1. Editorial values
CILIP Update is the magazine and journal of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. It’s passionate about libraries, and supports information professionals whose role is to help the public – or their user group – get the best out of the information revolution, online and print resources.
Mission: CILIP Update aims to keep busy library and information professionals and their partners in the supplier community up to date with the issues, policies and technological developments that affect their workplace and professional practice. It’s a useful current awareness tool that informs continuing professional development (CPD), as well as reflecting the concerns and aspirations of the CILIP community.
CILIP Update tries to reflect the broad range of opinions of our members and community in a balanced and responsible way. That means it also reflects CILIP’s own vision, mission and professional ethics, in accordance with the public interest and CILIP’s charitable purpose.
2. Guidelines for contributors
For news items there are no hard and fast criteria other than relevance and significance for our audience of library and information practitioners and their partners, funders and user communities.
We may cover library and information work in all sectors, information resources, knowledge or records management and related technologies, or management, marketing, research awareness, the internet and web technologies, electronic publishing and communications, or relevant social and economic policy matters.
As the journal of a professional body that focuses on professional qualifications, training and CPD, we are also interested in relevant professional education, training, recruitment and employment issues.
Space is tight. We may not always be able to publish all the news and features we are grateful to receive. The editors will always have the final say.
If you think you have news of interest to our readers, contact the Senior Reporter, Rob Green (rob.green@cilip.org.uk) or Products and Services News Editor, Debby Raven (debbyraven@btconnect.com) to discuss. Or send news copy or press releases to update@cilip.org.uk
We commission many feature articles (in depth pieces) to tie in with our editorial agenda (see out list of themes here). If you would like to contribute on any of these or other topics, please contact Update, (update@cilip.org.uk) to discuss your idea, and possible treatment.
Style and content:
If you propose to write for us, ask yourself what would make you want to read on:
1. Are you reporting on something that is currently topical, or ought to be?
2. Has there been anything similar to your proposed piece in recent issues of CILIP Update? (And if there has, how is your piece different?)
3. Does it make a significant point, with implications for practitioners in their jobs, and if so, can you identify how?
4. Does it cast new light on a core concern?
5. Does it solve a problem that is currently exercising your peers?
6. Would it entertain or amuse your fellow professionals?
Remember, we are not a peer-reviewed academic journal. So do cut straight to the chase. Tell readers why they need to read this article. Do not bury ‘the point’ somewhere at the end of the article. We are a practitioner’s journal and busy people will only read on if they know that what they find will inform them – or make them laugh. CILIP Update favours an accessible, direct, clear conversational style of writing.
Feature articles are generally between 800 and 1500 words in length. A column or soapbox piece is 400-500 words.
If you have some interesting material to share with the community, but do not see yourself as a natural author, CILIP Update may be able to work with you. Please contact Update (update@cilip.org.uk) to discuss. Please note that unsolicited articles that do not meet any, or a sufficient number of, editorial criteria may not be accepted for publication. The Editor’s decision is final.
Pictures
If you supply images, please ensure they are copyright-cleared and that you – and we – have permission to use them. Figures and images can be submitted electronically as jpeg or tif files at a resolution of 300 dpi. Please send them to Production/Design Editor Richard Gibbons richard.gibbons@cilip.org.uk, or the relevant editor, indicating which story they accompany.
Copyright in the text
Feature articles submitted to the journal should be original work and not under consideration by any other publication at the same time. CILIP Update does not republish articles that have already appeared in other publications for the library and information profession, except in very exceptional circumstances.
CILIP Update requires exclusivity for the first three months of publication, and it requests the option to publish in both print and electronic media. If authors decide to republish the article they have contributed at a later date (for example, on a company intranet, or in another professional body’s journal) we ask that they acknowledge the article’s original publication in CILIP Update.
Mailbox
CILIP Update has a lively letters page. The author of the best letter each month wins a £25 National Book Tokens Gift Card. Please email your letters to Managing Editor Rachel Middleton (rachel.middleton@cilip.org.uk). Word count: up to a maximum of 600 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.
Obituaries
Due to pressure of space and in order for notices to be timely, obituarists should aim to write no more than 500 words (if more is written, contributions may have to be cut). Please supply a high resolution photo if at all possible (hard copies can be scanned in and returned). Please check with Managing Editor Rachel Middleton (rachel.middleton@cilip.org.uk) before writing an obituary so that duplication can be avoided. Contact Rachel for copy deadlines and any queries. The following suggestions for inclusion may be helpful:
- Surname and full christian names or forenames. Marital status, maiden name where applicable.
- Date of death, date of birth
- Place of birth/upbringing, brief details of education
- First professional appointments; subsequent library & information appointments, giving job title and year of appointment
- Year of retirement
- Offices held in professional associations, giving years of office
- Appreciation of career. Contribution made to individual places of employment and to the profession as a whole
- attempt to convey the 'whole person' and her/his contribution to local community life
- details of spouse, mention of children
- finish the obituary with your name and current or former job title, or simply place of residence.
People
Send brief details of new job, and of previous job title and workplace. Photographs are welcome (high resolution, 300 dpi). Send to rachel.middleton@cilip.org.uk If you would like to feature in My Week or My Job, please email Rachel to discuss.
Reviews
CILIP Update regrets that, because of constraints on space, it only reviews books and resources of direct relevance to the library and information profession. Guidelines are available from Diana Dixon, Honorary Book Reviews Editor – diana.dixon@cilip.org.uk Unsolicited reviews are not accepted.