Mélanie Marcon from @cnrs-inist.bsky.social was the clear winner of the informal @countermetrics.bsky.social Advisory Committee costume contest last week, at our Halloween meeting. Lucky for me she's a fellow knitter so over the weekend I spun up a skein of fluff as a prize!

We've already had a brilliant set of 197 responses. Thank you to all who have taken the time to provide your feedback. If you use COUNTER and have not done our survey yet can you help us get past 200 by the end of tomorrow?

We're at 189 responses to the COUNTER Metrics survey. I'd love to get over the 200 mark before it closes next week - if you've not already told us what you think, please join in! www.countermetrics.org/2025-survey/

@r4lpartnership.bsky.social webinar on 21 October will be on COUNTER Metrics and @tashamc.bsky.social will be speaking. Learn more and register: www.research4life.org/other/join-u...

Slightly behind on work & it's rainy, so I'm reviewing for @learnedpublishing.bsky.social today. Got my pot of Cold Weather Warrior from @birdandblendtea.bsky.social, good tunes (thanks to @heatherstaines.bsky.social for re-igniting my love of Pulp!) & Monster Munch as a reward for finishing

Had a lecture from the dentist earlier today about why I should not be drinking black coffee.

Tell us what we're getting right - and wrong - by responding to the @countermetrics.bsky.social survey. It's open to everyone, not just members, and is your chance to shape what we do.

I'm looking forward to this @uksg.bsky.social webinar on usage metrics! It's happening a week after Uncovered, so you get two UKSG events in one month. Uncovered is about managing uncertainty and risk in our ever-changing world, and it's a cracker of a speaker line up: www.uksg.org/events/uksg-...

Saw a new consultant yesterday for dodgy knee & even more dodgy shoulder. 1. I'm not allowed to do anything with my arm until tomorrow, so I'm sorry if you're waiting on something from me 2. PSA "Your shoulder is not supposed to sound like a maraca" (ps yey for speech to text)

Attending #FutureSciPub @royalsociety.org and I've yet to hear anyone talk about ensuring that the new models are technically viable. Research integrity and discovery are essential but we need accessibility and preservation, too!

I always enjoy reading The Brief from Clarke & Esposito and this month is no exception! www.ce-strategy.com/the-brief/no...

I know what I'll be reading this evening. Thanks @openbookpublish.bsky.social!

The project to reassess and update @countermetrics.bsky.social membership benefits and structure has taken a long time (more than 18 months to date!), but it will make a big difference to our long-term sustainability as an organisation.

Screen-free coding for kids? Try weaving! Jacquard punch-cards were the inspiration behind Babbage & Lovelace. Plus they'll have a greater appreciation for just how much work it takes to make cloth and might have second thoughts about buying fast fashion...

Interesting thread from @pressfuturist.bsky.social - scholarly publishing worth £1bn more to the UK than trade publishing last year

Don't forget to submit your presentation idea for #UKSG2026 in Glasgow! dub.sh/lGMfvyz

Time for my annual sight test, and this time I've been asked in advance if the students can have a go as part of their training in 'unusual presentations'. Good luck to them...

Where to start with all the misconceptions in this update?!? 1. The latest iteration of @countermetrics.bsky.social - R5.1 - built OA usage metrics into the Code and from Jan '25, multiple publishers have offered our OA optimised Global Item Reports

I know it's bank holiday, but today is a working day for me. Doesn't mean I can't start the day with coffee, toast, and catching up on the science special from @theeconomistevents.bsky.social

This article for ORIGINal Thoughts offers a taster of ways that COUNTER can be business intelligence. If you want to know more, a module in our new @countermetrics.bsky.social Academy covers ways that everyone - publishers as well as libraries - can use COUNTER more effectively.

Our latest post shares an update from @tashamc.bsky.social on how our new syndicated usage best practice replaces the old Distributed Usage Logging project www.countermetrics.org/goodbye-dul/

Ever thought about becoming a journal editor? Check out the new vacancy at @uksg.bsky.social Insights!

The @countermetrics.bsky.social member directory is now available from the website, so it's easy to see if you can use our member benefits. If you want to register for the Conference or the (new!) Academy but aren't sure if you're eligible, take a look at the directory and it'll tell you.

Just got word from my college roommate - who is the state archivist for the state of South Dakota - that due to the DOGE shutdowns of IMLS, they can no longer fund InterLibrary Loan in SD. This means exchange between libraries, ability to get books delivered across the system, is gone as of 4/30.

In November @uksg.bsky.social covered book bans as part of our digital conference on cybersec & censorship. This year, UKSG Uncovered will be looking at how to recover from disaster - natural, political, or other. Call for speakers at www.uksg.org/events/uksg-...

Your regular reminder that while total spend by libraries is increasing, that's a slower rate of increase than article output. We should be looking at spend per article for a fair discussion. #uksg2025

Cheese toastie and a quad espresso to start day 3 at #uksg2025

#UKSG2025 cybersecurity plenary seems a good time to remind everyone that our digital conference last November covered cybersecurity in detail as part of our efforts to draw attention to important topics that often fly under the radar.

The @uksg.bsky.social team gave me the most beautiful flowers for hosting the #uksg2025 quiz! Sat next to my big spinning wheel to illustrate why I asked *that* question, and the cats because where else would they be?

Thank you to the @researchinfo.bsky.social team for reporting on our COUNTER Academy news at #UKSG2025. www.researchinformation.info/news/7782/ Pictured, l-r, Jon Hunt and Tim Gillett from Research Information, and Tasha Mellins-Cohen and Siân Harris from COUNTER.

Question at #uksg2025 about how AI can be ethical when it's often behind a paywall. Controversial take from me: commercial ai products may not be available to everyone but inequity of access is not the same as unethical. Nuance!

"It may take awhile." Why does #HigherEd #academia #academicsky always think this? What do else do you need to see to think hmm, NOW is the time to fight back. Does no one read history? #UKSG2025 Help us ✊ #censorship attacks on #AcademicFreedom tinyurl.com/3bwuc38f SIGN/SHARE/RAISE THE 📣🚨

Brighton is getting ready for @uksg.bsky.social with plenty of sunshine and just a touch of sea haze... Should still be like this next week

Are you going to #UKSG2025? @tashamc.bsky.social and @sianharris.bsky.social will both be there and are looking forward to catching up with the COUNTER community. Tasha will also be leading some breakout sessions about COUNTER. See you there! www.countermetrics.org/meet-us-at-u...

Bookings close soon for #UKSG2025, so please do crack on and register as there are no on-site registrations. dub.sh/QGmrmv4

If you'll be at @uksg.bsky.social and fancy a trip to the Royal Pavilion on Sunday before the Conference starts, head over to the Whova app - I've set up a meet-up!

I have reached nirvana: Zero emails awaiting response in both my @countermetrics.bsky.social and the Mellins-Cohen Consulting mailboxes. That calls for knocking off early for the weekend!

📢 Want to shape the future of EDI in the information community? @uksg.bsky.social is seeking passionate individuals for our new EDI Working Group: 6-8 members (library & publishing/vendor) from diverse minority groups & allies. Interested? Apply by 21/3/25: forms.office.com/e/ueR3z5yMT9

I talk about this a lot with my consulting hat on. The financial pressures on libraries to cover the costs of the ever-increasing article output, and the drivers of research misconduct, are driven in large part by the way we incentivise and measure researchers (1)

I'm all about the metrics (when handled with care), so here's a shocker for you: last year, I was in 1-2-1 communication with >7000 people in my 20-hours-a-week @countermetrics.bsky.social role. If you're waiting on something from me, now you know why!

Today in #ThingsICouldDoWithout... the washing machine, my faithful cleaning companion of a decade, is making The Noise. You know, the expensive noise that means it's time to look at review websites and hope that the washload finishes before the machine achieves take-off.

⚠️ The future of research depends on open knowledge infrastructure. Recent funding cuts & policy changes are a major threat. We need to protect the tools & services that power scientific discovery. Sign this statement, help build a stronger global research ecosystem: investinopen.org/blog/stateme...

The first ever @countermetrics.bsky.social Conference was very well received last year, so we're doing it again - if you've got something you'd like to share about usage metrics, the Conference is your time to shine!

Timely reminder from Annette Dortmund @oclc.org in @uksg.bsky.social today "Persistence goes beyond technical solutions. It’s about governance, commitment, and ensuring that the infrastructure is sustainable." www.uksg.org/newsletter/u...

Library folks, the Alma team has told me that they are on top of their migration to Release 5.1 – but I don't know how that system works, so I can't help you with your setup!

Looking forward to attending this @uksg.bsky.social webinar on society publishing on Thursday!

The next time I'm disappointed with myself because it's taken four days to reply to an email, remind me that HMRC took five months to post a cheque. (never mind that it's 2025 and who on earth uses cheques?!)

Are you interested in guiding the UKSG's future? We have a vacancy in our 2025 election for a Publisher/Vendor/Intermediary - it could be you! Email [email protected] if you are interested in finding out more!

Today in #ThingsICouldDoWithout: breaking two toes by tripping over trailing laundry as I was loading it into the washing machine. Currently sat with my foot inside a wine chiller, propped on the windowsill.

Attn libraries: PLEASE stop asking me when publishers will issue their R5.1 @countermetrics.bsky.social reports! I've had >300 emails about this in 10 days. The process is at countermetrics.org/when-r51. TL,DR: registry.projectcounter.org will be updated when reports are available.