Libfocus Link-out for November 2025

Welcome to the November 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 the articles featured in this month's linkout

The Myth of Open: Academic Libraries’ Role in Open Movements and Its Contention with Capitalism.
Emma Beck and Tessa Withorn discuss in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Open Initiatives in Academic Libraries, an open-access, peer-reviewed, scholarly publication, the complex role of academic libraries in open-source software (OSS) and open access (OA) movements.

It’s ‘Absolutely Vital’ I Pursue My MLIS Now.
MLIS student Erica Sikma looks at her place as a school library volunteer and what ultimately convinced her to go back to college and earn an MLIS degree for School Library Journal.

Open educational resources should be central to the public mission of universities.
Niamh Tumelty and Caroline Ball argue on the LSE Impact blog that Open Educational Resources should form a central part of university strategies for public engagement.

Bob Geldof: Why We Gave The Live Aid Archives to the National Library of Ireland.
Bob Geldof speaks to Hotpress on the decision to donate the Live Aid archival collection to the National Library of Ireland, despite other institutional offers.

A tool in the fight against Amazon: independent bookshops to begin selling ebooks.
Ella Creamer's article in The Guardian looks at Bookshop.org. The online store is launching a platform through which independent bookshops in the UK will be able to sell ebooks as an alternative to Amazon’s Kindle offering.

Peer Review in Transition: Helen King and Christopher Leonard on AI and the future of peer review.
A nuanced look by Roohi Ghosh in The Scholarly Kitchen at how peer review might adapt, fracture, or reinvent itself in the AI era.

Uni students are using AI to ‘ask stupid questions’ and get feedback on their work.
Jimena de Mello Heredia reports in The Conversation that found almost half of students (49%) are using AI for feedback to help them improve their university work. Students found both AI feedback and teacher feedback helpful, but some feel safer asking AI “stupid questions”.

The Library's First Responders.
In The Purist, Dimitri Ehrlich reviews film festival favourite 'The Librarians.' The film documents the commitment of school librarians to making literature available despite attempts by public officials and lobby groups to ban 'inappropriate' titles.

Harry Potter and the Memory Gap: How cultural memory edits our shared reading list.
This one is for the book lovers - MD Kenney writes about the cultural trends and tastes that influence which books get passed down through the generations. The marvellous books that get forgotten can be rediscovered in second-hand bookshops, in family collections or through simple word of mouth.

Libraries are palaces for the people. Their ramparts need defending.
Richard Ovenden's Observer article argues that UK public libraries are essential “palaces for the people” — free, open institutions for knowledge and community — and warns that decades of funding cuts and closures are eroding their role, urging renewed public and governmental support to defend their future.

Publishing futures: Working together to deliver radical change in academic publishing.
Cambridge University Press reports on its recent sector-wide, empirical research into the strained state of the current publishing ecosystem. While many of the issues have been raised before, their objective was to understand the challenges in moving towards a more open future for academic publishing.

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Mentorship: Creating a fertile ground for character growth and academic advancement at DCU Library

Congratulations to Lorcan Cahill from Dublin City University Library, whose blog post was highly commended in the CONUL Training and Development Library Assistant Blog Awards 2025

Mentorship involves the guidance of individuals or groups towards a common goal. Mentors are those in a position of influence who adopt an attitude of forward thinking. They achieve this outlook by placing value on an individual or group’s trajectory in life. They understand that confidence breeds competence. Mentors empower others by delegating opportunities for character growth and possess the skill of anticipating the future by setting forth a vision that is grounded in the realities of today.(Burnison. 2012. Chap 6) 

At DCU Library, we are aware of the importance of mentoring students and staff. We hold the personal and academic development of our library users in equal measure. (DCU Library Strategy. 3) We endeavour to facilitate an engaging environment that simultaneously encourages people to academically succeed and grow in character. This culture is not born out of passive activity, but rather it is born through high-contact engagement and meaningful relationships with our users. 

The front-facing library assistant, who assists in identifying educational resources, is fundamental to mentorship. The initial interaction at the front desk is crucial as it can either positively or negatively impact the individual’s future relationship with the library. Moreover, the library’s greatest asset is its staff, especially those who are front-facing. Library users must feel comfortable asking for help. To seek assistance is to make oneself vulnerable to a lesser-known concept. It is the library assistant’s job to be conscious of that and address the user’s needs. These include explaining the use of an online search catalogue, showcasing the use of an online journal database, providing advice on a reading list, resolving library account queries, or even giving directions to a lecture hall. 

Patrick Dennan, DCU Library Assistant at Cregan Library, assisting students at our library reception

Credit: Kyran O’Brien

At Dublin City University, we value a shared mindset ‘to transform lives and societies.’ (DCU Strategy 2023 - 2028) This mindset permeates all positions within the library and is keenly felt at library assistant level as the help desk is where active engagement is most evident. The advantage of a front-facing role is that participation and interaction are inevitable. Similarly, the potential for authenticity and connectivity to flourish is paramount. Authenticity and connectivity, in this context, mean removing excessive individualism and favouring a shared sense of purpose. (Goffee & Jones.2015. Introduction) Once these conditions are evident, an environment is made fertile for not only academic advancement to occur, but for character growth to materialise. 

To achieve this climate of personal and academic development, DCU Library remains collegial and collaborative. (DCU Library Strategy 2023 - 2028. 3)We understand our geographical importance of being situated on the northside of Dublin and the close proximity we share to local primary and secondary schools. Mentorship at DCU Library, therefore, is not exclusive to DCU staff and students, but it is extended to the local community. Our outreach initiatives such as Leaving Certificate students availing of a study environment in the lead up to their examinations is illustrative of this. The library also offers Leaving Certificate students an opportunity to avail of free masterclasses in subject areas like English, Irish and Mathematics. Similarly, community engagement is fostered through long-standing campaigns including regular creative writing workshops and competitions, art exhibitions, and inviting members of the community to celebrate cultural heritage on Culture Night. 

Dave Rudden introducing a Leaving Certificate masterclass on English, Seamus Heaney Lecture Theatre, DCU St. Patrick’s Campus

Credit: DCU Library

As well as building engagement, mentorship is primarily provided to our students and staff. This provision is made possible by forward thinking. Forward thinking, in the context of an academic library, means drawing upon the real-life experiences of our users and implementing new strategies to improve their overall experience. It means, in other words, leveraging our user experience by enlarging and evaluating the already existing experience of our users. 

Woodlock Hall Library, DCU All Hallows Campus (Mahon and O'Neill)

                                    Credit: Kyran O’Brien 

Forward thinking occupies the liminal space between the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of an organisation. At DCU Library, we are particularly committed to championing and empowering users with neurodivergent needs. Woodlock Hall Library, which was opened to our users in 2021, was initially designed as a quiet alternative library. It has since become popular with patrons in need of a sensory-friendly study space. Consequently, the quiet study environment is frequently promoted via our social media channels. This is reflective of our commitment to mentor our diverse community by eliminating educational barriers and anticipating their needs. It is also illustrative of our adherence to value our people. 

We are aware that by valuing our users, DCU Library, as an organisation, grows in value itself. There is a symbiotic relationship between the library and our patrons. If one augments in value, the other follows. By committing to our purpose of mentoring both the academic success and wellbeing of our users, DCU Library remains inwardly sound and outwardly engaged. Mentorship is extended to our users by offering a study and social environment that encourages collaboration, engagement and participation. Furthermore, our ultimate goal is to equip users with self-confidence. By building confidence, the ground is made all the more rich for our patrons to gain self-awareness and thrive both academically and socially. 

Bibliography

PRIMARY MATERIAL 

DCU Strategy 2023 – 2028, Dublin City University (accessed 05/06/2025). 

DCU Library Strategy: 2023 – 2028, Dublin City University (accessed 05/06/2025), 

pp. 1-14. 

SECONDARY SOURCES 

PUBLISHED WORKS 

Burnison, Gary, The Twelve Absolutes of Leadership (New York, 2012, eBook edition). 

Goffee, Rob & Jones, Gareth, Why Should Anyone Be Led by You? With a New Preface by the Authors: What It Takes to be an Authentic Leader (Boston, 2015, eBook edition). 

O’Neill, Alana Mahon, & Shanahan, Rosemary, ‘All Hallows Campus and Woodlock Hall Library’, LibFocus, 18 July 2024 (accessed 05/06/2025). 

INTERNET RESOURCES 

Definition of Mentorship, Merriam-Webster Dictionary (accessed 05/06/2025). 

 

 

 

 

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LIR Annual Seminar 2025: Communities of Practice

This guest post is written by Jenny O'Neill on behalf of the LIR Community.

Daniela Bultoc speaking at the LIR annual seminar. Picture credit: HEAnet User Group for Libraries, 2025. 

Four Questions to Ask When Forming a Community of Practice

In April 2025, the LIR HEAnet User Group for Libraries held its annual seminar at the HEAnet offices in Dublin. This year’s theme focused on community engagement within the library sector, particularly through communities of practice and social media networks.

One of the keynote speakers was Dr. Daniela Bultoc, who delivered an insightful talk on Communities of Practice in Higher Education. Daniela outlined three key goals for her presentation:

1. To define what we mean by communities of practice
2. To understand their benefits in higher education
3. To identify opportunities for incorporating them into our work

What Are Communities of Practice?

The concept of communities of practice has its roots in the apprenticeship model, where learners would meet and learn from one another. This approach is supported by social learning theory, which suggests that around 70% of what we know is learned through others, through doing, and through experimentation.

In the complex organisational structures of universities, many professionals find themselves working in isolation or as the sole expert in a particular area within their department. Yet, others across the institution may be working on similar challenges. Communities of practice offer a way to break down these silos, enabling us to connect, share, and learn from each other.


Membership and Sustainability

There are several models for community membership. Members may self-select or be nominated based on their expertise. However, it is passion and commitment that truly sustain a community. Crucially, line management support—linked to appraisals, career development, or talent development—is essential.

Daniela made an important point: a community of practice will last only as long as there is interest, passion, and energy. When that fades, it’s perfectly okay for the community to come to a natural end. Flexibility is key to the lifecycle of a community.


Why Libraries?

In libraries, communities of practice can be transformative. They support professional development, encourage innovation, and ultimately enhance library services and student support.


Benefits of Communities of Practice

Daniela’s evaluations revealed compelling benefits:

• 80% of members said they were generating innovative ideas and solving problems
• 77% were sharing resources, information, and experience
• 72% felt a stronger sense of belonging and connection

Other benefits included:

• Improved awareness of where and who to go to for information
• Better communication across departments
• A collective vision of excellence
• Service alignment
• A stronger sense of professional identity

Ready to Get Started? Ask Yourself These Four Questions

1. Purpose: Why Do We Exist?

Communities of practice aim to produce, extend, and exchange knowledge, connecting people with shared interests. They represent a grassroots model of change. Clarify your shared goals, skills, and expertise, and define what you want to achieve together. A clear and motivating purpose is essential.

2. Members: Who Belongs?

Once goals are clear, it becomes easier for individuals to decide if they belong. Typically, there’s a core group of active members who both learn and share. There may also be wider members with an interest but less expertise, and key stakeholders who contribute occasionally.

Daniela recommends a co-leadership model. Communities can be:

• Self-organised/informal – member-driven and less visible
• Supported/formal – intentional, strategic, and more visible
• The “third space” – autonomous but with strategic support via a Champion

Strategic sponsorship helps align the community’s purpose with organisational goals.

3. Activities: What Are We Going to Do?

Define your collaborative projects and events. Create opportunities for meaningful interaction and focus on solving shared challenges. And celebrate successes!

Activities might include:

• Relationship building
• Knowledge sharing
• Collaborative problem-solving
• Learning-focused initiatives
• Strategic alignment efforts

4. Process: How Are We Going to Do It?

Establish your meeting rhythm, communication channels, and processes. Start meetings with light, engaging interactions and prioritise psychological safety. Focus on quick wins to maintain momentum and energy.


Useful resources:

• Co-creating your communities of practice - Toolkit: https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_829077_smxx.pdf
• Devis-Rozental, C., & Clarke, S.R. (Eds.). (2024). Building Communities of Practice in Higher Education: Co-creating, Collaborating and Enriching Working Cultures (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003330554

To join the community and keep up to date about future events please sign up for the LIR mailing list 

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A Turn Up From the Books. Unanticipated discoveries from Early Printed Book Cataloguing.

Congratulations to Sharon Corrigan from Dublin City University Library, whose blog post was highly commended in the CONUL Training and Development Library Assistant Blog Awards 2025.

There tends to be a smattering of surprises each week working in special collections, unexpected connections between the past and present that pop up and elicit a quiet ooh from me along my journey as a library assistant currently working with early printed books (EPBs) at DCU. In these collections each book has been on its own individual saga and it is the uniqueness of both items, (a handwritten dedication inside), and manifestation (the printer’s chosen dedicatee for that edition) that I am endeavouring to capture when cataloguing, together with the usual publication information and descriptions that will lead researchers to find the records in the first place.

Unanticipated considerations have included how long one can spend finding the apt term for a quirky binding or stamp, and how differently cities in Latin sound compared to their modern Anglicised names. Luckily RBMS have an invaluable table of Latin place names providing that all important consistency.

Local history hidden amid foreign texts.
Latin is not my first language, I have picked up a little on the job. I do, however, feel confident in saying that 800+ page tomes on ecclesiastical theory are not ‘light reading’. Inevitably even the most committed cleric needed study breaks. So, secreted in the pages of some EPBs are bookmarks, beautifully preserved, forgotten pages, that give a glimpse of 19th century Dublin. A Dublin, where you might have correspondence with shopkeepers on personalised stationery. These include a linen order from Webb’s wholesalers, Upper Bridge-Street, on the back of which are listed the necessities of the day, a grocery list, including mustard and beer. Hopefully used after ‘the messages’ had been fetched. A receipt for two baskets showcases the wares of the weavers of the Richmond Institution for Instruction of the Blind, on O’Connell Street. Finally a letter of reply to a query about a flute was found bearing a letterhead from M. Gunn & Sons at 61 Grafton Street; now home to the Disney store.

A receipt from James Webb, wholesale & retail linen draper and importer of English flannels, 15 and 16, Upper-Bridge Street, (Joining Corn-Market) dated 21st April 1826.

The reverse of the same receipt on which is a hand written list of groceries signed by a John Taylor.

An order slip for two baskets from the Richmond Institution for Instruction of Industrious Blind, located at 41, Upper Sackville Street,Dublin [Now O’Connell St] dated July 1855.

The letter head from a response to an enquiry for the costing of the repair of a flute showing the letterhead of M. Gunn & Sons, Music & Musical Instrument Warehouse. 61 Grafton Street, Dublin, dated January 2nd [18]71.

Folios don’t fool around, or do they?
What lies within the covers of an EPB? Even the wisest cannot know; at least from the binding alone. Occasionally it has been a desiccated spider leering up at me. When noting books’ heights in the physical description (300) field I also add their format, useful when differentiating books from other printings during the hand press period. Upon checking a suspected folio one day I looked towards the light through a page and could see what Gaskin (1995, p.82) describes as the “chain lines in the paper running up and down the leaves (vertically)... and that the watermark was in the middle of one of the leaves”. These are left imprinted in paper from when it was dried on molds during its making. This particular watermark was very clearly a jester wearing his hat. Having grown up with British art and craft TV shows, an old term they - and therefore I - often used, sprang immediately to mind… that’s a foolscap!

The ‘foolscap sheet’ is still sometimes used in the art and law fields, being the Imperial size of paper in the UK, or folio in Europe, and was once the term for a standard sheet of paper, though it has been replaced mostly by the slightly shorter A4 size now (Pearce-Moses, 2005, p.174). There is a quick guide to identifying formats available from the STCV if you’re interested in checking what format a book in your collection is using the watermark.

Two leaves showing the white outline of the foolscap watermark, a jester in his hat with beads. Both taken from the book whose title page appears on the left Historical collections : of private passages of state, of weighty matters in law, of remarkable proceedings in five parliaments. Beginning the sixteenth year of King James, anno 1618. And ending the fifth year of the King Charls, anno 1629. Published 1659.

The Human Touch in the Sphere of Don’t Touch
EPBs are generally stored in climate controlled, dark places, to preserve them until they are requested so that they can appear heroically on a glowing cushion, or so I tell them as I tuck them away to wait. EPBs can seem remote and intangible. Handling them, performing light cleaning, and basic preservation, enclosing detached material in acid free paper and using a human touch to flatten, straighten, and secure what isn’t too brittle. Gloves are used only rarely, and for specific tasks, as the LOC (2025) recommends clean dry hands except for “photographs and film, metals, ivory”. The dexterity of my fingertips, so far, are giving me an edge over AI. The surprising durability of handmade paper composed from cotton or linen fibres leaves me constantly astonished, even inside bindings that seem battered and bruised there often sits a perfectly sewn text block of bright white paper waiting to impart the words it’s held stable for nearly 500 years.

While there have been many more unexpected surprises during the cataloguing of EPBs at DCU they may have to wait to be shared a little longer in their fuller glory.

Bibliography
Boydell, B. (2021). Gunn, M. (& Sons). Dublin Music Trade. https://dublinmusictrade.ie/node/186

Gaskell, P. (1995). A new introduction to bibliography. St. Paul's Bibliographies, Winchester
Library of Congress. (2025). Frequently Asked Questions: Preservation. Ask a Librarian. https://ask.loc.gov/preservation/faq/337286

Maxwell, R.L. (1997). RBMS/BSC Latin Place Names File. Rare Books and Manuscripts Section Association of College and Research Libraries A Division of the American Library Association. https://rbms.info/lpn/

Rushworth, J. (1629). Historical collections : of private passages of state, of weighty matters in law, of remarkable proceedings in five parliaments. Beginning the sixteenth year of King James, anno 1618. And ending the fifth year of the King Charls. Thomason, G.

National Built Heritage Service. (2013). MRCB, 10-13 Cornmarket, Bridge Street Upper, Dublin 8, DUBLIN. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/50080556/mrcb-10-13-cornmarket-bridge-street- upper-dublin-8-dublin

Pearce-Moses, R. (2005). A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology . The Society of American Archivists. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a1c710fbce17620f861bf47/t/5a35fffe41920241eb892a75/15134883 87901/SAA-Glossary-2005

Vlaamse Erfgoed Bibliotheken. (n.d.). List of Bibliographical Formats. STCV Bibliography of the Hand Press Book. https://manual.stcv.be/p/List_of_Bibliographical_Formats

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A Story for the Ages: A Tale of Engagement and Impact

 Congratulations to Arran Bradstock from Maynooth University Library, whose blog post was highly commended in the CONUL Training and Development Library Assistant Blog Awards 2025.

 

A Story for the Ages: A Tale of Engagement and Impact

Introduction: My Time in the Facilities s Events Team
As the Library Assistant in Maynooth University (MU) Library’s ‘Facilities C Events’ team, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide range of interesting events. From art exhibitions and book launches to coffee mornings and library tours, these events vary in size and audience and have given me some interesting insights into how a university library can connect with the public in meaningful ways. The importance of this can’t be overstated, as indicated by the MU Strategic Plan 2023-2028 where engaging with communities is among the key aspects of its Five-Year Focus.

The Maynooth Through the Ages history lecture series stands as a remarkable success in community engagement. From February to April in 2025, we hosted weekly talks and tours in and around the library, all free to the public and covering a wide span of topics from a host of excellent speakers. In this blog, I’ll give an overview of the series and highlight how I contributed to the events.

 

The History Lecture Series: A Growing Success 

Maynooth Through the Ages first ran in 2023, a cross- departmental series co-organised by the Library, the MU History Department, and St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. It was the brainchild of Prof Terence Dooley, Head of MU History Department, and Elaine Bean, Senior Library Assistant, with Dr Ciarán Reilly, Assistant Professor in the History Department joining in 2024. Due to popular demand, it returned for a third year in 2025.

 
While much of the series’ success stems from the excellent quality of talks and tours, (each of which could warrant its own write-up), it was also an organisational success. Every event in the series ran smoothly and we regularly had a full house of 130 attendees, with many familiar faces returning week after week, year after year.

This success was recognised at the 2025 MU President’s Awards ceremony, when the Maynooth Through the Ages Team of Elaine Bean and Dr Ciarán Riley received the Vice President’s Award in the Public Engagement Awards category.

 
Preparation, Promotion, Coordination: My Role in Organising the Events
Even a small event involves a lot of organising and management. With additional factors like public access, ticketed entry due to high demand, having multiple occurrences to make a series of connected events, etc., the level of planning involved increases significantly.

Working closely with Elaine, my focus covered the following areas:
•    Preparation:
-    Assisting with updating the library website with details of each event,
-    Dealing with cancellations and managing the waitlist on Eventbrite,
-    Monitoring a shared email inbox and responding to queries about the event.
•    Promotion:
-    Sharing    posts    on    the    library’s    social    media    accounts,
-    Live social media posting during the events,
-    Liaising with the videographer and uploading videos of the events to the library’s YouTube channel.
•    Coordination:
-    Working with the team to set up the room on the day of each event,
-    Liaising with the speakers before each talk and getting quotes for social media,
-    Greeting attendees before each talk and meeting groups of tour-goers at the designated meeting points.

What I’ve learned is that, whether an event is large or small every aspect needs to be considered and given the attention and professional approach it needs.

 
Reflection: The Importance s Power of Community Engagement (or: A Lesson for University Libraries?)

Our skills as event organisers in the library, coupled with the expertise of the History Department, made for a winning formula of interdepartmental strengths. So, is this just an isolated success story (which would still be worth writing about!), or is there something other libraries can take
away? To me, it highlights the unique role university libraries can play in creating meaningful, inclusive experiences for the wider public through open-access events.

Events like Maynooth Through the Ages can bring in new people from different walks of life, kickstart conversations and collaborations between disciplines, and deepen the connection between the library and the local area. We were
delighted to hear that several attendees have since registered for courses in the History Department, a testament to both the success of this event series and the power of community engagement.

This experience reaffirms the vital role libraries play as bridges between academia and the wider community, fostering curiosity, learning, and lasting connections.

 
Relevant Links (listed alphabetically):

•    Dr Ciarán Riley - University Webpage: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/ciar-n-reilly

•    Elaine Bean - University Webpage:
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/elaine-bean

•    Maynooth Through the Ages - Webpage:
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/maynooth-through-ages-0

•    MU President’s Awards 2025 - Webpage:
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/mu-president-s-awards- recognise-and-celebrate-staff

•    MU Strategic Plan 2023-2028 – Engagement and Partnerships Webpage: https://strategy.maynoothuniversity.ie/our-five-year-focus/#engagement-and-  partnerships

•    Prof Terence Dooley - University Webpage: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/people/terence-dooley

•    Videos of Previous Years’ Talks – YouTube Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3tEZGQqCJ0-wmlmJRCWMJbzmcl6Vizhh
 

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What a TikTok ‘Thirst Trap’ Taught Me About Library Outreach in the Age of Disinformation

Congratulations to Hayley Brabazon from Dublin City University Library, whose blog post was highly commended in the CONUL Training and Development Library Assistant Blog Awards 2025.

It started with a thirst trap. Specifically, Jack Chambers, then newly appointed Minister for Finance, shooting hoops and shaking hands on TikTok to the tune of ‘I’m looking for a man in finance… trust fund… 6’5... blue eyes…’. It was supposed to be a fresh-faced, youth-focused announcement. Instead, it felt like the pilot episode of Crisis of Identity: Ministerial Edition - a man toggling between LinkedIn gravitas and TikTok frenzy.‘This is for bored middle-aged housewives,’ one student muttered. Another said he looked ‘sound enough - like someone your ma might vote for.’ And that’s where the conversation took off.

This wasn’t just a TikTok. It was a case study in media messaging; platform-native, visually slick, and strategically weird (Green, et al., 2022). Chambers wasn’t speaking to youth voters, so much as at them, via a medium and algorithm designed to bypass critical thinking and go straight for the vibes (Felaco, 2025). And it worked - kind of. They remembered it. They mocked it. They mocked me for thinking this is the kind of thing they’d find funny. But then they started asking: Why this format? Why this tone? Why the basketball? Why the bad attempt at a thirst trap?

Welcome to History in Your Hands, a critical literacy outreach programme, with class one disguised as a meme class. Designed to support Leaving Cert History students working on their Research Study Reports (RSRs), the programme blends archival propaganda with TikToks, internet culture, and just enough strategic cringe to get the room talking. Our aim? To make students not just better researchers, but sharper readers of the world around them.

Image 1: St Vincent's students taking a closer look at 20th Century Propaganda (History in Your Hands, 2024).

We didn’t just ask them to read a pamphlet. We asked them to read the room… and the algorithm. Because here’s the thing: students don’t need help using the internet. They need help reading it. The old-school checklist model of information literacy (spot the typo, check the domain name) doesn’t cut it any more. The most dangerous misinformation isn’t obviously fake; it’s emotionally slick, visually credible, and shared by that one cousin who ‘doesn’t trust the mainstream media’ (World Economic Forum, 2025).

Academic libraries can’t afford to sit that one out. In an age of deepfakes, microtargeted disinformation, and algorithmic radicalisation, outreach is not an optional extra. It’s the front line. If we’re serious about equipping students to navigate complex information environments, we have to meet them where they scroll and teach them how to pause (World Economic Forum, 2025). That’s what History in Your Hands tries to do. We paired 1922 propaganda posters with TikTok parodies. We analysed slogans, colour palettes, camera angles. We asked: Who is this for? What emotion is it trying to trigger? What’s left out? Then, the students made their own. Some were genuinely funny. All were deeply clever. And what they revealed was this: with the right formatting, any topic can be manipulated just enough to shift a narrative.

Image 2: Reimagining the 1916 leaders through the lens of internet culture (History in Your Hands, 2024).

And it worked. In two of the participating schools, 100% of students said they’d now think more critically about who creates digital content and why. In the third, over 84% said the same. That’s not just recall. That’s transformation. Throughout the programme, students also learned how to identify credible sources, navigate archives, and write up their research. But underneath all that structure was a deeper challenge: to look at information not just as content, but as persuasion. To question the aesthetics of credibility. And to realise that media literacy is as much about affect and intention as it is about citation style.

CONUL’s Shaping Tomorrow strategy talks about Connections & Community and One Voice. But it’s not just about infrastructure, it’s about interruption. Academic libraries have the ethical mandate to intervene in how students engage with information. We’re just not there to tell them what to think. But we can help them see how they’re being asked to think - and by whom. So yes, it started with a TikTok thirst trap. But it ended with students dissecting the emotional economy of propaganda, the mechanics of manipulation, and the weird political semiotics of TDs in suits holding basketballs. In the age of disinformation, outreach needs to meet students where they’re at. And that’s how academic libraries help shape tomorrow: one slightly awkward scroll at a time.

Bibliography:

CONUL (2025). Shaping Tomorrow: A strategy for Ireland's research libraries. Available at: https://conul.ie/conul-strategy-2025-2029/ (Accessed: 29/07/2025).

DCU Library, 2025. History In Your Hands project guide 2024 - 2025. Available at: https://dcu.libguides.com/Historyinyourhands (Accessed: 29/07/2025).

Fianna Fáil, (2024). Introducing the new man in finance, Jack Chambers, [Tik Tok] 27/06/2024. Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@fiannafail/video/7385152758585838880?lang=en (Accessed: 29/07/2025).

Green D, Polk XL, Arnold J, Chester C, Matthews J, 2022. ‘The Rise Of TikTok: A Case Study Of The New Social Media Giant’, Management and Economics Research Journal, 8(1), pp 1-6.

Felaco, C., 2025. ‘Making Sense of Algorithm: Exploring TikTok Users’ Awareness of Content Recommendation and Moderation Algorithms’, International Journal of Communication, 19, pp 1081–1102.

World Econnomic Forum (2025) Rethinking Media Literacy: A New Ecosystem Model for Information Integrity. Available at:

https://www.weforum.org/publications/rethinking-media-literacy-a-new-ecosystem-model-for-i nformation-integrity/ (Accessed: 28/07/2025).

Images:

History in Your Hands, 2024. St Vincent’s students taking a closer look at 20th century propaganda. [image 1] Dublin: DCU Library. Unpublished outreach project material.

History in Your Hands, 2024. Reimagining the 1916 leaders through the lens of internet culture. [image 2] Dublin: DCU Library. Unpublished outreach project material.https://conul.ie/conul-strategy-2025-2029/

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Drawing From Nature: The Botanical Drawings of Eileen Barnes

Congratulations to Rebecca Cairns from Royal Irish Academy whose blog post has achieved third place in the CONUL Training and Development Library Assistant Blog Awards 2025.

Botanical illustrations have long been used to help us classify and identify plants. Depictions of flora in herbals and florilegia from the 16th century onwards allowed the two previously distinct and separate fields of art and science to be bridged. The art of natural history and botanical illustration would continue to evolve significantly between the 17th-18th centuries, allowing for further ease in understanding the structure and visual characteristics of plants. Many talented women artists actively contributed to this field, but they were seldom credited or acknowledged for their work. The Dublin-born Eileen Barnes (1876-1956)—who was a fastidious artist and talented model-maker—was one such woman.

Image 1: Drawing 77 (c): S dasyphyllum Linn (left); S. dasyphyllum var. Suendermanni Praeger (right) (RIA Praeger Collection, Box 2a/64/1-78 b)

After attending the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art (now the National College of Art and Design) between 1888-89, Barnes would go on to produce drawings of objects and construct museum models for the Natural History, Art, and Antiquities divisions in what is now known as the National Museum of Ireland (NMI). There is an early record of her donating a set of model platypus eggs to the museum in 1907 – suggesting that she was being commissioned to create work for the museum without being formally employed. Her name begins to appear intermittently on the museum’s employment registers from 1911 onwards, with her rank as a ‘specimen mounter’ first noted in 1918. Her earlier models include wax depictions of various mollusca, many of which are still on display in the Natural History Museum in Dublin.

Image 2: One of Eileen Barnes’ model slugs from the National Museum of Ireland’s collections (NMINH:2008.92.507); image courtesy of The National Museum of Ireland 

While Barnes was immensely skilled in producing models that bore a remarkable resemblance to live subjects, she also collaborated with other well-known scientists and naturalists and produced illustrations for their works. She worked with the lichenologist Matilda Knowles, biologist and ornithologist Annie Massy, and the naturalist Robert Praeger, MRIA.  

Praeger was especially reliant on Barnes for creating accurate drawings of Sedum (stonecrop) and Sempervivum (houseleeks) for his published works. Praeger found Sedum to be a particularly difficult plant to work with, as specimens do not dry well and often lose their leaves in the process of being prepared, making them ‘almost useless for comparison with the living plants, and identification is rendered correspondingly difficult’ (Praeger, 2). Barnes would thus draw the plants from Praeger’s live collected specimens, using a hand lens to complete her magnifications. Due to the difficulty of preserving these plants for the herbarium, and a lack of adequate existing herbarium material, these drawings by Barnes hold great value for researchers due to their likeness to the live plants.  

Barnes created approximately 300 drawings for Praeger’s publications on Sedum and Sempervivum. The RIA holds 186 of these original drawings, making up a small part of Praeger’s larger collection, which also includes journals, offprints, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials.

Image 3: Drawing 57:  S. Cockerellii Britton (left); S. Wrightii A. Gray (centre); S. lenophylloides Rose (right) (RIA Praeger Collection, Box 2a/64/1-78 b)
Image 4: Drawing 36 (left): S. verticillatum Linn (RIA Praeger Collection, Box 2a/64/1-78 b) 
Image 5: Drawing 38 (right): S. Ewersii Ledeb. var. homophyllum nov. (RIA Praeger Collection, Box 2a/64/1-78 b) 

Image 6: Pages from Praeger’s work on Sedum; showing the above drawing by Barnes in the final publication (RIA MR/31/R/30) 

The unsigned preparatory drawings remain in good condition and show only minor signs of deterioration. They have various cutouts adhered to them, showing curious additions of details, magnifications and different views of each plant. Rough notes are penciled onto some drawings which mention the species’ name and intended placement of the works for Praeger’s final book. These works provide insight into how illustrations were produced and edited in advance of preparing plates for printing. 

 

Outside of the seventeen-year collaboration with Praeger, Barnes did not receive much further recognition after his works on Sedum and Sempervivum had been published in 1932. There seems to only be a few mentions of her name until she was listed as a “botanic artist” in the 1976 edition of Capuchin Annual. 

Eileen Barnes’ drawings highlight an important collaboration and clearly demonstrate the exchange of knowledge between the field of visual arts and scientific inquiry. Moreover, the work of Barnes, which is quietly tucked away within Praeger’s larger collection, is a testament to the importance of amplifying the work of women artists and their archives.

References:  

 

Gallagher, Niav. “Barnes, Eileen Elizabeth Janet.” Dictionary of Irish Biography, April 2024, https://www.dib.ie/biography/barnes-eileen-elizabeth-janet-a10351. 

Lucy, John. “Eileen Barnes (1876-1956): the contribution of a gifted artist, scientific illustrator and model-maker to Irish natural history.” The Irish Naturalists' Journal, vol. 34, no. 2 (9 October 2015): pp. 113-124. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/44577796.pdf. 

 

Nelson, Charles E. “Robert Lloyd Praeger’s Crassulaceae: a commentary on possible type specimens in the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, and on illustrations in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.” Bradleya, vol. 11, no. 11, Feb. 1993, pp. 91-106.  

 

Praeger, Robert. “An Account of the Genus Sedum as Found in Cultivation.” Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, vol. 46, 1921, pp. 1-314. 

Scannell, Maura. “A work of special value.” In Stars, Shells and Bluebells: Women Scientists and pioneers. Dublin Women in Technology and Science, 1997. 

⸻. “Botanic Art and Some Irish Artists.” The Capuchin Annual 1976, pp. 100-111. 

 

* All images were produced by the Royal Irish Academy, with the exception of the image of the model slug, which was provided by the National Museum of Ireland.  

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