Just getting started with The Disordered Cosmos.
Library person, bibliovore, retro gamer, goth, sporadic crafter
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Just getting started with The Disordered Cosmos.
I would, but you're too Far(amir)
When we posted this a couple of weeks ago, we had some AI enthusiasts insist that this diagram was the result of poor prompting, or that the prompt that the original poster made was to generate a funny, bad diagram. So we decided to test ChatGPT's capability...
“These companies all advertise these tools as knowing your intent,” Taylor told 404 Media. “Understanding what you meant when you put those terms in. They don’t know. They don’t understand. None of those things are true. There is no technical way these tools can do that.”
Joining a SCONUL webinar on "AI in the library supply chain" feat. Dr Sandra Tury Senate House Library and Elly Cope & Alison Hazelaar of University of Leeds Library. Particularly interested in #AI in relation to #metadata both its utility and its implications for ethics & sustainability.
Call for book proposals! Are you passionate about punk? 🤘 Do you have an idea for a book? 📖 Send us your idea for a fresh take on punk to mark the 50th anniversary, that could be the next instalment our acclaimed British Pop Archive series. 🎶 More details below 👇 #booksky #punk
Publishing today! Ghosts and the Gothic, edited by @ruthheholt.bsky.social and @joparsons.bsky.social The first book to examine ghostly presences (and absences) in #Gothic texts bit.ly/3I59Uzy #Ghosts #GothicStudies Find out more: manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526181923/
Main Library re-opens, featuring new study spaces at Muriel Stott. Over the summer, the Library has made some exciting upgrades to Main Library - based on what you told us matters most. Find out more about these changes: ow.ly/vCLa50WQYlp
Also great! "That's why I think we should fund libraries more. It's not just because they're a great resource, it's because I don't wanna know what librarians will do if we don't give them a place to go."
There are absolutely flaws with Dewey, but they won't be fixed by taking it away And I suspect his issue isn't with Dewey's parochial focus.
If you sent it to ruth.burns @manchester.ac.uk (without the space) then I'll have a chat with our Store team. I don't want to make any promises but will see if there's anything we can do.
I'll have a word with our Store team and see how much actual material that covers (and how out of the way it is stored) might be able to sort something out.
University of Manchester Library has Empire News 1915-60 in our Store. Is it a specific reference you need to see or do you need to browse it?
Um… LEGO just teased a Star Trek set (!), so friendly (definitely unrelated) reminder that I’ll have prints in my shop this Wednesday 😆 stellerarts.com/pages/spectr...
Spent a moment thinking that design was going to be incorporated on to a Lego set, which would be an awesome Collab, then my reading comprehension caught up.
News in the history of molecular biology. The Science History Institute in Philadelphia has acquired a huge archive of correspondence and other scientific material from the pioneers of molecular biology (Franklin, Klug, Perutz, Delbrück etc, with items from Crick and Watson, too). 1/n
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity. 1/n
A personal thread about perceived threat vs actual threat, fear and flags, because recent events around asylum seekers in the UK and the flag based responses, and the way they are discussed in the media is really bothering me 1/
We're also still looking for a chair for LGBTQ+ Network @ciliplgbtq.bsky.social to replace me. Very much only continuing for a short time as an interim chair. #librarian #cilip
Something I didn't get to say yesterday: We heard over and over during the event about "human-centered" approaches to "AI". But if refusal is not on the table (at every level: individual students and teachers right up through UNESCO) then we have in fact centered the technology, not the people.
I remembered this enough to know it was heading for a massive glorious pun, but not what the pun was, so I got to enjoy it all over again. 😁
Heads up, English Literature types. The newly formed School of English at MMU is looking to appoint a new Head of School, ideally someone who already holds a professorial Chair. Further details here: manmetjobs.mmu.ac.uk/jobs/vacancy...
One of our recent custom DM screens: our Undead King design on black leather, but with lots of misty paintwork and variating white inlay. It looks so very spooky 👻 You can assemble your own DM screen in our webshop! #ttrpg #dnd #dmscreen
One thing that strikes me is the idea that the 'climate movement' or climate activists are generally opposed to generative AI, and that is wildly inaccurate. Here's something I wrote for @crikey.com.au a few months ago that I think has only gotten more relevant.....
Yesterday's perambulation along Huddersfield Narrow canal from Greenfield to Mossley.
Sympathies. I spend quite a bit of time explaining that just because something is available through a commercial streaming site, doesn't mean the Library can get access to it. And even with a good range of academic streaming suppliers, there are just some things you can't get.
Visited Folly Dolly Falls near Meltham and the Marsden end of the Standedge tunnel on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal today. Been too warm for big walks recently but today was just a tiny bit to mean a future canal walk can start at the station.
Question for my rare book librarian friends: do libraries insure against user destruction? E.g. someone, say, coming in with a pen and scribbling all over an expensive book, or cutting a page out with scissors? Or would a policy only cover natural disaster (fire, flood) and other accidents?
Quiet view of @manchester.ac.uk campus yesterday evening.
It's so lovely, glad you had fun painting it.
Any of Amy's designs are brilliant, taking the chance to show off my vase since I got a good picture of it earlier today. Definitely recommend being ready the second the restock starts for those wanting something beautiful.
Going to do a chapter or two of Colonisation of time and then start Death at the Opera.
Hooray! Was it somewhere sensible? That's my problem, I put things in sensible places and then never go back there.
Is there actually no-one in the UK Library landscape who wants to become Chair of the CILIP LGBTQ+ Network, or are we just not getting the message out. I can't continue - way to much going on, but without a chair, the network folds... If you've been mulling it over, now is the time to get in touch!
I needed to replace my home office chair and this gaming chair was about the same price, needed to do some work planning and had a DM screen sitting unused...work today is accessorising with play.
If you want to believe it, check it twice ::clap clap:: If you want to believe it, check it twice ::clap clap:: Doesn’t matter if it’s awful Doesn’t matter if it’s nice If it confirms your bias, check it twice! ::clap clap::
A hugely underrated contribution to the Irish literary canon. The nondescript empty landscape Peppa and her family is an oblique reference to nothing less than the works of Brian Ó Nualláin/Flann O'Brien, an absurdist comment on the post-independence lethargy of the so-called Free State. #booksky
Here's three minutes of us talking about human skin.
Part of me is considering getting out my calligraphy pens so I can put "shit gets done through spite and deadlines" up on the wall, but I'm also aware that would partly be me procrastinating doing my own to do list 😁
Hey You ever think about EELS? We at Skype a Scientist HQ think that you should. Ideally every day, for 24 days! We made Eel Fact Advent calendars to help! Scratch off each box to reveal factual information about eels from science & society (thx, @greenleejw.bsky.social!) Get one Squidfacts.net
I saw the "we have foraged", looked at the picture before finishing the text and wondered how on earth you'd foraged wine gums.
There's a nice story which I've heard about some Americans who came over to investigate a plane crash in the hills above Lauder, at Common Riding, went home and then came back to visit at Hogmanay (or possibly vice versa) so had a very skewed idea of how much of a party town generally Lauder is.
as an eerily well-timed sequel to my recent talk on The Doors, my story 'Morrison Motel' has just been published - it's about untoward goings-on at the Alta Cienega motel, where Jim Morrison lived while recording multiple Doors albums: exquisitedeathezine.com/morrison-hotel
Nerdy joke warning. 😁 I've been planning this since I first saw the Newton for Hyde sign.
The kindest interpretation I can come up with is that whoever wrote the piece has a challenge to sneak a random word into their writing and drew "illustrious" for that article.
I was in the University of Manchester Whitworth Hall earlier in the week for a meeting, where they have some nice stained glass.
In this week's ALN Staff Development Weekly Update you'll find details of a job opportunity with ALN; the first couple of events in 2025/26 programme; a first look at our new Staff Development infographic; and an NLISN neurodivergent library staff survey: academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/staff-develo...
Off-site with a too messy to photograph desk but an excellent view out the window for the "focus on something 20ft away for 20 seconds" to avoid eyestrain from too long staring at spreadsheets :)
Just read this - it was shared on LinkedIn. ‘To my users, “we couldn’t generate an answer for your question” translates to “your topic is not worthy of pursuing—change it.”’ While it’s nice to think that students will come & ask when they don’t find results, many won’t. And the blocking of content…
Started the morning catching this talk on The Gothic and The Doors and then listened to the "Goth on Goth" album covers of Doors songs on my way into town. And if you're thinking "that talk sounds good" then it's happening again at 7pm today.
in slightly different but not entirely unrelated news, my talk on The Doors as part of the Romancing the Gothic series is coming up, saturday 19th july at 10am and 7pm: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-gothic...
you've heard about the college kids who can't do anything without ChatGPT's help—but what about the students who oppose generative A.I. for myriad reasons and refuse to rely on it as a shortcut? well, I found and spoke with a few of them here: slate.com/life/2025/07...
📚 Library Colleagues -- if you're thinking ahead to August and a book display on AI, here's the worldcat links to 31 books that critically approach the topic, compiled by me and my Squids. Most are written for an advanced consumer audience. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
If you see this and you know of a good example of a video which explains anything related to scholarly comms, academic publishing, Open Access etc, and does it well, can you reply with a link? Thank you. 📚
What an incredible day at #ALN25 last Friday! 🎉 Huge thanks to our planning team, presenters, attendees, sponsors, and everyone who helped bring the day to life - we couldn’t have done it without you!
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers. The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
Whoever it is going round Glasgow putting daft signs on stuff, please keep up the good work. Thanks.
Made unexpectedly fancy chilled coffee this morning by putting the remaining dregs of raspberry syrup in with the remaining dregs of milk in the bottle and shaking vigorously. No fancy frothers here!
I knew it was too warm in Manchester today but not that we were at tarmac melting warm till I felt my foot sink in here.
➡️ Take part in our analogue social media competition and create a short social media-style post on a piece of card, which will be pinned to our board. The winners will be announced at the end of the day #ALN25
#ALN25. Brilliant wellbeing session Painting by numbers with Fred Milton. Decided to paint outside the lines but my chaffinch doesn't look too bad and I feel much more relaxed for it.
Today we’re hosting the in-person day of the ALN Conference 2025 at Manchester Metropolitan University Business School! And would you believe it - sunshine again? It’s always sunny at ALN 😏☀️ #ALN25
Monica Weston kicks off #ALN25 with a keynote on the 10,000 year librarian
Going to be bright and warm today. Don't forget to hydrate if you're coming to #aln25.
#ALN25 today. Early start but successfully navigated the early morning to-do list.
We won't be supplying lanyards or name badges at the in-person day on Friday so please feel free to bring your own. academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/conference/a... #ALN25
We’ve got an exciting day lined up tomorrow at the in-person day of #ALN25! Keynote, workshops, short papers, lightning talks, sponsor talks, a wellbeing space and a tour of the Manchester Poetry Library. Can’t wait to see you there! academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/conference/a...
To summarize: 1) Leave "free speech!!1!!" Nazi enablers 2) Come to a nonprofit 3) Where you can make more money 4) And get lots of nice support 5) I'm just saying So yes, this is my referral code, but I don't endorse stuff that I don't believe in. It's been good and I'm so glad I moved.
Originally this week I had four days when I was scheduled to be at @thejohnrylands.bsky.social It ended up being only two but thankfully I got my fill of glorious gothic architecture. Just staff and a few researchers in which is a big contrast from when it's busy with visitors.
I used to pad out letters to friends that contained very little real news by writing them in Austen-ese.
You are cordially invited to our Anti-Prime Sale, where every purchase will financially support bookstores, NOT billionaires 🥳
🎧 Have you checked out our brand new ALN Conference podcast yet?... (1/3)
Penniless and homeless, Raynor and Moth Winn found fame with their story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. The Salt Path became a global bestseller and was adapted into a major film. But we can reveal it wasn’t the whole truth. @chloehadj.bsky.social Read more:
Lookit I'm not saying our book display influenced the Ryanair baggage allowance change, I'm only pointing out that this announcement comes four days after our sign went up
Looking forward to attending! Who else is going? #ALN25
Not long to go until the in-person day of #ALN25. Our keynote for the day is Monica Westin - The 10,000 year librarian: radical sustainability for enduring knowledge. We're looking forward to hearing this! academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/conference/a...
We've got a great day planned at the in-person day of #ALN25. Keynote, workshops, short papers, lightning talks, sponsor talks, a wellbeing space and a tour of the Manchester Poetry Library. Can't wait to see you there! academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/conference/a...
Our first keynote Sebastian Cuttill speaks on the Power of Advocacy in the light of AI and copyright and how to campaign. Get the ball rolling yourself or join someone's existing campaign and lobby. Engage with your MP and ask them to take concrete action - it's their job! Make yourselves heard.
Feels like a lot of my job is balancing work across competing priorities: 1. cataloguing newly acquired collections 2. cataloguing existing un- or under-catalogued collections 3. upgrading legacy/brief records to current metadata standards & ethical principles #libraries #cataloguing #metadata
That iceberg cave looks like it tempts people in and then eats them.
1 decade of Open Access, now 300 titles 🔓 Introducing 'Renaissance skin' by @evelynwelch.bsky.social - freely available to all students and institutions. A magnificent feat for research in Renaissance art & #histmed Read it here: www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781... #Renaissance #OpenAccess
I said what I said No to AI in libraries #alaac25 www.probiblio.nl/matthew-noe-...
Only 11 days to go! Day 2 of the ALN Conference is packed with inspiring keynotes, dynamic workshops, and powerful moments you won’t want to miss. We can't wait to see you all soon!
Other rain calling rituals involve dying (and then drying) hair and car washing. It is not known if the effects stack.
A big congratulations to our Wellbeing Photo Competition winners, Joanne and Ciara! Thank you to everyone who took part - choosing a winner was no easy task!
📚💙 I found some book tokens that were at least 9 years old in a decorated pouch in a box of art stuff. I'm not sure I'd ever known anything was in the pouch. They'd expired, but @nationalbooktokens.bsky.social will send you a replacement if you fill out a form on their website. This arrived today 😃
Thank you to everyone who took part in our wellbeing photo competition during Wednesday’s ALN online conference! 📸 We loved seeing your creative and inspiring submissions 🤩 Here’s a collage featuring some of the entries - swipe through to see them all ➡️ #ALN25
I want to briefly talk about one thing people don't really talk about too much with precarity and one thing that most senior staff gloss over, offering a platitude instead of engaging with what is fundamentally wrong with the precarity situation in the UK. 1/
Remembering the #kindness keynote of #ALN25 and that yesterday our (mainly student) college librarians gave up most of their afternoon to show each other around their sites and talk about their services and their challenges, including this beautiful Norman castle
A huge thank you to all our fantastic presenters and delegates who joined us for today’s online conference - we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did! 👏 Big thanks to our brilliant sponsors for their support as well 😊
Now that the online day of #ALN25 is done I can relax a bit and do some wellbeing activities like gardening. Since I now have thyme. 😁
Our sponsors help to make the conference the success it always is! Thank you to our silver sponsors: Content Online; De Gruyter Brill; HS Talks; The Social History Archive; VitalSource; Clarivate; and Bloomsbury Publishing. #ALN25
➡️ 'Open Accessibility: librarians and the accessibility of diamond OA monographs' by Joanne Fitzpatrick (Lancaster University) ➡️ 'The best teaching session: Information Literacy through engagement, empowerment, value and impact' by Janice Fernandes (University of West London) #ALN25
We are now hearing a talk from our gold sponsor for the online day, Kortext (kortext.com). Thank you for supporting the ALN Conference 2025. academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/conference/a... #ALN25
Taking time for wellbeing over #aln25 lunch break by watering a sapling in the garden and enjoying the alpine strawberries for dessert.
Now entering the wind chime, rain and crickets audio section of the #ALN25 Foyer soundtrack. The Foyer is open for tech support for all the online day, and hosted the opening, the keynote and will host the gold sponsor talk at 13:50.
We're running a photo competition 📸✨ Don't forget to send us a photo of something that helps your wellbeing by emailing alnconferenceteam@gmail.com or via Instagram Direct Message. The winners will be announced at the end of the online day #ALN25
Questions I ask myself (behind the scenes #ALN25 ) "is that plane real or just on the birdsong recording?"
'Behind the ALN Frontline Forum'. A workshop from Hattie Blenkinsop (University of Sunderland) and Jenny Foster (Edge Hill University) about the The Frontline Forum - a new online discussion and development space for staff who work directly with students and users.
An excellent and uplifting keynote speech from Helen Rimmer 😊 Next up is our first workshop, lightning talk and short paper. #ALN25
