Call for Chapter Proposals: Supporting Neurodiverse Students in Libraries
We are collecting chapter proposals for an upcoming, edited ACRL publication, Supporting
Neurodiverse Students in Libraries (working title, forthcoming Summer 2025).
Universities and colleges are seeing a rise in neurodiverse students enrolling in higher
education, and due to the pandemic, more students are reporting issues with anxiety and
depression. Academic libraries must adapt their spaces, services, and resources to be
accessible to neurodivergent users. The purpose of our book is to offer practical advice on how
to make changes in academic libraries. We are looking for chapters written by academic
librarians from various institutions to help information professionals understand the best way for
them to apply these changes to their organizations. We especially encourage disabled and
neurodiverse librarians to submit chapter proposals.
The editors have also chosen an open definition of neurodiversity for this volume to ensure the
practices described in this book can be applied to the maximum number of students. We
welcome articles about serving students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, brain trauma,
anxiety, depression, and more. We are especially interested in articles that address these
conditions intersecting with other identities, but this is not required.
We are seeking chapters on academic libraries for the following sections:
- Library Spaces
- Library Services
- Accessibility Librarians
- Flexible research consultations (online, in sensory friendly rooms, etc.)
- Study break/de-stress programs
- Library Instruction
- Universal design
- Fidgets for the classroom
- Sensory-friendly activities
- Library Resources
- Bionic fonts
- Sensory-friendly color schemes
- Other accessible e-resources
- Cross Campus Collaborations
- Student Government Association
- Counseling and Psychological Services
- Disability Services
- Community groups
Authors of accepted chapters will be expected to participate in an open peer review process.
Each chapter will undergo review by other chapter authors before a thorough review by the
editors.
Proposals should include an abstract (~500 words), and the final chapters will be about 2000-
6000 words.
Submit your proposal here.
Proposals Due: December 1, 2023
Notifications Sent: December 15, 2023
Chapter Drafts Due: February 28, 2024
Editors:
Amir El-Chidiac (elchidiac@susqu.edu)
Amanda Boyer (boyeram@susqu.edu)
Susquehanna University
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Amanda Boyer
First-Year Experience Librarian
Susquehanna University
She/Her/Hers
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