Want to see your name on a book in the library? Have you pondered writing or editing a book with some of your colleagues? The MLA Books Panel Committee and its partners Rowman & Littlefield and ALA Neal-Schuman publish books on topics important to the practice of medical and health sciences librarianship. In addition to inviting proposals related to Advancing Public Health through Libraries, Building Health Sciences Collections, Health Literacy and the Library, and Teaching Evidence-Based Practice, the committee is also seeking authors or editors on the topic of Ethics in Medical Librarianship.
This book should provide the principles and practices related to the many ethical issues in health sciences librarianship. Sample chapters could include topics related to medical privacy and the reference interview; mis- and disinformation in health resources; information neutrality; intellectual freedom; codes of ethics for information professionals; protecting and sharing data; open access, reproducibility, and transparency; censorship; information gatekeeping and access to information; bioethics and research; institutional values versus personal values; conflicts of interest and disclosure; communicating with diverse populations; health literacy; and developing ethical and diverse collections. These possible chapter topics are merely ideas to get you started!
Prospective authors/editors are invited to submit a Step One proposal on this topic or another topic of interest to MLA members. The proposal should describe the book’s objectives and target audience. Tell the Books Panel Committee what makes your book unique from the competition and how your book will align or support MLA’s core values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. A proposed table of contents including a word and page count estimate and any special features, including tables, illustrations, photographs, and other graphics, should be included as well. Your proposal will be deidentified and reviewed by the committee. If accepted, the committee will then need a draft preface and sample chapter. The sample chapter should be representative of the book’s content and will also be deidentified upon receipt before committee review.
For additional information and quick links for authors, navigate to Publish a Book with MLA, or contact Jamie Birkner, MLA's director, content and marketing strategy, or any Books Panel Committee member.
