About the Journal

Mission

As a peer-reviewed, open-access journal of ALA’s Core Division, ITAL embraces the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. ITAL provides a trusted platform through which scholars, students, educators, practitioners, and professionals in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) and information science communities exchange knowledge, ideas, and expertise that drives innovation and excellence in technology implementation in these domains. 

Purpose

ITAL strives to provide profound insights into key topics at the intersection of libraries and technology and aims to publish a diverse range of voices from colleagues with varied backgrounds and perspectives, all contributing unique insights into the challenges and opportunities of technology in libraries. Recognizing that technology impacts every facet of library operations, ITAL is committed to supporting colleagues engaged in information technology work through scholarly output; facilitating the latest research to support informed decision-making; and promoting best practices in the realm of technology within libraries and related settings.

Contributors

ITAL seeks the perspectives of those whose unique insights into the challenges of providing and supporting technology in libraries, galleries, archives, museums, or other information science workplaces enrich our discussions and broaden our understanding of technologies in these domains. ITAL welcomes submissions from individuals of all ethnicities, races, countries, gender identities and expressions, ages, abilities, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, scholarly and professional backgrounds and experiences, types and sizes of institutions, neurodiversity, technical skills/experience, years in profession, and other characteristics. ITAL is committed to amplifying and highlighting lived experiences from inclusive perspectives as they relate to technology in libraries. (Adapted with permission from https://llm-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/llm/about/submissions.) 

Audience

ITAL readership encompasses scholars, students, educators, practitioners, and professionals in the library, gallery, archives, museums, and information science communities, as well as those in related fields. 

Scope

ITAL publishes a wide spectrum of original material related to all facets of information technology within diverse environments to offer a comprehensive exploration of the evolving landscape of technology in libraries and related domains. 

Topics include, but are not limited to: accessibility of information communication technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud computing, cyber security, data curation, digital libraries, digital preservation, digital scholarship, distributed systems and networks, emerging technologies, geographic information systems, human-computer interaction, identity management, intellectual property rights, library consortia, library systems and discovery tools, linked data, metadata, mobile services and applications, openly-licensed materials, social media, technical standards, usability and user experience, vendor relations, virtualization, and related areas.

Editorial process

We are actively building an editorial board and reviewer pool that reflects the desired diversity of potential authors. We also engage in periodic review of editorial processes and policies to identify potential barriers to publishing in ITAL. 

Copy-editing process

ITAL journal editors do a first round of editing followed by a second review by ALA Production Services. Both reviews adhere to the policies, standards, and competencies put forth by the American Library Association.  

An evolving process

We the ITAL Editorial Board recognize the importance of committing to a DEIA statement and we take this commitment very seriously.  As we continue to learn and make progress towards improved diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, we welcome your feedback and suggestions as to how we can improve via email sent to varnum@umich.edu or submissions to our anonymous virtual suggestion box.

Submitting for peer review: What to expect

Submissions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. 

The editors provide a preliminary review for suitability for the journal’s scope and mission. You will typically hear from the editors within 3 weeks of your submission.

Submissions that are within the journal’s scope are advanced to a double-blind peer review process and read by at least two reviewers. The results of the peer review process are typically communicated to the article’s authors within 6-8 weeks. These are the possible outcomes:

  • Accept for publication: The article is ready to move to copyediting and is basically ready for publication.
  • Accept pending minor revisions: The article is basically ready for acceptance, pending minor edits or changes. The editors will make the final decision to accept for publication.
  • Needs revisions and another peer review round: The article has merit but needs additional research, literature review, and/or significant work. The revised version will have an additional round of peer review.
  • Decline: The article is not accepted for publication.

Once articles are fully accepted for publication, they are scheduled for the next available quarterly issue. We publish on the 3rd Monday of March, June, September, and December. Articles accepted by the 1st of January, April, July, and October are typically included in the next quarterly issue.

Policies

Sponsors

ITAL is hosted by ALA Production Services (2023-). From 2012-2023, ITAL was hosted by the Boston College Libraries.

Journal History

Information Technologies and Libraries (ITAL, ISSN 0730-9295) began publication with volume 1 in 1982. It moved to an open-access, electronic-only publishing model (ISSN 2163-5226) with Volume 31 (2012). ITAL is the successor to the Journal of Library Automation (JOLA, ISSN 0022-2240), published from 1968-1981.