Train 2 already. #bla26 delegates, signalling problems near Selhurst. I was aiming for the train an hour after this one

Off to #bla26 shortly. My daughter is on a school trip to Berlin with the medium sized bag so do I go big or little?

This is my reading year according to StoryGraph.

And that’s a wrap. Thank you to Neil and the committee for organising another wonderful conference. Thank you to those who presented members papers. Thank you for some stimulating keynotes #bla25

That’s it. Congratulations to @blalib.org on their 50th anniversary. What a way to celebrate in beautiful Sterling with excellente member paper presentations and keynote speakers. Big thank you to everyone and safe travels home. #bla25

Discovered many of the answers to the Stirling round of the quiz were in here. Oh well. Too late now #bla25

Shout out to the sponsors and their continued support of @blalib.org . So good to catch up with all. #BLA25

Enjoyed the whisky tasting at Stirling Distillery and very informative talk #bla25

Panel discussion and the panel advocating joining the committee, your bosses will like it, great for personal progression, really interesting. Just do it! Put yourself forward in September #bla25

#BLA25 @ebscouk.bsky.social

Experiencing what it is like to be an international student by deciphering a text in Esperanto #bla25

#BLA25 has begun!

One photo is the view from my hotel window, the other is from the front of the hotel. Guess which is which #bla25

Choosing my suit for the conference dinner #bla25

We are celebrating our 50th year with a packed programme of talks. View the final timings here: bla1.glasscubes.com/share/s/4uld... #BLA25

I have about two hours in Edinburgh before heading to Stirling. What’s the one thing I should see? My daughter says go to Bun & Scoop. Any advance on that?

After a delay around Newcastle have finally arrived in Edinburgh so here is an obligatory photo of the view #bla25

First of four trains. Three today and one tomorrow. #bla25

Off to Edinburgh soon ready for #bla25 in Stirling. Taking a leisurely trip to Scotland rather than leaving at 5am tomorrow.

“The current ease of access to pre-packaged information bundles may have inadvertently led to a decline in the proficiency of certain research skills among academics. A shift towards open access alternatives means that information will once again become more decentralised and dispersed…” 📚

I thought the yellow group in Connections was supposed to be the easy one not the impossible one

Exclusive: ‘Lots more’ university libraries could drop big subscription deals. After several institutions drop Elsevier deals, senior librarians say rising costs and severe financial strain have reached a “tipping point”. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Excellent. UK unis leaving X. “A Reuters survey on Tuesday showed several universities have scaled back usage of X to the bare minimum or quit completely, following scores of academics who have left the platform.”

Using my old BBSLG mug from the conference in Manchester. Anyone remember the year? I used to have a Keynote notebook that listed all the old conferences @blalib.org

Last January I decided to read more and tackle some books/authors from my tbr pile. Thanks to #storygraph here is my record: app.thestorygraph.com/wrap-up/2024...

I got the purple group in Connections quite easily but the blue group still makes no sense to me

Fantastic discussions at #BLAWinter24. Such a wonderful community @blalibnews.bsky.social.

You do not need to be an academic to visit an archive. You do not need a degree to visit an archive. There is no terrifying Don at the door grilling potential visitors. If it's your first time, a nice archivist will help you. It's our shared history, our preserved records. Go explore it.

Worrying hearing how many have bans on in-person events. I wonder if this only applies to professional staff and not academics #BLAWinter24

Getting ready for #BLAWinter24. Looks like there are a good number of people attending. Looking forward to @nedpotter.bsky.social this afternoon

"The University will not renew its 'big deal' subscription to Elsevier, which expires on 31 December 2024." Well done Sheffield! Here's hoping others follow suit next year... www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/news...

I was going to put the bat down and step away from the dead horse, but now that we've been quoted in the Guardian talking about the AI dingbats, I want to just say a couple of things about self-publishing and the value of $5,000.

Oh my GOD

A Reminder. Clarkson and Dyson bought up lots of land to avoid paying inheritance tax. This makes land more expensive for those who want to farm it. New rules mean inheritance tax only kicks in over 2 mil. This isn't about farmers. It's about the mega rich not wanting to pay their fair share.

Lots of over-the-top coverage right now about the £1m cap on inheritance tax agricultural property relief (APR). Quick thread:

Having seen the new Hyundai ad I feel I am being trolled for pronouncing their name wrong for the last 30 years

Just checking, Whamaggedon doesn’t start until December right? Otherwise I am out already. Got my hair cut and they had the Christmas tape on already

This I would pay to see

Finnish research assessment classification downgrades MDPI and Frontiers to "level 0". "Panels cannot recommend publication without reservation". julkaisufoorumi.fi/en/news/grey...

CABS has launched the AJG2024. Over 1800 journals across 22 Business & Management disciplines (incl. metrics reflecting the UNSDG). It highlights global academic collaborations, partnerships with non-academic stakeholders & contributions to policy impact. Explore the guide here: lnkd.in/diHGRtUB

I'm having thoughts on accidental symbolism.

I noticed a few years ago that often when we buy extra copies of the same book they are slimmer, here is the explanation: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Great piece about #ebookSOS in Ireland. Pricing, licensing, availability are all totally dysfunctional & not working for libraries. And in terms of availability the UK is particularly poorly served - a 2019 sampling of 1000 titles found only 59% were available in the UK, compared to 71% in the US.

Second Prom and this time I’m promming. I remember when I had to queue, now I could buy my ticket this morning #bbcproms

Ready for my first Prom of the season

Revisiting where Peter Grant helped Beverley Brook slow down her river with some added meanders @benaaronovitch.bsky.social

#bla24 next years conference is in Stirling. Tentative dates are 25-27 June 2025

#bla24 great to see actual students engaging with the reps at the exhibition stands and not just for the freebies (possibly)

I had a great time preparing for & presenting at the #cpd25 So you want to be a Subject Librarian? event last week. Here’s a recording (with edited transcript) I made beforehand. I talked about career history, my Academic Liaison Librarian job, recent opportunities, successes, challenges and advice📚

#bla24 perhaps we need a best supplier’s presentation competition. Encourage making presentations interesting and engaging