🧠 Question for the hive mind: now that bot and crawler activity has rendered views and downloads mostly meaningless, is anyone thinking about how best to track and measure actual impact? For data especially, but resources and outputs more broadly. For our own repositories, we've contacted... 1/3

🥳 Today marks the 1st birthday of our Data Stewards Network! Last year, we ran a mix of expert-led workshops & informal networking sessions. To continue the momentum into 2026, we held a co-production workshop to prioritise future activities. Full write-up here: sites.google.com/sheffield.ac...

I'm pleased to have co-authored a new article out today in the Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship. Kevin Sanders, @sluginkpress.bsky.social, and I reflect on the Radical Librarians Collective and how we situate radical librarianship alongside critical librarianship. doi.org/10.33137/cja...

It's taken me five weeks to write this essay on knowing and, more importantly, not knowing; on epistemology & the Epstein episteme, or the 'knowledge' economy (Biblical sense). It took a panicking, trapped fox to unlock it, and it includes a hottt pic of young Engels. www.somayer.net?na=view&id=6

Has anyone else found examples of this? Apparently Primo is creating temporary catalogue entries pulled from the Google scholar landing pages of non-existent works - genAI created and accumulating citations in other genAI articles... Slop all the way down!

Now unlocked: we discuss the fate of the NHS since the neoliberal turn and the Labour party’s dismal 10 year plan to turn the NHS into “an engine for economic growth” and “the most AI enabled care system the world” with special guest @medicinered.bsky.social on.soundcloud.com/jmKcdCpLdiwb...

Great presentation at Jisc DRC today from the NFCS Network+ project exploring the cultural and epistemic challenges to creating a national federated data infrastructure. Francisco Durand del Fierro: "infrastructure is relational and political". Scoping review report here: zenodo.org/records/1764...

I know I shouldn't be surprised to encounter TERF brainworms in a Guardian book review, but it's so weird to critique the narrator of On the Calculation of Volume for "never once in three volumes allud[ing] to her period, surely for a woman in her 30s a definitive marker of time."

Journal editors can also help by encouraging inclusion of ORCiD numbers. 2. In manuscript submission systems, solicit identities, ORCIDs, and the contributions of acknowledgees in the same way as co-authors. We're interested in working with publication systems on this.

finally a normal software license that definitely holds up really well

"The boosting of AI by big technology firms, big financial firms, and government agencies is not separate from book bans, educational censorship efforts, and the war on education [and] libraries... Fascism and AI... are working to accelerate one another." www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...

one thing that is so horrible about the AI interwoven into every medium of communication is the prompt to summarize. no, actually, I want to read closely and carefully the words which my beloveds are writing to me!

The next DigiPres North meeting is booked in for world digital preservation day #WDPD25 Where we'll be discussing TeraCopy! If you're a Northern digipres person without an invite and want to come along drop me a message! #digipres

Counterpoint: this is a net negative and more deeply entrenches Clarivate in the broader affinities of scholarly communications; ORCIDs and other PIDs are already (quite reasonably) contested, and such affinities will reduce confidence from many communities and participants.

Uk library peoples! Concerned about inter library loans and copyright in the light of potential journal cancellations? Well m’colleague and all round delightful chap, Andrew Johnson, has written all about it here so hopefully you can stop your panics doi.org/10.1629/uksg...

View from my train window: a house decorated for Halloween, with a skeleton on the roof, cobweb netting stretched over the garden, and a giant England flag draped over the garage. 10/10 visual metaphor for the rotting empire lurching relentlessly on 🧟‍♂️ Spooky!

📣 Reminder: Sheffield Library is recruiting for an Open Research Manager/ local UKRN ORCA! Applications close next Wednesday, 22 October 👇

📢 Come work with us! The Open Research Manager is a reformulated role in our team - it would suit someone with a strong research support background, but I'm happy to chat to anyone about the role and criteria.

Our preprint on our translations of CRediT into 36 languages. We've come a long way with this project! osf.io/preprints/me... If you know of non-English academic journals that don't have a policy on saying who did what, get in touch - CRediT may be part of the answer.

Reflecting on #OpenFest25, I'm grateful to the presenters (Almarzouq, Bowie, Sanders) who reminded us that openness is a social practice > we must not lose sight of this. E.g. open practices per se cannot dismantle the humanities' centrality in the ideological scaffolding of apartheid and genocide 👇

This was great from @batoolmm.bsky.social - not often you see discussion of open science explicitly referencing universities' harmful investment in fossil fuels and weapons #openfest25

Finally, @lesleyuttley.bsky.social, who found 68 kinds of problems with systematic reviews, including lack of diversity in the review team: "a bad systematic review is worse than a non-review" because of the assumption of a gold standard doi.org/10.1016/j.jc... #OpenFest25

Now @alicejanegibson.bsky.social is talking us through how systems theory/ systems thinking can help us map and understand research culture as an ecosystem, locating the leverage points for transformative impact across the ecosystem #OpenFest25

In our final online panel, a great paper from Batool Almarzouq, who shows how - if you follow the sources back - the same extractivist dynamics that transfer wealth from the global south to the global north in neocolonial projects play out in the open science funding landscape #OpenFest25

Thanks to @nickshepp.bsky.social for posting links from our panel on recognising and attributing contributions to research #OpenFest25

First up on #OpenFest25 Day 2 is @simonxix.com and @kjsanders.bsky.social with a call to approach 'open' as a social process (rather than an end goal) to revive its original DIY radical ethos and practice

Powerful presentation from @lyndamk.bsky.social of @datarescueproject.org on ongoing work to rescue and preserve digital and physical federal data targeted by the Trump administration www.datarescueproject.org #OpenFest25

@emmawilson.bsky.social on how challenges in finding+accessing research literature harms bibliographic diversity, ending with a key point: "proprietary [research information] systems don't work for us *as researchers*". How do you evaluate the lit. when you can't even read the abstracts? #OpenFest25

@drbeth.bsky.social providing an overview of 25 years of 'open' and EDI in this space. Appreciated the critique of the ways peer review comments enforce nativism and epistemic hegemony (trans or feminist researchers told they are 'biased' must add more cis men to make the research more 'rigorous')

In the midst of seemingly overwhelming fascism and racism, sometimes it helps that we can do tiny things in our jobs to resist - so I'm very much looking forward to spending 4 days with people thinking about how to make research and publishing more equitable and inclusive #OpenFest25

Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

OpenFest 2025 begins tomorrow! To whet your appetites, here's a new podcast from our colleagues (and chief organisers!) at Hallam on this year's theme: Open Research and Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (OR+EEDI)

The Act's potential to restrict 'the open availability of any online content that the UK Gov deems to be "harmful".... impacts on us as publishers, technologists, and info professionals... small OA presses, libraries with online catalogues, metadata aggregators, or providers of publishing software'⬇️

And lovely to see the data and code available under a CC0 licence too! doi.org/10.5061/drya...

In less than a month now, we will be launching our next OpenFest to discuss #openresearch filtered by the principles of #EEDI, the main theme of this year's event. Join us online! libguides.shu.ac.uk/c.php?g=7091...

🔊Four weeks to go until OpenFest 2025! 🥳Join us ONLINE for sessions on building diverse and inclusive research cultures, recognition practices, publishing ecosystems, open research communities, and libraries. Full programme and registration links below:

This is exactly why I’m sceptical of (particularly gen) AI in research discovery and evidence synthesis / systematic mapping. It enables bias and control under the guise of optimisation and efficiency. Just give me what I’ve searched for.

"Journal editors play an important role in advancing open science in their respective fields... The Journal Editors Discussion Interface (JEDI, dpjedi.org)... aims to increase uptake of open science at social science journals by providing journal editors with a space to learn and discuss."

If you are a research team or organisation who has a bit of underspend before the end of July. Then consider investing some of it learning hands on skills and tools to communicate your research. Animations, podcasts, infographics, blogs, social media and more. www.andytattersall.com/contact

🚨 Register: t.ly/VEyBl This townhall will present the current landscape of Data Stewardship in the UK, introduce the mission and goals of CaSDaR, gather your input on what support and recognition you need, and we will be launching our first funding call to support Data Stewardship initiatives!

We should think of the "intelligence" in artificial intelligence not as any kind of mental property, but as the kind one gathers - the stuff of central intelligence agencies. Then we can immediately understand that AI is a technological form of Taylorism, a way for capital to accumulate power.

A much better job advert than mine 😂 Come work with us! And Kate!

📣 We are recruiting for a fixed-term Research Data Steward in the University of Sheffield Library. Closing date 5 August, full details at the link below: jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...

Here’s the “Salmon of Steel” statue in Sheffield. Had a brilliant afternoon at the University of Sheffield, speaking with the Editors & Publishers Network. It reminded me how journals are a labour of love. We must withdraw our uncompensated labour from supporting unscrupulous commercial publishers.

🔊Registration is NOW OPEN for OpenFest 2025, the annual open research event led by Sheffield & Sheffield Hallam unis. 2-5 September - all welcome! This year's theme is Open Research & Equity, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion. Read the programme & register here: www.sheffield.ac.uk/openresearch...

This is really useful, including quick links to email your MP, and guidance on completing the consultation depending on if you have 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes to spare 🏳️‍⚧️ Deadline is 11.59pm tonight.

The winners of the University of Sheffield’s 2025 Open Research Prize have now been announced - many congratulations to our prize winners in the staff, PGR and team categories. Read more about the winners and runners up here: www.sheffield.ac.uk/openresearch...

Its the final day to complete the EHRC's consultation on their draft code of practice. If you want to fill it in and share your voice in support of trans inclusion, today’s your last chance! We've created a full guide w/ Mermaids & TransActual, on our website - www.scottishtrans.org/supreme-cour...

The recording of yesterday's Open Research Conversation on Open data, indigenous data sovereignty & the CARE principles is now available to view on the link below. Thanks so much to Jane Anderson; Paula Granados García & Emiliano Trere for a brilliant, thought-provoking session!

In a different building for work today, and there is some excellent signage: