Position Paper: Library of Social Science Publishing
Alexander Chirila/Richard Koenigsberg

If you've been receiving the Library of Social Science Newsletter, you know that we've been doing something slightly unconventional; a little different from traditional wasys of publishing and distributing scholarly information.

But what exactly are we doing? This is a new way of presenting scholarly ideas, papers and essays. Since we've been doing this for many years, our methodology is not  entirely "new." But I've never spelled out precisely what I'm doing.

I was somewhat older then, I'm younger than that now. Rigorously trained as an experimental social psychologist and bound to traditional modes of publishing (journal articles and books), it's taken me quite a while to break the binds that tied me down. I'm now able to fully embrace our methodology of online publishing, which allows scholars to reach more people in a single day than the traditional journal article reaches in its lifetime.

Yes, I know that academics have requirements for advancement and promotion. I am not outside the scholarly community. Traditional requirements will change gradually (actually, not so gradually, the Internet changes things at the speed of light). When was the last time you purchased a long-playing record album?

It was a brilliant young scholar, Professor Alexander Chirila, not tethered to conventional ways of publishing, that pushed things forward. He wrote a "Positional Paper" several years ago that continues to provide the bedrock--foundation--for what we are doing now. PLEASE READ CHIRILA'S POSITION PAPER BELOW.

Best regards,

Richard Koenigsberg, PhD

PS: As for the issue of "refereeing," yes I'm afraid we are a little rigid in this regard: we only publish the greatest scholars in the world.
Alexander C. Chirila PhD is Assistant Professor of English at Turtle Mountain Community College. He is founder of The Center for Comparative Spiritual Studies.

His book True Immortality is available from Amazon.

For information on how to order, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

POSTIONING PAPER: PUBLISHING WITH THE LIBRARY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

  • Comprised of scholars dedicated to the promotion of high-quality scholarship, the Library of Social Science is an interdisciplinary organization positioned at the vanguard of the digital text revolution.
  • The Library publishes, disseminates, and promotes writings on a range of topics dealing with the psychology of war and genocide, human conflict, and the symbolism and ideation at the root of social violence.
     
  • Challenging the conventional reading of history as an inherently logical and rational narrative of events motivated by entirely conscious factors, the Library of Social Science invites contributors to consider new approaches to perennial questions: how is the mythology of war perpetuated? What role does the irrational play in the designs of empires? How is the mass slaughter of the 20th and 21st Centuries to be understood?
     
  • Dynamically innovative, progressive, and anchored in a discipline of rigorous analysis, qualitative research, and purposeful scholarship, LSS has established itself as a knowledge resource in a highly competitive field.
     
  • The Library of Social Science encourages and supports contributions from a variety of disciplines including psychology, sociology, anthropology, politics, and history. We’ve created a space where myriad perspectives can come together in unconventional and innovative ways.
  • The Library of Social Science is ahead of the curve in terms of adapting to the demands and expectations generated by the widespread utilization of new media. Unencumbered by the limitations of traditional academic publishing, LSS takes full advantage of the opportunities presented by the electronic market to disseminate research quickly, efficiently, and consistently.
  • Representing the highest standard of scholarship and research, LSS reaches tens-of-thousands of subscribers through its newsletter and website. Contributors accepted by LSS see their writings reach a far wider audience than an academic journals.
  • With a formerly unprecedented range of exposure to readers throughout the world, the visibility of an article or essay published with the LSS allows writers to make an impact in real-time, contribute to ongoing discourse, and actively participate in the future of scholarship.
     
  • Rather than waiting months for the print run of a traditional journal, the Library of Social Science circulates accepted essays immediately. Contributors producing scholarship on contemporary subjects can finally keep pace with the increased speed of history. Relevant essays can be put “out there,” at the forefront of the transition from information into knowledge and data into analysis.