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."

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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...

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...