Libfocus Link-out for September 2026

Welcome to the September 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.

[image: Kadumago, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons]

The Next Chapter of Open Access Is Stewardship.
Kamran Naim argues in the Katina Magazine that the next chapter of the Open Access movement is about accepting collective responsibility for the infrastructures that make openness sustainable over the long term.

The Politics of Academic Libraries: Why Librarians Need a Seat at the Decision-Making Table.
Librarian Onyebuchi Ekpolomo recommends on LinkedIn that libraries do not shy away from “politics” and get a seat at the table where it matters.

Libraries and museums should have books, not artificial intelligence.
This opinion piece questions the growing use of AI in museums and libraries, arguing that technology should support, not overshadow, the books, collections and historical evidence at the heart of cultural institutions.

How one library built an Intranet that Staff actually use.
Too many emails, scattered information and disconnected teams are familiar challenges for many libraries. This article looks at how Lake Villa District Library built a staff hub that became a trusted source of information while strengthening workplace culture and collaboration.

Back to school in the age of AI.
Elissa Malespina discusses tools to help guide the conversation about the use of AI among students as the new academic term begins.

Ten simple rules for scholarly blogging.
Catharina Ochsner, Heinz Pampel and Martin Fenner offer practical guidance for those who wish to adopt blogging as a form of scholarly communication.

We’re Using Harvard’s Libraries Wrong.
In this opinion piece for The Harvard Crimson, Emily X. Yu advises students to draw on the expertise of librarians, rather than on AI, when doing their research.

Need a Gun Lock? Ask Your Local Librarian.
Chip Brownlee looks at an initiative in Baltimore that promotes safer firearm storage in this article for The Trace. Johns Hopkins has partnered with Baltimore’s public library system for the project, with the aim to prevent homicide, unintentional injuries, suicide and theft.

Oxford and Springer Nature Update AI Journal Guidelines.
On the back of a global survey of more than 2,600 researchers on AI disclosure practices and policies, OUP updated its guidelines on AI use for authors and editors. It includes what AI use should be disclosed when preparing manuscripts for OUP journals.

A Groupthink We Don’t Talk Much About.
Irving Janis, the Yale psychologist who developed the theory of groupthink from studying foreign policy disasters, found that the groups most vulnerable to it weren’t the incompetent ones. Neil Blair Christensen wonders if the scholarly publishing community are one of those groups.