Instructions for Authors

Welcome to the OLA Quarterly (OLAQ), the flagship publication of the Oregon Library Association. Each issue has a theme, typically developed by Guest Editor(s). If you are interested in contributing an article, you can submit an article proposal to the appropriate Guest Editor listed in the Publication Schedule, or directly to the OLAQ Coordinator.

One of the defining characteristics of a profession is its unique knowledge base. This is a chance to share your wisdom and experience! As a contributor to OLAQ, you are helping those associated with Oregon's library profession keep current.

Background on OLAQ

OLAQ is a benefit to our members (around 1,000), and most copies are circulated within members' libraries, so the readership is larger than the subscriber base. The OLAQ is no longer distributed in print, and is available only in electronic format. Articles from current issues and archived issues may be accessed individually and downloaded through the journal site.

OLA retains nonexclusive electronic representation and distribution rights to OLAQ contents. OLA reserves the right to re-use text, photos and artwork in subsequent OLAQ issues, with notification to the submitters, if possible. Otherwise, all rights revert to the authors.

Submissions are edited. The OLAQ Coordinator and Guest Editor(s) make the final decision on any submitted material.

Deadlines, Layout, and Article Lengths

A call for articles will typically be issued on the site and through other channels roughly 8-10 weeks ahead of the projected publication date. It is preferable that articles are received two weeks or more in advance of this projected date to allow time for editing, layout, and any communication/clarification that may need to occur between the author and editor(s). Refer to the Publication Schedule to see deadlines for article submission. If you cannot meet the deadline for your issue, please contact the Guest Editor as soon as possible.

Layout tips

  • Don't worry too much about font; when you submit your file, the article will be changed to standard OLAQ fonts.
  • Files may be uploaded in Word format (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Please do not submit Microsoft Publisher files.
  • Use a single column only.
  • When creating tabular material, use tabs, not spaces, to align items.
  • If you have information to be placed in sidebars, create a separate file for each sidebar. Use a descriptive filename such assidebar1_articlexyz, sidebar2_articlexyz, etc.
  • Don't incorporate graphics or photos into your documents; these should provided separately (refer to Artwork and Graphics).

Article length

  • Most articles are about 1-2 single-spaced 12-pt font pages (1000-2500 words), but there is no strict limit. The informal nature of most of the articles makes short articles appropriate for OLAQ, but we invite scholarly papers as well, as long as they are properly credited with citations. Often OLAQ issues have five to ten articles of varying lengths.
  • Additional files like book lists, charts/tables, photos, or other supplemental information are welcome, and will extend the overall length of your article, but again, this is not problematic.

Style and Tone

Take a look at the OLAQ Archive to get a sense of the tone and style of articles.

For article content, please format according to APA (6th ed.) style, with in-text citations and referenes as applicable. See here for helpful formatting guidelines.

Artwork and Graphics

Please provide due credit to any artwork, graphics, or images to be included in your submission, and obtain permission of use prior to contributing any copyrighted materials.

Do not incorporate graphics directly into your word processor documents. The designer will integrate the text and images using their own software. If you want to associate an image with a particular passage in your article, add the sentence "Insert Image N about here" (where N is a specific number). Set that sentence off by itself, as in:

“Insert Image 1 about here”

The Designer will place the image based on the text flow and page layout, so only an approximate location is needed.

Please do not submit Microsoft Publisher files.

If you have any questions regarding the graphic formats, please contact the Guest Editor.

Photographic material

Please send original black & white or color photographs if possible. Include a detailed caption that clearly indicates what is going on and who is in the picture. Write your caption(s) on separate paper, not on the back of the photographs.

If digital photos are submitted, please submit them at a minimum of 300 dpi at full size (3 inches wide at minimum). JPEG (.jpg) format is preferred. Please include a caption and indicate which article the photo goes with and the area in the article where you would like it to be placed.

Line art

Supply a clean copy of the artwork (preferably an original). Remember, the better quality illustration you supply, the better it will appear in the publication. Include a detailed caption that clearly indicates the purpose of the illustration.

The Designer can scan images for you, however if digital art is submitted, please submit line art at 1200 dpi in grayscale. Please include a caption in the email and indicate which article the image goes with and the area in the article where you would like it to be placed.

Computer art

Please state the application that created the image (e.g., FreeHand, Photoshop) and indicate the file type (e.g., TIFF, EPS). If your computer-generated art includes any text, please convert the type to paths in the original illustration. Also include the phone number of the person to contact with any questions regarding the image provided. Please include a caption in the email and indicate which article the image goes with and the area in the article where you would like it to be placed.

Submitting Articles

Email files to the OLAQ Coordinator or Guest Editor(s). Attach Word documents and graphics files to a brief email describing the attachments. You can also send the text in the body of the email message, if there are compatibility problems or attachment size limits. Contact the OLAQ Coordinator or Guest Editor(s) if you have any questions or if you are planning to mail artwork materials directly to the Designer.

Designer Mailing Address:

Tobias Weiss Design
7345 SW Deerhaven Drive
Corvallis, OR 97333

Phone: 541.738.1897