(via Joshua Sadvari, The Ohio State University)
We are inviting submissions for a special issue of the Journal of Map & Geography Libraries on the topic of “Practicing Map and Geospatial Information Librarianship through the Lens of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility”. Complete details and an abstract submission form link can be found below.
Librarians and library-based geographic information professionals have the ability and responsibility to address issues around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in our professional practice and through engagement with our varied user communities. The purpose of this special issue is to contribute to conversations on how map and geospatial information librarians can approach our work through a DEIA lens and to raise awareness of ongoing efforts, practices, challenges, successes, and work that remains to be done in this space.
We encourage a broad range of contributions, including original research articles, collection descriptions, pedagogical approaches, and critical reflection papers aimed at analyzing and interrogating our professional practices. We especially encourage contributions from librarians and library workers from underrepresented and historically marginalized racial, social, and/or class groups and with perspectives from areas of librarianship beyond maps and geospatial information.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to, the following.
- Supporting a diverse and inclusive community of map and geospatial library professionals
- Practices, challenges, and successes in diversifying map and geospatial information collections
- Collections and projects that center perspectives of historically marginalized communities
- Inclusive and accessible practices in geospatial education
- Educational activities focused on topics related to equity, social justice, and civic empowerment
- Practices, challenges, and successes associated with library-community partnerships
- Connections to information, data, and spatial literacy concepts (e.g., cartography and power relations, traditional knowledge and representations of space, location privacy and surveillance)
Article abstracts are due Monday, December 13. Contributors will be notified of their proposal’s status (accepted or rejected) by Friday, December 17. Abstracts should be between 300 to 400 words and can be submitted through this form.
Final drafts of papers would be expected for submission by Friday, February 11, and article word limit can range between 2,500 to 5,000 words. If you have any questions regarding this special issue or submitting an abstract, please contact Joshua Sadvari, at sadvari.1@osu.edu.
The Co-Editors are Joshua Sadvari (The Ohio State University), Theresa Quill (Indiana University), and Dorris Scott (Washington University – St. Louis).