some of you are looksmaxxing when you need to be booksmaxxing

Japanese artist Mariko Kusumoto turns textiles into delicately sculpted orbs that can be worn as jewellery #WomensArt

If the issue is uncollected reservations, why not add the fee to a user's record, and take it off when they collect the book? It seems spiteful, otherwise, to punish users who use the service responsibly, and especially those who have small, part-time libraries, as their local library service.

Well done Tin Can Knits! A pattern I bought years ago has just been extended, so they've automatically sent me a copy with all three versions. Talk about good customer service. 🧶

So in the National Year of Reading, Essex Libraries proposes to start charging for reservations. As my closest library is tiny, and only open 3 days a week (and two of those are half days) it feels like Great Wakering users are seen as either well-off or not worthy of full access to the book stock.

This is a permanent research snd teaching post. Please share widely and forward to suitable candidates.

❗️Library job alert! Apply for the Library Assistant (Medicine) role at Chelsea and Westminster Campus Library. Want to provide a high quality, inclusive library service to the Imperial community, NHS staff and other visitors? Find out more here 👉 bit.ly/4k2pjPv

Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, 1962 #WomensArt #FridayFeeling

'City Glow, Mountain Whisper' (2006), Japanese Pop artist Chiho Aoshima's mural at Gloucester Road tube station, London #WomensArt

How long can I hold a grudge? In 2005, my partner's cousin sent a Christmas card to us, and inside the card she wrote "Dear Ed and girlfriend-whose-name-I-don't-know". Today I could have sent her a card with a 1st class stamp but no, there is still a petty side of me that will not let it lie.

Once again, very disappointed in certain supermarkets deciding to open on Boxing Day, when it really isn't necessary. Can't retail workers get the minimum of two days off, especially after working so hard the days before Christmas?

'My year end reading statistics' (originally for @theguardian.com books). p.s There's still time to pick up new book Physics for Cats at good bookshops and online www.tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2

Prompted by an earlier post here, and speaking as someone who's sent Christmas cards since the late 1970s... Tips for reigniting/managing Christmas cards (if you want to send them): 1) yes, stamps are expensive but people usually like getting cards, and for less than a quid, you can stay in (1/?)...

Remember to clean your shoes or boots and leave them on the windowsill tonight! (As I suspect Mikuláš will not be leaving me chocolates tomorrow morning, have hedged my bets and got myself a Cadburys advent calendar this year)

Xenobia Bailey, US fine artist, designer and fibre artist known for her large scale crochet pieces and hats #WomensArt

Have you heard of US painter Ida O'Keeffe? Her work was largely overshadowed by that of her much more known older sister Georgia.... #womensart

How in the mind-bending fuck do we live in a world where conservatives call 14-year-olds “women” when talking about their rapes but also call 40 year olds “girls” when talking about their achievements or successes? #NewsCorpse

People on the Left often complain about the BBC being too right wing, while people on the Right accuse it of left wing bias. Now, to me that says it must be fairly balanced. And YES - I have a show on BBC Sounds. But this isn't about me, and I genuinely think it would be a tragedy to lose the BBC.

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Discussing reading with @hipporebecca.bsky.social and it reminded me, I had a job where reading the last 3 pages of Mills and Boon novel was a regular activity. Some of my housebound readers were NOT up for sauce in their stories, so I had to check the tone of the final embrace.

'Tea and Books' by Leah Gardner, contemporary Chicago-based oil painter #WomensArt

Rest In Power Mary Macgee, whose 1973 Supreme Court Appeal overturned Ireland's unsafe & barbaric ban on contraception. She started a revolution for Irish women & girls ✊ legalising the sale of contraception in 1985. Thank you sister. 🔗 www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Polish Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka, The Blue Scarf, 1930 #womensart

Considering he's supposed to be innocent of all accusations against him, this is a very 'HE'S GUILTY AS ALL FUCK' move from his brother.

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For the second time in a week, I'm reading a book where the writer gets a London station completely wrong. West Drayton is not Drayton Park, there is no Kensington tube station, and West Finchley does not have an escalator. Does no-one have access to even Wikipedia?! (Both authors are British.)

Why do libraries send out pick-up notices when the library is closed? Three books I reserved were available for collection just after lunch on the 24th, but the notification was sent at 7am this morning. What's the reasoning @southendonsea.bsky.social ? @essex.gov.uk - you also do this odd delay!

Just learned the difference between a croque monsieur and a croque madame is an egg and it’s named that because the egg looks like a ladies fancy hat. That’s when society worked, when we were all putting little hats on sandwiches.

Am thrilled to hear about the new Eras show film PLUS documentary of the behind the scenes activity. Hurray! #taylorswift

Whilst I think this is a fine principle, can we leave places like Hobbycraft and craft shops generally out of this? For crafters making Christmas presents and cards, we need that lead-in time!

Like a reverse Trigger's broom, how many Tory defectors can Reform UK take on before it's just the same old failed Tory Party that the British people rejected at the ballot box, in a new colour? Reform UK aren't anything new. They're just recycled Tories.

Looked up my fave book on a Slovak bookshop site, to see if it had been translated and whether I could buy it to help me learn Slovak quicker. They list the different formats AND WHICH LIBRARIES HAVE IT IN STOCK! I have never seen a bookshop do that!

I don't know why this has never occurred to me before but those weeks that Lidl does? Italian, Alpine, Eastern European? Well, in other countries, they have British and Irish weeks in their Lidl. Obviously there's no reason they shouldn't but I'd never considered it before. #TIL

“I want to be able to sleep in an open field, to travel west, to walk freely at night” - US poet Sylvia Plath. #womensart

I don't want to disagree with the Queen, but the banana bread recipe by Sophie Dahl is the best thing you can do with overripe bananas, every day of the week (and I love cheesecake!)

Mary Cassatt, Breakfast in Bed, 1897 #womensart

Check out the new wellbeing room on level 4 at Abdus Salam library. The room boasts a sofa, beanbags and soft lighting, as well as a wellbeing book collection and some relaxation activities. Come by, have a look, explore and better yet…do some activities! #ourimperial

First day it's chilly enough to wear my knitted hoodie #helloautumn

Are you a former student at Imperial? As an Imperial alumni, you can join the Library free of charge. This means you will have access to all our libraries. Find out how to register here 👉http://bit.ly/3UQU5Py

The abstract, the conclusion, the introduction... all of these give you a rough idea of what the article is about, you don't need AI to do this (but you do need to read the full article eventually, if you want to understand it).

Got called 'young lady' today by a slightly older woman, wanting to know if I'd had a good time on the steam train ride at Whipsnade Zoo. Not sure if she was being complimentary, sarcastic or patronising. But I LOVED the zoo train so cheerfully told her so.

EARLY CLOSING! The Abdus Salam Library will be closing at 9pm on Friday 11th July for essential fire alarm maintenance. It will reopen as usual at 10am on Saturday morning.

Having been given the direct number of my local library, I did a quick (reverse?) Google search and found out that the number I used IS available online, but NOT on the council's own website. Why?!! The cat is out of the bag, everyone else lists it, why can't the council?

Want to live in a library? A Carnegie library at that! www.zillow.com/homedetails/...

Getting to play with yarn crafts as part of the @imperiallibrary.bsky.social Pride Month display

Part of me feels like 'oh, another trend' but as someone who is constantly pausing when I read a book, to look up more info on something I've just read, is this the way to go? Or am I trying to justify buying more stationery? www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

Are you in a Group Study, Silent Study or in a Whispering Zone? Not sure which zone you're in? Make sure you're on the look out for our Imperial library banners that will tell you which space you're in!

Natalie Rak, also known as Rak, is a Poland based street artist #WomensArt #Monday