MELA Notes

The Middle East Librarians Association begins to publish MELA Notes as part of its reason for being. If this publication will continue to be read it is because we now encourage you to recall us to our purposes by your contributions and notices, and because you heartily do so. Our gratitude to the Officers and other lead-off writers. Suffice the Editor’s fingerprints to be his faithful signature.

We “People of the Book” have special and professional ties with the civilizations of the Middle East especially since the rise of Islam. The many streams of consciousness of which we are a part long ago interested the rest of the international community, so we gather the books and make bibliophiles! Our imperial languages of past and recent history mellow as they bend to the task of interpretation and cooperation. Herewith please read our stated objectives:

It shall be the purpose of the Middle East Librarians Association to facilitate communication among Members through meetings and publications; to improve the quality of area librarianship through the development of standards for the profession and education of Middle East library specialists; to compile and disseminate information concerning Middle East libraries and collections and represent the judgment of the Members in matters affecting them; to encourage cooperation among Members and Middle East libraries, especially in the acquisition of materials and the development of bibliographic controls; to cooperate with other library and area organizations in projects of mutual concern and benefit; to promote research in and development of indexing and automated techniques as applied to Middle East materials.

James W. Pollock (Indiana University Library, Bloomington) — Editor, MELA Notes, in the first number (Fall 1973).

Instructions for Contributors:

Contributions in any area of Middle Eastern Studies, not necessarily limited to library and information studies or bibliography, (articles, notices, review articles, book reviews) are welcome.

When you submit your contributions to the editor, please follow these guidelines:

  1. Submit in editable electronic format (Word) as an email attachment.
  2. Please include your name and institutional affiliation in the article.
  3. MELA Notes can accept and print Arabic and Hebrew text as well as latin. If your article contains scripts other than these, please consult with the editor. Although the editor does not require the use of any one transliteration scheme for non-latin scripts, authors should maintain consistency no matter what system is employed.

Please send contributions directly to the MELA Notes Editor:

Dr. Farshad Sonboldel
Editor, MELA Notes
World History and Cultures Librarian
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive #0175-C
La Jolla, CA 92093
melanoteseditor@mela.us

Instructions for Book Reviews:

Dear MELA Book Reviewer,

Should you accept the offer of the MELA Notes Book Review Editor to review a book, please be mindful of the following:

  • Limit your review to fewer than 1000 words (about three pages of double-spaced, 12pt text).
  • Please submit your review to the Book Review Editor in a word document format.
  • Please include your name and institutional affiliation at the end of the text of the review.
  • If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the review, please return the volume to the Book Review Editor. The Editor will greatly appreciate your suggestion of someone else qualified to complete the review.
  • If you find that you cannot meet the deadline for submitting the review after having accepted the offer, please either consult with the Book Review Editor about extending the deadline or return the book to the Editor as soon as possible.
  • Publishers send books to MELA Notes with the expectation that reviews will appear in the journal within a reasonable time. The editors are determined to avoid the dubious notoriety of accumulating books, few of which are ever reviewed, and thus forfeiting future opportunities to receive books for review.

Please send books for review directly to the MELA Notes Book Review Editor:

Dr. Hiba Abid
Book Review Editor, MELA Notes
The New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Room 220
476 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018
melanoteseditor@mela.us

Advertising in MELA Notes

MELA Notes, with a circulation of composed of approximately 125 members and institutional subscribers, accepts full-page advertisements from publishers and book sellers. The rate is $200 for a full-page ad. Please submit camera-ready copy in a page size suitable to be accommodated by MELA Notes’ 6.75″ X 4.25″ (H x W) format. Margins on all sides are at least .25″.

Tear-sheets of ads placed will be sent to advertisers with invoices for payment after publication. MELA Notes is scheduled to be published once a year. Ad copy should be received by the editor in mid-October.

The membership of the Middle East Librarians Association (MELA) is made up of collection management professionals who make decisions for libraries to purchase monographs and subscribe to serial publications in all areas of Middle and Near Eastern studies. Institutional subscribers are for the most part libraries with significant collections in Middle East and Library and Information studies.

To inquire about the placement of ads in MELA Notes, please contact secretary@mela.us. The electronic versions of MELA Notes cannot accept commercial ads. Placement of position announcements may also be submitted to the editor. The is no charge for job ads, and they may be placed in the electronic version of MELA Notes.

MELA Membership Mailing List Rental

MELA also rents its membership mailing list. The cost is $100 for a one-time use with approximately 125 names and postal addresses. We do not share email addresses of our members. To inquire about mailing list rental, please contact the secretary@mela.us. You may pay with PayPal below:


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