Murder on the Library Floor: My First Experience Presenting at the A&SL Libraries Conference

 This guest post is by Jorden McMenamin who is the Research and Innovation Communications Officer at Atlantic Technological University.

On the 27th of March, I did my first ever presenting experience for the Academic & Special Libraries (A&SL) Conference at the Museum of Literature Ireland in Co Dublin.  

After 25 years of life, I had managed to successfully evade crowds and kept my work hidden in the shadows. A library has often been perceived as a quiet place (no pun intended—I have seen the movie!) where staff and students conduct our activities in silence. This was until we hosted a ‘crazy library event’ for our first year induction at the Yeats Library, ATU Sligo. Our murder mystery style treasure-hunt was an alternative to the traditional library induction tour. We delivered it to nearly 100 first-year students across two nights. This activity was featured on a broader campus-wide initiative called the #First5Weeks programme held at ATU Sligo by the Student Services Team.  

Staff and students at the Murder Mystery Event in the Yeats Library, ATU Sligo. Picture credit: Jorden McMenamin. 

After the event took place, our incredible Head Librarian, Dr Johanna Archbold recommended myself and my colleague, Mark Mulholland, attend a conference to showcase our efforts and gain recognition for such an achievement. From November, we continuously scouted for conferences that would thematically match our event but also offered beginner-friendly opportunities to connect with others.  As someone new to the library community, I felt it was vital to seek out a welcoming and supportive environment. When the theme for the A&SL Conference was released in December 2024 for “Cultivating Connection: Libraries Championing Quality, Well-Being, and Inclusivity”, we knew it was a perfect fit!  

Initially, I proposed we go for the poster option as the format to present at the conference. I considered design to be one of my most comfortable routes…and it continued my streak of presentation evasion. I filled out the form and emailed our poster concept and our details to the committee. In response, we received an email from Deirdre McGuinness, one of the many superb organisers of the conference, who suggested we present our project as a case study instead and take part in a Q&A session. This was unexpected, but an amazing opportunity to be recognised for our work, so I decided to take advantage of this. In fairness to Mark, he usually tends to run with my ‘mad’ ideas so while it had been over fifteen years since he last presented, he agreed to join me in co-presenting. I opted for ten minutes to keep it short ‘n’ sweet (not unlike our Sabrina Carpenter references!) which resulted in us speaking for five minutes each. 

In preparation, I created a presentation that reflected the quirky nature of our Murder Mystery & Games night event. It was filled with pictures of the students, staff, and included a surprise cameo from Tom Cruise in our slide deck, just to keep things lively. The concept was to show how our library brought together a diverse mix of students to an event that supported inclusivity, belonging, and introduced students to the library. Some of the ways we described this was referencing both the literature of other libraries who conducted treasure hunt tours and the experiences we had in organising, promoting and gathering feedback on our event. By concentrating on these three areas, we devised a script to bring to the conference as a way of combating any potential nerves…the most anxiety-driving part is forgetting everything. 

Sample slide from the ATU presentation featuring an outline of the event's key objectives.
Image of Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible copyright Paramount Pictures 1996.

The day itself was an incredibly sunny morning outside the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) on St Stephen’s Green where nearly thirty librarians had congregated before the event at 9:30am. Once the doors opened, we were greeted by such remarkable positivity from the organisers - plus goodie bags with name badges and participation certificates (a bonus for the collectors among us!). The museum itself fitted the atmosphere perfectly given its artistic and literary-themed atmosphere and architecture. As we took our seats, we were invited to listen to several presentations and case studies from speakers and librarians, including Helen Rimmer on kindness in the workplace, Martin O’Connor on his creation of the Shush! Sounds from UCC Library radio podcast show, and Claire McGuinness for defending LGBTQ+ resources to name but a few. 

Before presenting, one of the things we were asked was an interesting fact about ourselves. Coincidentally two of the case study presenters were both twins (separate families!), and another never drank coffee before. Between talks there were opportunities for networking with other librarians and library staff, discussions on posters and case studies, to get to know each other. It made for a very relaxing environment of camaraderie and connection.  

The organisers took their time to demonstrate how our slides would be displayed, the order of who would be presenting, and the timing. Presenters sat as a panel at the front of the room, so after each talk, the audience could ask follow-up questions about our work. Before going up to talk, I was pretty much glued to our script and ensured that both Mark and I needed to learn it off by heart. Once you go up on stage, however, you forget nearly half of the points you were going to say and end up going with the flow! 

I was having too much fun feeling like a weather girl clicking the button to change the slides on the TV as Mark commenced his section of the talk. Once it came to my turn, I did disclose that I had never presented before in case it went terribly wrong, but this was a happy surprise to the organisers or the room of genuinely supportive librarians and speakers. Once the nerves had gone, you felt as if you were talking to a room of people you had known your whole life and who resonated with your ideas. 

What I found most rewarding about this experience was getting to speak to professionals in the field and learn ways that libraries are contributing to their communities. Hearing the stories of what others have accomplished or are trying to change for the better is a key part of attending conferences, alongside sharing your own experiences.  

Picture of panellists left to right: Martin O'Connor, Grace O'Connor, Jorden McMenamin and Mark Mulholland. Picture credit Susan Brodigan/A&SL Libraries Committee 2025.

As a first-time speaker, this conference provided the most comfortable platform for us to share the work myself and Mark had done for ATU Sligo. It was anything but a baptism of fire and more like a confirmation of trust! I would definitely recommend anyone to go and hopefully I do get to watch next time as I have officially ticked presenting off of my bucket list. 

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Libfocus Link-out for April 2025

Welcome to the April edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Images from this month's link-out articles

Vanishing Culture: Preserving the Library System.

In this Internet Archive blog Brewster Kahle examines how the big publishers are making it impossible for libraries in the U.S. to preserve publications and ensure continuing access to information in the digital era. Part of the Vanishing Culture series that highlights the power and importance of digital preservation.

The secret history on the ENIAC Women.
In this short, fascinating Ted Talk Kathy Kleiman discusses the women who programmed the ENIAC, the world's first modern computer. Sidelined in the 1940s, Kleiman unearthed their histories decades later and sought recognition for the accomplishments.

Reliable science takes time. But the current system rewards speed.
Jason Chin argues in The Conversation that science needs to slow down to produce better results and gain trust from the public.

AI bots are destroying Open Access.
The Go To Hellman blog reports that surge the of AI bots has hit Open Access sites particularly hard. Many Open Access books are not available due to protective measures of Open content providers such as OAPEN, Project Gutenberg or MIT Press.

Librarians in UK increasingly asked to remove books, as influence of US pressure groups spreads.
Requests to remove books from library shelves are on the rise in the UK, as the influence of pressure groups behind book bans in the US crosses the Atlantic, according to those working in the sector.

Brian Eno’s ‘Windows 95’ theme among new entries to the National Recording Registry.
Elton John, Brian Eno, Celine Dion, Amy Winehouse, and Tracy Chapman are among several new entries to the National Recording Registry this year. Announcing the new class of 2025, the Library of Congress revealed the inclusion of John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’, Winehouse’s ‘Back To Black’, and Eno’s Windows 96 reboot theme among those selected.

ACRL publishes 2025 environmental scan.
This latest report provides a broad review of the current higher education landscape with special focus on academic and special libraries.

Reflections on teaching as a subject librarian.
A reflective piece from Alice Cann, Academic Liasion Librarian at Brunel University London, outlining her thoughts on why and how subject librarians teach.

Research Ireland releases interim Open Research Policy.
In support of the National Action Plan for Open Research, Research Ireland has released its Interim Open Research Policy, effective from 7 April 2025. The policy applies to all research publications submitted from that date onward. A fully updated policy is expected by the end of 2025.

Staffing of Library Publishing Programs in the United States and Canada: A Data-Driven Analysis.
Johanna Meetz and Jeff Story took a closer look at the staffing situation of library publishing programs at colleges, universities, and consortia in the United States and Canada from 2014 to 2022. Their findings show that from 2014 to 2022, the number of library publishing staff did not grow at the same rate as the number of staff in libraries as a whole.

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Early Printed Books at Special Collections & Archives, DCU Library

This guest post is written by Sharon Corrigan who is based in the Special Collections and Archives directorate in DCU Library. 

Pciture credit: Sharon Corrigan (using canva.com) 2025

The Early Printed Books (EPBs) collection at Dublin City University Library is in the care of its Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) directorate. It originates mainly from the former Jesuit Library at Milltown and from the Archdiocese of Dublin, with smaller holdings from the Church of Ireland College of Education and St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.

Our collection covers the period frequently attributed to EPBs, i.e. 1501 to 1850, in addition to some incunables from the late 15th century. At the end of 2023, we commenced a programme to fully catalogue our EPBs. The first phase is centred on the works printed between 1450 and 1700. We are creating original cataloguing records, and enhancing existing ones, adding new MARC21 notes fields for provenance, bookplates, labels, and manuscript annotations. We are also creating authority access points for the names of book editors, translators, printers and former owners, and heading access points for subjects. The project also meant physically rearranging shelving space to accommodate the variety of sizes and formats.

Earlier this year, we made an internal presentation to our DCU Library colleagues, where we shared progress to date and demonstrated some collection highlights. We present here some of these illustrative examples of our catalogued 16th century works. These reflect the array of subjects in the collection, primarily subjects within the humanities area, i.e. philosophy (scholastic), theology, classical works, history and literature. 

Guigo (aus Château-Saint-Romain)
Statuta ordinis cartusiensis a domno Guigone priore cartusie edita 
Basel, Ex officina Johannes Amerbach, MDX. (1510). 

A beautiful example of an EPB is that of Statuta ordinis Cartusiensis by Guigo de Castro which was printed in Basel, Switzerland in 1510. The copy in our collection has decoratively stamped wooden boards with engraved metal clasps and contains beautifully crisp printed text and multiple pages of woodcuts depicting the foundation of the order by St. Bruno. In addition it includes an illustrated genealogical tree of the first priors of the Grande Chartreuse and portraits representing 33 popes. Its contents have been laid out with numbers alongside the statutes to allow for cross referencing against previous statutes. The copy also contains beautiful rubrication (hand finishing flourishes with coloured ink post printing), which has been done with care in both red and blue ink. This colour would have been added after printing at the book owner’s expense as texts bought from printing houses would have left spaces in the text for this purpose. Usually done in red, the addition of blue here is reflective of how highly the Carthusians, being a silent somewhat hermetic order, prized books.

The outer boards of the book Statuta Ordinis Cartusiensis. Top right is the title page. Woodcuts showing the founding of the order.
A rubricated letter P from the book. Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025. 

Luther, Martin (Principal Author)

Der ander teil aller Deudscher bücher und schrifften des thewren/ seligen Mans Doct. Mart. Lutheri : vom XXII jar an… 

Jena, durch Thomas Rebart (heirs of), MDLXXII. (1572)

Though the majority of the religious books in our collections are written from a Catholic perspective, we also hold copies of Protestant works by Martin Luther (1483-1546). These compilations of his writings were printed in Jena in Germany between 1556 and 1572 and are set in a gothic typeface. Our folios have been bound with wooden boards. The title pages have been printed in both red and black and each bears a similar engraving on their title pages of The Duke of Saxony praying with Luther at the crucifix. Included in the bound edition of “Der ander teil” are two full page engraved prints that were originally used in Luther’s pamphlets. 

The first of these images is of Der Papstesel, or the papal donkey, which was used in a satirical pamphlet published by Luther and Philip Melanchthon. It is a woodcut depicting a mythical creature based on a body that was washed up on the banks of the Tiber river. The creature in the image bears the head of a donkey, the torso of a woman, scaly limbs, an ox hoof and bird claw for feet, a devil’s mask over the rear and a tail ending in a dragon's head; in the background is the Castel Sant'Angelo. 

The image on the right hand side is known as the Monk Calf of Freiberg. It has been dated to 1523 and attributed to Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).

It was supposedly inspired by a malformed calf that was born in Freiberg, Saxony in 1522. The calf had misshapen hind legs and was seen to resemble a cowled, tonsured, monk. This was used as an allegorical symbol by the publishers to represent what they saw as the warped, monstrous corruption of the Catholic church at the time. Luther made full use of such imagery and of the new widespread availability of printing to circulate his writings across Europe in a relatively short period of time.

The title page of Der Ander Teil, a sample of text, the papal donkey, and the monk calf of Freiberg. 
Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan 2025.  

Jacobus, de Voragine, approximately 1229-1298

Sermones aurei et pulcherrimi de tempore 

Sermones de sanctis per anni 

[Paris], venit Francisco Regnault , M.D. XXXIII. (1533)

This work of collected sermons includes two separate works that are bound together, each has its own title page with the first title page printed in black and red ink. The first book contains sermons for all religious events of the year according to the Sacred Scripture and the second book contains sermons on the lives of the Saints celebrated by the Church.

Both works begin with an alphabetical index to the sermons. The text is in two columns in black gothic typeface with Lombardic decorated initials at the start of each sermon. The woodcut engraved title pages depict an architectural arch supported by decorated columns that work as a frame to the lettering in the titles. As a colophon to the first work a large engraved printer’s device is included depicting an elephant carrying an heraldic emblem with initials FR and printer’s full name, Francoys Regnault.

Printer's mark, title page in two inks, decorated initial B, decorated initial O. 
Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025.   

Olaus, Magnus, Archbishop of Uppsala, 1490-1557
Histoire des pays septentrionaus écrite par Olaus Le Grand, Goth, Archevêque d'Vpsale, et Souvrain de Suevie, et Gothie. En laquelle sont brievement, mais clerement deduites toutes les choses rares ou étranges, qui se treuvent entre les nations Septentrionales ; traduite du Latin del'auteur en François.
A Anvers de l'imprimerie de Christophle Plantin, 1561.

This work was first published in Latin in 1555 in Rome with the title “Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus”. It was soon translated into all main European languages. It is a description of the Scandinavian Countries, the land, the people, their customs and traditions, their way of life, language and religion. It describes the creatures of the land and the sea with each chapter containing woodcut images illustrating the topic and a caption explaining each image. There are some fantastic illustrations of sea animals, of glaciers, of people going about their daily lives and images of war. Initials are lightly decorated so as not to take prominence from the main woodcut.

Clockwise from top left: Parents carrying their children for baptism, people holding beams that tell time,
monster fish-pig in the Germanic ocean, people exchanging goods. Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025.  

Ariosto, Ludovico, 1474-1533
Orlando Furioso di M. Ludovico Ariosto ornato di varie figure, con alcune stanze et cinque canti d'un nuovo libro del medesimo nuouamente aggiunti, & ricorretti. Cum alcune allegorie, et nel fine une breue espositione et tavola di tutto quello, che nell'opera si contiene.
In Vinegia Appresso Gabriel, Giolito de Ferrari, MDXLVIII. (1548)

This work is an Italian epic romantic poem first published in 1516 in 40 cantos and in 1532 extended to 46 cantos. This edition contains all 46 cantos and a further work that the author wrote at a later date to add to the original poem, entitled “Cinque canti di un nuovo libro di M. Ludovico Ariosto iquali seguono la materia del Furioso.” Each canto is preceded by a woodcut vignette and theme that introduces the poem and a woodcut historiated initial letter. The poem is printed in two columns. The work is edited by the humanist author, translator and editor Lodovico Dolce (1508-1568) who includes a portrait and a sonnet in praise of the author at the end of the work. Ludovico Dolce worked as main editor and translator of many works printed and published by Giolito de Ferrari (ca.1510- d.1578) in Venice. The printer’s device represents a Phoenix (his printing house name La Fenice) rising from the flames into a sun with a human face. The motto reads ‘Semper eadem’ (Always the same). There are some variant devices that include a more elaborate phoenix rising from an urn with the initials GGF and a more elaborate motto: ‘De la mia morte eterna vita I vivo. Semper eadem’. (Out of my death I live eternal life. Always the same.)

Title page of the Orlando Furioso di M. Ludovico Ariosto. Sonnet of editor Ludovico Dolce dedicated to the author and a portrait of the author. Image, summary and decorate initial of canto 15. Giolito de Ferrara printer's mark. Photo credit: Sharon Corrigan, 2025.

Printers

The main printing centres of Europe in the 16th century were by far Venice and Antwerp, both being port cities. This printing production is reflected in the works held in the DCU library collections. See the map showing distribution of printing below. The term printer, publisher, and bookseller were almost synonymous at the time as printers took on the risk and creative control over what was being produced, allowing EPBs to evolve based on demand.

Printing houses, in themselves, offer a rich seam of research possibilities as printing families would work alongside and marry into other printing houses, with widows sometimes taking over companies after their husbands’ deaths. Printers included their own illustration, or printer’s device, on books’ title pages.

Often elaborate engravings, these devices included mottos and allegories, sometimes captioned with addresses such as “St Paul’s Churchyard, at the sign of the pelican”. The largest percentage of the 16th century EPBs in our collections was printed in Venice, Rome, Paris, Lyon, Antwerp, Cologne, and London, with many other European cities also represented.

A map of European printing locations represented in the 16th Century EPBs in our collections.
Picture credit Sharon Corrigan (made using mapchart.net), 2025

Here are some illustrative examples from the collection of marks that printers in Europe used during the 16th century.

A selection of printers' devices representing the printing hubs of Europe in the 16th century.

Reference:

CRAI Universitat de Barcelona. (n.d.). Universitat de Barcelona Printers’ devices. Printers’ Devices. https://marques.crai.ub.edu/id/img/0057017a

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Ten great Records about Libraries

I was recently asked to contribute to the Vinylthon Zine, part of Vinylthon 2025 — an annual celebration where radio stations around the world spin at least one hour of vinyl -only music. With the brief wide open—anything to do with vinyl — I decided to bring together two of my favourite things: records and libraries. Here's what I came up with.

Libraries and music might seem unlikely bedfellows. One, as far as the cliche goes, demands silence, the other thrives on sound. But this is not necessarily the case. Get it Loud in Libraries, a UK initiative which brings rock music into libraries and, in a much smaller way, my experience hosting Shush! Sounds from UCC Library proves otherwise.

Shush! Sounds from UCC Library goes out live twice a week on the community radio station UCC 98.3 FM, Cork, Ireland. On Monday morning show I invite University College Cork staff to curate 45 minutes of their favourite music while sharing insights into their work, touching on the role of the library in their research, and the role it plays for the University College Cork community. The Thursday evening show is a chilled out, downtime hour of music

For me, music and libraries are both deeply personal things, often shaping who we are and for me to bring the two of these together is something I feel really lucky to be able to do.

And so for this deep dive into vinyl, I’ve gathered together a selection of songs that reference libraries, and librarians — whether literally or metaphorically.

Some celebrate the magic of books, others play with the idea of knowledge, and a few revel in the mystery of librarians themselves.

And for that reason, here are ten songs about libraries, all available on vinyl, that I believe you must hear.

A Design for Life – Manic Street Preachers

Though I’m not the biggest fan of Manic Street Preachers any song that opens with the line
Libraries gave us power must be included. 

So, for that reason I start this list with their 1996 smash A Design for

Karen – The Go-Betweens

Perhaps my favourite library song is Karen, the B-Side to Lee Remick, the first single from the Go-Betweens, released in 1978.
This is a real paean to the librarian's readers advisory skills.

I know this girl
A very special girl,
And she works in a library yeah
Standing there behind the counter
Willing to help with all the problems that I encounter

Helps me find Hemingway
Helps me find Genet
Helps me find Brecht
Helps me find Chandler
Helps me find James Joyce
She always makes the right choice

Libraries – Seabear

Icelandic indie folk band, Seabear, have a wonderful track called Libraries which can be found on their 2007 album The Ghost that carried us away. Libraries contains the beautiful lines

And I don't believe you live in a library
That sails the sea
Sleeping with a book-blanket out at sea 

Like you told me 

 

I Am the Sub-Librarian – Piano Magic

London indie ambient post rock collective Piano Magic have a wonderful track called I am the Sub Librarian which can be found on their 1998 EP The Fun of the Century and their third album, the 1999 released Low Birth Weight

The song is about a sub librarian who goes to work on the council bus from Chalk Farm to Highgate Woods, with a sports bag of borrowed books, listening to Carole Kings’ 'Tapestry' on her Walkman.

The full lyrics of the song are:

I am the sub-librarian, come in on the council bus
Chalk Farm to Highgate Woods, sportsbag of borrowed books
A steady diet of Brautigan, 'Tapestry' on the walkman
Paranormal ill-health from dusting off the top shelf
I am the sub-librarian, counter girl, tea-maker
I am the sub-librarian, swan feeder, spectacle breaker
I am the sub-librarian

 


Young Adult Friction – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Another contender for my favourite library related track is Young Adult Friction from shoegaze influenced indie pop band The Pains of being Pure at Heart

This track about young love was released as a single in 2009 and can also be found on their self-titled 2009 album

Bonus points go to the band for mentioning library terms such as stacks and microfiche in the lyrics

Between the stacks in the library
Not like anyone stopped to see
We came, they went, our bodies spent
Among the dust and the microfiche
Dark winters wear you down
Up again to see the dawn
In your worn sweatshirt and your mother's old skirt
It's enough to turn my studies down

 


Books About UFOs – Hüsker Dü

Even Hüsker Dü have a song about libraries.

Their track Books about UFOs describes a character who sees a girl in the library who reads all about UFOs and he gets attracted to her intellect as well as her weirdness.

He muses, one day he might even name a planet after her to get her to notice him.

This track can be found on their seminal 1985 album New Day Rising

Walking down a sunny street to the library
Checking out the latest books about outer space
Going to the fruit stand to buy a dozen oranges
She and the books and the oranges go back to her place

She tells the same old story to everyone that she knows
She's just sitting in her room reading books about UFOs
....
Her life revolves around all of the planets
And she is constantly aware of all the changes that occur
I'm going to turn into a lens and focus all my attention
On finding a new planet and naming it right after her

 


The Book Lovers – Broadcast

Birmingham band Broadcast have a track called the The Book Lovers. This dreamy, retro-futuristic track can be found on from 1996 EP of the same name. It was collected, along with other early singles onto the 1997 album Work & Non-Work

It contains the lines

Lines and lines
Of the spines
Colored everyone
Oh, oh-oh-oh

Down the aisles
Along the titles
Where you and your eyes
Read with your eyes

 

Lisa Librarian – Velocity Girl

BubbleGrunge rockers Velocity Girl, who released three albums on the Sub Pop label in the 1990s released a playful track called Lisa Librarian which can be found on their album Copacetic released in 1993

This track, like the Go-Betweens Karen, taps into the same mystique - portraying the librarian as a figure of fascination and admiration.

I try not to tell
Tell it to those other boys
But I'm just jealous
While you're reading books to girls and boys

Oh I want to see you
And I want to visit you at work
And I'll be quiet
And you could recommend a book

 

Let There Be Shelving – Thrilled Skinny

I’m not sure that Let there be shelving, a 1991 single / EP from Luton’s Thrilled Skinny is technically a library song,

But any song titled Let There be Shelving becomes an honorary library song in my view

This single, released in 1991, contains the lyrics

Let there be shelving 😊

 


The Librarians Are Hiding Something – Swingin’ Utters

And for my final selection I choose a, hopefully tongue-in-cheek punk song that plays on the idea of librarians as gatekeepers of secret knowledge. The Librarians are Hiding Something, a 2012 single by American Punk Rockers Swingin Utters.

The track finishes with the enigmatic lyrics

Oh the librarians, contrarians
Can't fly on a wing
Oh the librarians, barbarians
Are liking nothing

Which leads me to believe one thing
The librarians are hiding something
The librarians are hiding something
The librarians are hiding something
The librarians are hiding something

 


Above is but a small selection of Library related songs which I want to highlight. If you asked me next week this list might have changed to include tracks from acts like Frank Zappa, Engine Alley, Green Day, Arctic Monkeys, Jimmy Buffet, Daniel Johnston (several tracks), Angie Hardy amongst others

Martin O’Connor is Communications Coordinator at University College Cork, Ireland.

He presents two weekly radio shows on UCC 98.3FM, Cork, Ireland. He presents a show every Morning at 11 – 12pm GMT. He also presents another show at 6 – 7pm GMT – this drivetime show is an hour of ambient chilled downtime tracks.

For more information and to listen back to all the previous show check out Shush! Sounds from UCC Library check on linktr.ee/ShushRadio

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Libfocus Link-out for March 2025

Welcome to the March edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

CRAAP test image from Georgia Southern University, remaining images taken from this month's linkout articles

The one change that worked: I found an escape from online life by swapping my home office for the library.
In this short article for the Guardian, Dale Berning Sawa describes the transformational benefits of using a university library as her home office.

The Book Club for Masochists.
Meet Anna Ferri, Matthew Murray, Megan Whyte and Jam (RJ) Edwards who run a monthly podcast aimed at helping library staff to widen their reading choices to better support their patrons. Hear their discussions of titles they have read from randomly chosen genres that include bizarro fiction and steampunk.

University libraries must be ‘access brokers’, not knowledge repositories.
Liam Bullingham investigates in his Times Higher Education opinion piece the changing nature of libraries in access provision in times of budget cuts and changing reading habits of students and staff.

Open Science at the generative AI turn: An exploratory analysis of challenges and opportunities.
Open Access paper in the journal Quantitative Science Studies summarising the pros and cons of generative AI with regards to Open Science, looking at knowledge, infrastructure and societal actors. If you just want an overview of the findings look at this figure.

SCONUL publishes results of their first Library Technology Report.
A comprehensive analysis of the technology landscape for academic and research libraries. It provides detailed profiles of the products and services used in those spaces, as well as assessments of their functionality and value for money.

SCONUL publishes results of their survey looking at the Future of the Systems Librarian.
As library environments are becoming increasingly automated and digitised, the systems librarian functions as a key ‘in-between’ role, acting as a translator and bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Changes in Light.
Changes in Light, a short video, directed and edited by artist Anna MacDonald, brings attention to the colonial legacies that influence library design and the importance of work being done to address this.
Made in collaboration with IALS Librarian Marilyn Clarke, library staff and videographer Marisa Zanotti, Changes in Light explores the impact of the affective qualities of libraries on those who use them as a way of revealing the colonial complexities of law itself. The film explores staff’s embodied responses to colonial legacies alongside an exploration of movement and light within the building, offering a nuanced perspective on the complexity of structural change within institutions.

Trinity College Dublin celebrates renaming former Berkeley library after poet Eavan Boland.
The renaming of Trinity College Dublin’s former Berkeley Library after Eavan Boland is “rooted in the determination of staff and students that the building should no longer commemorate a slave owner”, the audience at an event to celebrate the change has heard.

Gone and Mostly Forgotten: A Slice of Academic Librarianship’s Professional Past.
Steven J. Bell reflects about Library Issues, which was published by Mountainside publishing from 1980 until 2016. The fascinating thing about Library Issues is that instead of speaking to library people it targeted academic administrators who "needed a quick introduction to and insight into any library matter". Well worth a read.

Rethinking Authority and Bias. Modifying the CRAAP Test to Promote Critical Thinking about Marginalized Information.
Emily Jaeger-McEnroe suggests a few modifications to the original CRAAP test that provide a means to evaluate marginalised information and prevent its exclusion.

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Libfocus Link-out for February 2025

Welcome to the February edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Inside the race to archive the US government’s websites.
Scott J. Mulligan for MIT Technology Review looks at the organizations working to preserve vital climate, health, and scientific data before it’s gone for good, amid a US Government takedown.

News Literacy Week in an Emotionally Inflamed Environment
Kara Yorio for Student Library Journal looks at News Literacy Week off the back of a News Library Project survey assessing teen information attitudes, habits, and skills.

AI-Generated Junk Science Is a Big Problem on Google Scholar, Research Suggests
A recent investigation of the academic search engine highlights the pervasive issue of AI-generated text in academic literature, especially regarding controversial topics, reports Isaac Schultz on Gizmondo.

Report: cheaper ebooks for libraries could "revolutionise the promotion of reading"
This report by UK based charity Libraries Connected finds that patrons who borrow ebooks from public libraries are more likely to become ebook buyers. The report also calls for more flexible ebook licensing that would enable new forms of book groups.

Decolonizing my Library: Collaborating with Underrepresented Communities
In this post, Edgardo Civallero explores the importance of libraries as allies in marginalized communities’ struggles for representation, and how we can actively engage with underrepresented voices to ensure our collections reflect the richness and diversity of the societies we serve. Collaboration is key in this effort — by partnering with those on the margins, libraries can challenge exclusionary practices and contribute to creating a more inclusive knowledge ecosystem.

Why do historians go to archives? Hasn’t everything already been digitized?
Despite living in a world of infinite digital content, digital content options for historians can be hit-or-miss. In Contingent Magazine, Mark Reyes explains that digitisation isn’t always an option for organisations due to costs, staff and time constraints and copyright requirements. Historians travel to archives to access a greater part of the material stored there, to draw on the archivist’s expertise and to make connections that will highlight their own research.

Five low-stress roles that pay well
Esther Taunton lists five 'low-stress, well-paid and potentially fulfilling' jobs in this article for Stuff. Number one on the list is...yes you've guessed it, librarian!

My 'right well-beloved Valentine'
In this blog post for the British Library, Becky Lawton looks at the 1477 letter that is thought to be the earliest surviving Valentine’s love letter.

Making Discovery Easy: Designing a Better Library Search Experience
A blog post from Suzan Karabakal at University of Michigan Library outlining recommendations to consider when designing your Library Discovery Interface.

LPC Investigates Publishing Platform Accessibility
Melanie Schlosser and Shannon Kipphut-Smith detail the early stages of a project focusing on the evaluation of Library Publishing Platforms and accessibility standards.

Nebraska University Libraries shifts approach to academic publishers
The University Libraries is altering its approach to large-scale agreements with major academic publishers. As of January 2025, the University Libraries no longer subscribes to Springer journals as part of a mass, bundled "big deal" package. The decision stems from the University Libraries’ strategic framework which prioritises flexibility, cost-effectiveness and the exploration of new information resources.

Some Thoughts on Showing Up for Students and Overcoming Discouragement.
Academic Librarian Jonathan Rowe describes his approach to showing up for his students this year in this ACRLog. This includes listening with intention and empathy, reinforcing his information expertise, employing principles of trauma-informed teaching and modelling vulnerability and authenticity.

 

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