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.

Lessons in Resilience: Libraries’ Roles in Disaster Preparedness and Recovery.
Denise Lyons for LibraryJournal looks at the critical role libraries have to play in disaster preparedness and recovery, and a group of advocates working to document those efforts.

The DOGE axe comes for libraries and museums.
Paresh Dave for Wired looks at the Trump Administration’s cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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.