives, we also seek to bring experiences of women in library I.T. from the margins to the center.
For the purposes of this collection, we consider library I.T. to include responsibilities in computer networks, hardware, and software support; computer programming (e.g. coding in python, php, java…); web development (e.g. admins, coders, front/back end developers,…); and/or the management of such areas.

Possible topics include but are not limited to the following:

*   How you started in library I.T.
*   Stories related to being a woman in library I.T.
*   Experiences of acceptance or resistance within the library I.T. community
*   Tips and advice for other women seeking a career in library I.T.
*   Changes in your career path because of entering library I.T.
*   Changes you’d like to see happen within the library I.T. culture
*   Advice for library management on how to improve library I.T. culture
*   A vision for the future about/for women in library I.T.

Timeline:
Submission deadline: March 27, 2017
Notification/Feedback regarding submission: May 12, 2017
Editing and revision: June – July 2017
Final manuscript due to publisher: September 2017

Submissions:
This volume will contain commentary, stories, and essays (from 140 characters to 1,500 words).
If your submission is tentatively accepted, we may request modifications.
Material cannot be previously published.
To submit your essay, please fill out this Google form: https://goo.gl/forms/6oE82aFe7atFlP6j1
For questions, email womenlibit@googlegroups.com<mailto:womenlibit@googlegroups.com>

About the Editors:
Jenny Brandon earned a BA in interdisciplinary humanities at Michigan State University, and an MLIS from Wayne State University.  She is a self-taught web designer/front end developer, and is currently employed in Web Services at Michigan State University.  She is also a reference librarian.

Sharon Ladenson is Gender and Communication Studies Librarian at Michigan State University.  Her writing on feminist pedagogy and critical information literacy is included in works such as Critical Library Instruction: Theories and Methods (from Library Juice Press) and the Critical Library Pedagogy Handbook (from the Association of College and Research Libraries). She is an active member of the Women and Gender Studies Section (WGSS) of the Association of College and Research Libraries, and has presented with WGSS colleagues at the National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference.

Kelly Sattler has a degree in computer engineering and spent 12 years in corporate I.T. before earning her MLIS degree from University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. Currently, she is the Head of Web Services at Michigan State University Libraries. She is an active member in LITA.