Libfocus Link-out for July 2025

Welcome to the July 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 taken from this month's link-out articles

How Language Bias Persists in Scientific Publishing Despite AI Tools.

In this article for Stanford HAI Scott Hadly explains that there’s no such thing as a quick fix for mitigating against language bias in scholarly publishing: “so if you have a subconscious bias against people from China, for example, that bias will emerge in other ways, even as language is adjusted [with LLMs].”

AI literacy essentials for academic libraries.
A free-of-charge eight-week AI microcourse from Clarivate and Choice's LibTech insights starting in mid-July. Sign up on the Choice website. 

The course includes:

• Core AI literacy concepts written by academic library workers for academic library workers.  
• Self-paced material includes readings and multimedia content, case studies and interviews with thought leaders. 
• Optional discussion questions and quizzes to build community and test your knowledge.  
• At the end of the micro-course, participants will be awarded a certificate of completion.

The more books per capita, the fewer residents require nursing care: Japan study.
In this Mainichi article, Ayako Oguni looks at the Japanese study that finds the more public library books a municipality has, the fewer residents require long-term nursing care. The study also found that living in a municipality with many library books may extend healthy life expectancy, even for those who don't read.

Roles in higher education libraries: An explainer.
Chris Chan explores how libraries are changing with the times in the digital era in this Times Higher Education article. He examines five roles that have emerged in response to the skills and expertise required of librarians as they evolve to meet the changing needs of their institutions.

How One College Library Plans to Cut Through the AI Hype.
Kathryn Palmer for Inside Higher Ed speaks to Nicholas Johnson, the inaugural director of AI at Stony Brook University Library, New York about his new position and how the library is going to engage with AI.

Pioneering project releases more lost Irish records spanning 700 years.
Rory Carroll for The Guardian on the 2025 release of 175,000 more records and increased searchability on The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland.

The modern library: technology-enhanced library spaces.
This SCONUL report provides a collection of case studies showcasing technology-enabled library spaces across the UK and Ireland. It helps to answer the question of what a modern academic library looks like.

Public Libraries Deserve a LibKey Nomad Too, Dammit.
Imagine hitting a paywall on The Irish Times or The Telegraph, and a little popup says "Available through [Your Public Library] - Click to access" and takes you there. Academic libraries have this with browser extensions like LibKey and Lean Library. Blogger Hannah Shelley wonders if it's a thing for public libraries.