Library Trends invites proposals for issue on Evidence-based Practices for eLearning in Information Organizations
Guest Editors:
- Becca Greer, Director of Organizational Development & Learning, University of California, Santa Barbara Library
- Melissa A. Wong, Adjunct Instructor and Editor in Chief, Library Trends, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Libraries and information centers have been using online learning to expand learning opportunities for a diverse range of learners for some time. However, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, online learning became a necessity for continuity of educational, outreach, and community programming amid social isolation, leading more information professionals to experiment with the creation of instructional videos, multimedia tutorials, asynchronous learning modules, and online instruction and programming. Adjusting curriculum and the delivery of that curriculum under these unexpected conditions was highly variable, but it demonstrated the ways in which digital learning resources can reach more patrons and provide continuity when learning disruptions occur. For many information organizations, the pandemic forced a deeper engagement with and integration of online learning into established instruction and programming offerings.
Post-pandemic, online learning is poised to yet again buffer resource limitations, including reduced budgets and staffing shortages, which have a profound impact on organizational capacity. Even in the best of circumstances, time and resources are limited. How does one know their online learning interventions were effective? What principles, frameworks, or guidelines can inform information professionals' approach in their design and assessment of not only the learning, but the workflow of developing and maintaining these digital learning assets?
This issue of Library Trends will explore evidence-based practices that can inform the development, promotion, and assessment of effective online learning in libraries, archives, and information centers.
Examples of topics might include, but are not limited to:
● Applying evidence-based practices such as Mayer's Multimedia Principles
● Utilizing design frameworks such as ADDIE, Universal Design, or the Agile framework
● Catalyzing high-impact practices for diverse learning communities
● Instituting accessible design for inclusive learning environments
● eLearning in archival settings, such as the intersection of digital archives and online learning, teaching physical archives in online spaces
● Training and development of information professionals using eLearning
● Choosing a modality based on curricular and patron needs
● Engaging learners and/or partners as part of the design process through participatory design, focus groups, beta testing, usability testing, etc.
● Evaluation and assessment of learning objects, including assessment of learning, measuring reach/impact, return on investment (ROI), and data-driven decision making
● Management of digital learning resources such as version control, migration between platforms, coordinating design teams, and managing employee workload
● Application of AI in the design and development of digital assets
● Challenges and benefits of (open/closed) systems of cooperative solutions, either cross-institutional or within an organization
● Training and development in instructional design / online learning for information professionals and others such as faculty or community members
Article Length (not including bibliographic references): 7,000-10,000 words
Submitting a Proposal
Prospective authors are invited to submit an abstract outlining their proposed article by April 3, 2026. Decisions about the proposals will be communicated by April 13, 2026, with manuscripts due for peer review July 31, 2026.
This issue will use an open peer review process in which article authors review 1-2 manuscripts by other contributors. As part of submitting an article proposal, authors will be asked to commit to participation in this process as both an author and a reviewer.
For proposals, authors may use any citation style. For manuscripts, authors should use Chicago author-date.
Important Dates
· April 3, 2026 – Proposals due
· April 13, 2026 – Notification of proposal acceptances
· July 31, 2026 – Manuscripts due
· August 7, 2026 – Peer Reviews assigned
· August 28, 2026 – Peer Reviews due
· September 11, 2026 – Reviews returned to authors
· October 9, 2026 – Revised manuscripts due
· February 2027 – Anticipated publication date
Additional Information
Questions about the issue and/or proposal process should be directed to Becca Greer (rrgreer@ucsb.edu) and Melissa Wong (mawong@illinois.edu).
More information about the journal, including author instructions, is available on the Library Trends website.
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Melissa Wong
Adjunct Instructor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
She/Her/Hers
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