Lava lamps are magic in a bottle. It is important to keep a spare bulb in, however, so that the supply of inner calm remains constant. 😎

I am very sad to learn that Dr Paul Ayris has died. He was internal examiner for my PhD at UCL and offered sound support which underpinned my early academic career. www.leru.org/news/in-memo...

UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme

Lovely post on the impact on London of Sir Thomas Gresham. Highly recommend this blog for those interested in London - @alondoninheritance.bsky.social

Gosh. What a treat! Read this early escapism a very long time ago and still have the books. Prescient google buns for tea as I recall. 😎 #TheEnchantedWood

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal agency that provides funding for America's libraries, has announced it is reinstating all grants it had previously terminated, including those to libraries and library organizations across the U.S. Read more: https://bit.ly/4496W4V

New blog exploring the conservation of Oldknow SO 15/11, an 18th century textile sample book. The book was too fragile to open with pages fused by mould and textiles and paper eaten through by pests. Read the blog to learn how it was cleaned and repaired: rylandscollections.com/2025/12/02/c...

What could go wrong? #privacy

👀ICYMI: "[our findings] underscores the urgent need for libraries, archives, and information infrastructure providers to include scholarly blogs more systematically in their preservation strategies" @pampel.bsky.social & @catharinaochsner.bsky.social #ScholComm #Libraries #AcademicBlogs

Fifty higher education providers at risk of exiting market in England, MPs told

A voice out of the dark of time; the once and future LIS discipline. New blog post by myself and @lynrobinson.bsky.social. theoccasionalinformationist.com/2025/11/25/a...

A US District Court Judge has issued a permanent injunction in the lawsuit brought by 21 state attorneys general against the Trump administration for dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This means the IMLS cannot be further harmed. bookriot.com/21-attorney-...

‘The earliest documented European text printed with movable type was not a two-volume Bible but a single-leaf, 31-line indulgence, printed on vellum by Gutenberg and Peter Schoeffer in 1454.’ Adam Smyth (@adamwithbooks.bsky.social) on Gutenberg’s books. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight www.cityam.com/the-british-...

The rise of the unrequited connection. Real life can sometimes be just too hard.

How much longer until this approach seeps into UK HE?

We’re launching our new catalogue on Monday 8 December. To keep our collections safe while we do this, access and ordering will be suspended for a week before launch and all requests for 8 December onwards must be made on the new system when it launches. Find out more: bit.ly/CollectionSu...

‘The British Library is our great national home of cultural workers. We go there to read and research, to learn and to grow, to write and to think, to inspire and create’.

In Praise of Librarians in Dangerous Times Sarah Weinman on the Awesome Responsibility of the Seekers and Keepers of Truth

I am here for this content.

My new series - Empire With David Olusoga - starts 9pm on BBC Two. Whole series on @bbciplayer.bsky.social from tonight.

A 900-Page Pre-Pantone Guide to Color from 1692: A Complete High-Resolution Digital Scan

“This is an extremely serious and troubling case that raises wider concerns about the academic freedom of staff and students at universities across the UK.” www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Sad and tawdry ending. Imagine all the good things being born into such wealth and privilege could have achieved.

Introductory chapter on the history of paper by Daniel Bellingradt

No worries - AI will answer everything.

Summary of the recent government white paper. Message seems to be on HE as mass training for the workplace.

Truth needs institutions to protect it. A new report warns that UK agencies safeguarding science, health and data are vulnerable to political interference – and lessons from the US show how fragile truth can be. Stephen McNair reports.

Great reading for LIS folks - covers development of LIS related disciplines through to contemporary concerns for information professionals and LIS students.

Libraries through life for the future - a new Libraries Alliance

For those interested in LIS education.

Individual artists and studios should be able to have a blanket opt-out. The onus to prevent/remove deepfakes should be with OpenAI, not artists and original creators.

Tim Berners-Lee >> Somewhere between my original vision for web 1.0 and the rise of social media as part of web 2.0, we took the wrong path. buff.ly/rAcxesP

how #AI is reshaping library services, information literacy, policy, and professional practice across diverse contexts - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Journal #libraries

Hey, UK! “The Librarians” will air on BBC Four on Oct. 7. @thelibrariansfilm.bsky.social

For those accused of having too many books Robinince.com #poetry #poem

Sarah Mullally is named as first female archbishop of Canterbury

Join us on 20 November for the Annual Digital Lecture, a partnership between The National Archives, UK and the School of Advanced Study. The wonderful @nannathylstrup.bsky.social will be speaking about ‘When saving becomes loss: archival memory in the digital age’. Free to register!

New from me: a *free* short version of my Political Quarterly piece on universities... The issue is settled now: the massified and accessible Higher Education system we have spent tens of billions building since the 1970s is coming to an end. (1/2) politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

Rachel Reeves pledges a library in every primary school in England

New research may rewrite origins of the Book of Kells, says academic

This documentary looks like powerful stuff. I’m glad the issue of targeting librarians and book bans is finally getting the attention it deserves. Only fascists fear books youtu.be/Ykll4MWltsQ?...

Well I’m going to watch it anyway.

From stunning old webpages to personal archives like ancient DeviantArt drawings, the Wayback Machine preserves art, experiences, and data that might otherwise vanish. Its existence keeps our digital creativity alive—and our memories safe. 💾🎨 #Wayback1T

Sent by Slovenian friend to make me smile amidst the horror ..

If you’d like to find out more about Marie Antoinette’s life either before or after visiting the exhibition, you can listen to me on @gregjenner.bsky.social You’re desd to me www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... or on In our Time with @catrionaseth.bsky.social in 2018 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

💡 "There’s substantial evidence of independent benefits on skills development, self-esteem, sense of wellbeing, civic engagement and openness to diversity." 💬 @bobbyduffy.bsky.social spoke to the Guardian about whether it still pays to go to university ➡️ www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Fanfic can be profitable!