Reform have now lost six by-elections in a row in England, Scotland and Wales. Their national poll rating is 26% – below Labour in 1983 – and Farage’s approval rating is -37. They’re very far from the voice of the people and need to stop being treated as such.

Good example of your brand living your values from @janebuggle.bsky.social of Diamond OA in Ireland talking about a monograph authored by displaced people here at #OIPA2026.

Speaker @charleswatkinson.bsky.social says the geographical spread of OIPA members is really impressive and something that’s useful to bear in mind as a real benefit of the organisation. And we are growing! #OIPA2026

But it's correct I believe that UKRI is still funding APCs in fully OA journals - some of which could be considered costly...

Worlds colliding as I hear about Scottish Universities Press progress at #OIPA2026 just after OASPA's interview with @gilliandaly.bsky.social published today. Great to have them on board!

@janeharvell.bsky.social explaining how important having a clear value pitch for the library and open press is in a time of university cuts and contraction. And that an OA press has such clear value. #OIPA2026

Arrived in lovely Falmer for #OIPA2026 at the University of Sussex. Learning that the UK university press scene is established and emerging with (I think) ten new presses established since 2022.

Help Michaela Hall’s family fight for justice goodlawproject.org/s/8ad805

❓ Do you work with #journals? Are you setting up a new journal? Are you training a team? 🧰 The OA Journals Toolkit should be your start point A free resource from @oaspa.bsky.social and DOAJ with information on how to start or run an #openaccess journal

This Is Just To Say I have turned off the AI features that were in the update and which you were probably hoping to monetize Fuck you they were stupid so unnecessary and so annoying

CoP call: Managing DEI in Complex Political & Regulatory Environments. (May 7) Exploring how organizations are adapting strategies, sustaining commitments to inclusive practices & finding solutions to continue DEI work despite diverse external pressures. Full information: wp.me/p9SNMQ-32x Join us!

Fascinating from @michaelpollan.bsky.social and @newstatesman1913.bsky.social The New Society | What do mushrooms have to do with consciousness? with Michael Pollan Episode webpage: shows.acast.com/the-new-soci...

Another plug for this very useful session on AI & OA. Caroline Ball @heroicendeavour.eurosky.social is right, if we talk only of legality and not intent and ethics (particularly on OA publishing), we are being unhelpfully squashing and missing the point. Responsibility now is key. #scholcomm #oa

I've been told that the CAIRDEAS values are those of the university, not just the library at @ucc.ie, and very good they are too! Go raibh maith agat @lizjolly.bsky.social ! Compassion Agility Integrity Respect Discovery Equity Accountability Sustainability

Professor Marion Thane of Edinburgh Futures Institute talks about the need for "radical interdisciplinarity" to develop challenge-led research. Great term. Her development of the new discipline of "Attention Studies" sounds very interesting. Closing keynote here at #UPEDUX2026

@simonjbains.bsky.social of Aberdeen Uni Lib mentioned in #UPREDUX2026 OA challenges session as an OIPA member. Aberdeen is very open indeed as a Library of Sanctuary enabling local asylum seekers & refugees the opportunity to access research so skills can be maintained. share.google/vaj0V0p19kTF...

Paula Kennedy of University of London Press (& new @oipassoc.bsky.social Chair) explains how OIPA member institutions are innovating, developing skills and scholarship and engaging with audiences. And shares news of the new London Open Science & Scholarship festival this April 20-24. #UPREDUX2026

Andrew Barker will not stagnate. He believes that the librarian's role is to lead, even though he acknowledges the easiest thing now would be to keep heads down. Speaking in this OA in Challenging Times session at #UPREDUX2026

Reconvene in the first floor bar next door at the Novotel after the drinks reception if you have time before dinner thís evening... #scholarlysicial at #UPREDUX2026

Loving all the Irish language making its way into talks at #UPREDUX2026 today. Including this great acronym for the values of the library at @ucc.ie shared by @lizjolly.bsky.social . Cáirdeas (friendship).

Five more of my favourite Irish translations…   1. Escalator = staighre beo, or “living stairs” 2. Squid = mathair shúigh, or “suckmother” 3. Owl = scréachóg reilige, or “graveyard screecher” 4. Daisy = nóinín, or “little noon one” 5. Otter = madra uisce, or “water dog”

Allow me to regale / regael you with five of my favourite Irish words… 1. Ladybird = bóín Dé, or “God’s little cow” 2. Sea anemone = cíoch charraige, or “rock boob” 3. Bat = amadáinín, or “little fool” 4. Jellyfish = smugairle róin, or “seal snot” 5. Hedgehog = gráinneog, or “horrible little thing”

OASPA webinar mentioned at #UPREDUX2026. Beyond the Ivory Tower. Recording at www.oaspa.org/events/beyon...

Who is the Educated Lay Reader? Great talk from @charleswatkinson.bsky.social about readers and their motivations. Great to hear about how these #OA books are finding their people. Slides at myumi.ch/3Rxxn #UPREDUX2026

Hearing about the many challenges for SHAPE discipline ECRs in terms of publishing and career development in the parallel session at #UPREDUX2026. Too much still depends on which supervisor you have. The impressive ECR Network from @britishacademy.bsky.social is doing good work balancing that out.

@christophersmith.bsky.social finishes on #OA and the future we may desire full access without the need for discounts or waivers and hopes for infrastructures to sustain wherever they are. OASPA's position paper may be of interest www.oaspa.org/news/embraci... #UPREDUX2026

Nice to see St.Patrick make his way to #UPREDUX2026 in Liverpool. Bringing his new ways over seas from France to the Druids in Ireland. But, some of the Druidry remains, to the good. We must successfully bring the past to the present says @christophersmith.bsky.social. Go raibh maith agat! 🍀

Join us in the bar of the Novotel hotel next to the conference before dinner tonight (Tuesday 17 from 6pm). #UPRedux2026

Good. prf-law.com/current-case...

"Estrogen plays a critical role in regulating dopamine, the neurotransmitter central to attention, memory, and motivation." This explains a lot. This is relateable.

Attending #UPREDUX2026 from @alpsp.bsky.social next week? I'm looking forward to it and also to hosting a #ScholarlySocial following Tuesday's drinks reception. Register free or just turn up to continue connecting before dinner. www.tickettailor.com/events/schol...

Let's Not Play Frisbee With That Poet Anymore

Blimey, I'd vote for @stellacreasy.bsky.social if I lived in Walthamstow. How refreshing and I realised how rare after listening. Sense, compassion, fire, knowledge and eloquence. This is the Labour we need! Worth a listen.

When people talk about AIs hallucinating a reference to a scholarly article, do they make it up entirely or is it an error based on it meshing things together from actual articles? I really struggle with the term "hallucination"... I'm trying to work out why. #AIslop #scholcomm

Repellent it is. Saw the film Team America for the first time recently. Life imitating art imitating life ad infinitum. If they made a puppet of Trump though it could never be as grotesque as the real thing. Only glitch. "Epic Fury"?? WTAF? Grow up.

Catching up with @uksg.bsky.social webinar on AI /OA interface. Love this slide demonstrating how LLMs work. Heard it described before but this clarifies it. Everything Stephanie Decker is saying is helping me! Register free for the recording here - highly recommended www.uksg.org/events/free-...

Another wonderful #r2rConf. Thanks to all involved. Followed by more great conversations at #ScholarlySocial. Now for some London family and friends catching up! www.linkedin.com/posts/bernie...

LA Referencia's @lmatas.bsky.social is clear that the infrastructure to support research is a public good.

Final session at #r2rconf on infrastructure sustainability. A question - who should pay for the sustainable open science infrastructure?

Great talks on AI at #R2RConf from @nikeshgo.bsky.social of Cactus and @simoneragavooloo.bsky.social of Frontiers. A helpful point via the audience from @ianmulvany.bsky.social advising to distinguish between what the AI tool can do and what it knows when using.

If you are not leaving immediately after #R2Rconf, you are welcome to join us at Mabel's Tavern for Scholarly Social. Chat with fellow scholarly communication folk over drinks. Make new connections, strengthen existing ones 🙂. @scholarlysocial.bsky.social

Thanks David. Glad I asked. Be good to hear if Peter has anything to add @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social ...

@drpeterrodgers.bsky.social at #R2Rconf "I think everything should be preprinted, but not everything needs to be peer reviewed". What does he mean by this? That some articles don't warrant review and further exposure, or that some don't need review? Asking as a non-researcher 🙂

Many problems in scholarly research due to "prestige" but not everyone understands or agrees on what is prestigious and what's not. Can it ever be possible to find consensus on this? Certainly not without deep effort & understanding. And a real effort to not let unconscious bias influence. #R2Rconf

Making Peer Review Better for Researchers at #R2R2026. Ritu Dhand speaks of the need to involve more non-western reviewers. Gareth Dyke talks of training needs and understanding gaps between publishers and researchers. Stewart Manley says researchers need to build credibility.

Full house here at #R2Rconf for opening keynote Open and Secure Research by Dr Leslie McIntosh @mcintold.bsky.social of @digital-science.com. Maybe I'm getting too old but I find the whac-a-mole nature of keeping up with research fraud overwhelming and tiring. Good it's not my job!

I've been using the wrong hashtag! #r2r2026 instead of #r2rconf. And I'm on the advisory board 🤦🏻. I shall now repost correctly. Soz.

Many problems in scholarly research due to "prestige" but not everyone understands or agrees on what is prestigious and what's not. Can it ever be possible to find consensus on this? Certainly not without deep effort & understanding. And a real effort to not let unconscious bias influence. #R2R2026