Journal profile · INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
Public Library Quarterly
ISSN 0161-6846 · eISSN 1541-1540 · Taylor & Francis
Public Library Quarterly: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.8 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 133 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 52% (journal website); 89 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Public Library Quarterly is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Library Science and Administration, Library Science and Information Literacy and Web and Library Services, together about 57.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Information Systems. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Public Library Quarterly (PLQ) is addressed to leaders-directors, managers, staff, trustees, and friends-who believe that change is imperative if public libraries are to fulfill their service missions in the twenty-first century. In PLQ , directors and operating officers tell how they accomplished change. The journal examines: Best practices and models to improve service Management case studies-with results and failures Library mythologies that retard individual and institutional development Studies of how to plan results and accomplish desired outcomes Marketing and fund-raising tools that work Budget and financial analysis tools and tips How new technology works in practice Innovative, high-quality programs for children Peer Review Policy: All articles in Public Library Quarterly have undergone editorial screening and peer review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Joe MatthewsPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Library Science and AdministrationSocial Sciences31.9%
- Library Science and Information LiteracySocial Sciences15.6%
- Web and Library ServicesComputer Science10.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.7%
- Library Collection Development and Digital ResourcesComputer Science4.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.5%
- Earthquake and Disaster Impact StudiesSocial Sciences3.1%
- Library Science and Information SystemsComputer Science2.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ProQuest, OCLC, De Gruyter Saur, EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete, H.W. Wilson, FRANCIS, Library, INformation Science & Technolgoy Abstracts (LISTA), MasterFILE Complete, MLA International Bibliography, Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies, TOC Premier, Elsevier BV, Gale, ArticleFirst, Library Literature, Aerospace Database, Corrosion Abstracts, Engineering Material Abstracts, LISA: Library & Information Science Abstracts, Materials Business File, METADEX, Technology Research DatabasePublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.56Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.48LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.48Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 34OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 189OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.35OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 33.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 6.45%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 88LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 137,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 137,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,685 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68 | 20 | 17 |
| 2025 | 89 | 12 | 112 |
| 2024 | 48 | 14 | 147 |
| 2023 | 28 | 8 | 214 |
| 2022 | 32 | 10 | 280 |
| 2021 | 27 | 4 | 285 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
133 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 81 days – 211 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 10 days (91 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 145 days
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (173 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 52%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 52%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 89 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 89 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 113 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 113 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Accountability, Integrity: AI Policy in Public Libraries
Kathryn FitzGerald et al. Research Article | Published online: 2 Sep 2026
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Zero Embargo Green OA Policy Model summary
Public Library Quarterly is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy Model summary
All articles in Public Library Quarterly have undergone editorial screening and peer review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0161-6846
- Electronic ISSN
- 1541-1540
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 45, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Public Library Quarterly
What CAS zone is Public Library Quarterly in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Public Library Quarterly is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Information Science & Library Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Public Library Quarterly?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 34.
How long does peer review take at Public Library Quarterly?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 133 days (interquartile range 81–211 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 52% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What JCR quartile is Public Library Quarterly in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Management.
Which databases index Public Library Quarterly?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Public Library Quarterly is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Public Library Quarterly open access, and what is the APC?
Public Library Quarterly is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .