PaLRaP: Looking Ahead, Looking Back

With the publication of Volume 2, issue 1, Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice (PaLRaP) celebrated its one year anniversary of publication and got its second year of publication off to a strong start; the editorial team is now looking ahead to volume 2, issue 2. This last year and a half has seen continued growth and change as PaLRaP continues to adapt to the needs of its readers. As we move forward with the journal, we want to take the time to share with you information about that growth and change and we also want to share some fun facts about the journal thus far.

What’s New in Year 2

•  In order to enable us to remain a free scholarly resource for our readers, PaLRaP now has a “Support PaLRaP” section on its website. You can support PaLRaP through donations to the journal or through membership in Pa Library Association.

• In an effort to make it easier for you to find and share journal news via Twitter, the PaLRaP team will now begin using the hashtag #palrap when it posts updates about new issues, calls for submissions, and journal articles. We encourage you to use the hashtag as well when you share information about the journal via Twitter.

• Finally, PaLRaP was added to Ulrichsweb Periodicals Directory and to SHERPA/RoMEO, a database that lists publishers and information such as their publication conditions and policies and author rights. Visit PaLRaP’s page here.

Fun Facts

• The top social sites people have used to access PaLRaP are Facebook and Twitter, so keep sharing PaLRaP through all of your social media outlets and don’t forget to use #palrap on Twitter.

• PaLRaP has readers all over the world. Overall, the top 5 countries for PaLRaP readership are:

1. United States
2. Brazil
3. Canada
4. UK
5. Australia

• In August 2014, the top 5 countries for PaLRaP readership were:

1. United States
2. Brazil
3. Australia
4. Germany
5. Egypt

• The article Increasing the discovery of digital collections using Wikipedia: The Pitt experience by Ed Galloway and Cassandra DellaCorte was cited in Wikimedia’s Research Newsletter, May 2014.

• The overall top 5 most popular PaLRaP articles are:

1. Making your mobile device an art expert: Using QR codes to tell the story behind artiFACTS in your library
2. Online job tutorials @ the public library: Best practices from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Job & Career Education Center
3. Using the filter bubble to create a teachable moment: A case study utilizing online personalization to engage students in information literacy instruction
4. The Heritage Hunt: From start to update
5. Using social media to promote international collaboration

Consider Becoming a Peer Reviewer/Check out The Latest Issue

PaLRaP is always in need of peer reviewers. If you’re interested in becoming a peer reviewer for the journal, email palrap@mail.pitt.edu for more information.

PaLRaP continuously accepts submissions on a rolling basis, but keep your eyes on your email and the CRD blog for an official call for submissions for the fall 2014 issue. Until then, check out the latest issue of PaLRaP, volume 2 issue 1, here.