Lorcan Dempsey

"Hot take: AI coding tools don't replace developers. They make systems thinking portable across any language or framework."

BBC says ‘irreversible’ trends mean it will not survive without major overhaul In opening response to charter review, corporation points to ‘mismatch’ between TV licence rules and viewing habits

"The BBC has said it is facing “permanent and irreversible” trends that mean it cannot survive without a major overhaul, as it revealed a stark divergence between the number of people consuming its content and those paying the licence fee." buff.ly/sBzlbkj

Typography might be the last thing AI can't fake We're delighted to welcome Jessica Walsh to Creative Boom. In her first column, she argues that branding has become too safe and interchangeable, and makes the case for expressive, human-crafted ty...

The brands that win [...] won't be the ones with the slickest images, photos, or videos. They'll be the ones that feel unmistakably human. And I think typography is one of the few places where humanity is still undeniable, where people can still [...] feel: a human made this. ilo.im/16azuj

Pleased to see collective collections, the facilitated collection and inside out discussed in this interesting piece >> The collections concept at the University of Sheffield: a varied approach to the role of research library collections | Semantic Scholar buff.ly/sbx9bb8

Polling shows Ohio public libraries have vast voter support • Ohio Capital Journal New polling shows Ohio voters see library services as “everyday necessities,” among the highest rated services offered at the local level.

“Nearly 9 out of 10 Ohio voters believe they get their money’s worth in services from their local libraries for the taxes they pay, including 83% of Republicans, 85% of independents, and 93% of Democrats,” researchers stated buff.ly/4PXqygu

Author Phil Harris on his retirement with a view of the Round Reading Room of 1857. Photo: BL Corporate Archive, PH 034/342

We’re delighted to share that A History of the British Museum Library, 1753–1973 by P. R.

Harris is now digitised and freely available to all interested in the history of the Museum and librarianship.

Find out more here: link.bl.uk/vvx

A practical guide to modern teaching evaluation Dozens of institutions are piloting new ways to evaluate college teaching beyond student surveys. Here are the six steps they’re taking to fix a broken system.

" [...] students at their institution used to throw drinking parties to fill out their mandatory course evaluations. At a different institution, a professor shared that his colleagues are known to crack open a bottle of wine before reading their student comments." buff.ly/uI2QTDu

Clarke windows property of Bewley's owners, court rules The Supreme Court has ruled that the six Harry Clarke stained-glass windows in Bewley's Café on Grafton Street in Dublin are the property of the building's owner.

Interesting ownership clash. Iconic windows are, in fact, windows, not removable art works > Clarke windows property of Bewley's owners, court rules buff.ly/1n97lpm

Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group — Association of Research Libraries The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has exclusively retained Jack Farrell & Associates (www.jackfarrell.com) to find its next Executive Director. Interested parties should provide a resume and…

Interesting opportunity. Also interesting to see it advertised on ARL >> Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group buff.ly/PtGrCob

‘People laughed at TV jobs in Belfast!’ How Northern Ireland’s capital became the home of quality drama From Blue Lights gossip to How to Get to Heaven from Belfast cocktails, the city has become a small-screen hotspot – and is basking in its newfound fame

It was Game of Thrones that took Belfast to new TV heights. [...] the Emmy-winning fantasy was largely filmed at the newly renovated shipyard Titanic Studios [...], with proximity to the coast and countryside making it cheap and easy to film Westeros’s varied landscapes on location buff.ly/jC1LAfu

Libraries and library studies I wrote this piece on libraries and possible educational responses as part of a longer contribution on the informational disciplines and the iSchool. A principal goal was to suggest that libraries…

Rereading my general observations about libraries in the context of overall discussion of library career preparation and research >> Libraries and library studies buff.ly/jPThnYq

Prof. Ken Fleischmann to Lead the iSchool as Chair Designate and Interim Dean Effective February 1 of this year, Prof. Ken Fleischmann will take the reins as incoming leader of the iSchool, leading the unit into its next phase. Fleischmann is a trusted and familiar face at the…

" [...] UT’s proposal, currently under consideration by the UT System Board of Regents, to connect the iSchool with the departments of computer science and data science in a new “center of excellence” housed in the College of Natural Sciences."  buff.ly/Z1iFru0

Anthropic’s launch of AI legal tool hits shares in European data companies Pearson, Experian and others fall sharply after startup unveils software to automate a range of professional services

'European publishing and legal software companies have suffered sharp declines in their share prices after the US artificial intelligence firm Anthropic revealed a tool for use by companies’ legal departments.' buff.ly/YseaqJ5

Anthropic's Claude is now the, yes, ‘Official Thinking Partner’ of Formula 1 team, Williams. buff.ly/qsvHE1S

English professors double down on requiring printed copies of readings | Yale Daily News share.google/lfEW5Jpk1FVE...

Opening Keynote: Lorcan Dempsey Libraries, librarianship and cross-LAMination   Libraries are dynamic social organizations. Their position and role are being re-negotiated and co-created within…

The video from my Charleston presentation about libraries, education and career preparation > Opening Keynote: Lorcan Dempsey buff.ly/GKbIiS9

Is this really the world's safest font? Volvo Centum will arrive this year.

'Volvo Centum is a bespoke typeface "designed to make reading faster, attention sharper, and the driving experience calmer."' buff.ly/PGcFfiz

Home Problem 1 - Overwhelming traffic from badly-behaved bots

'There is an emergent "arms race" between those designing badly-behaved bots and those attempting to defend against them.' buff.ly/iiISc3I via CNI

"In that same century, we see the first appearance of the heart-shaped, or cordiform book (from Latin cor “heart” + form “shape”), the most famous example, dated to the 1470s, being The Chansonnier Cordiform, a beautifully decorated manuscript songbook."

Fonts | 2025 | The Web Almanac by HTTP Archive Fonts chapter of the 2025 Web Almanac covering performance, design, and development trends for typography across the web.

In a little discussed aspect of Google's role, it dominates font distribution on the web. A small number of Google fonts are the most heavily used > Fonts | 2025 | The Web Almanac by HTTP Archive buff.ly/RK8RuJq

Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon are paying up for ‘enterprise’ access to Wikipedia Another source of revenue for the Wikimedia Foundation.

Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon are paying up for ‘enterprise’ access to Wikipedia buff.ly/ap2Kj4A “It is in every AI company’s best interest to support the long-term sustainability of Wikipedia, because Wikipedia and all the other projects that we support are so core to their business,”

Microsoft is closing its employee library and cutting back on subscriptions Employees are expected to use new AI tools instead

Microsoft is closing its employee library and cutting back on subscriptions - "part of Microsoft’s shift to a more modern, AI-powered learning experience through the Skilling Hub.” buff.ly/37ItgcT

Library to be named in honour of murdered student A new library at the University of Galway is to be named in honour of a student who was murdered soon after she completed her studies there in 2006.

"A new library at the University of Galway is to be named in honour of a student who was murdered soon after she completed her studies there in 2006." buff.ly/gTKq3Y5

Wild About Jane Austen: The Woman Behind the Novels YouTube video by British Library

To mark Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, we hosted Wild About Jane Austen: The Woman Behind the Novels, an event exploring Austen as an ambitious, politically aware writer.

Watch the full event on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4_V...

#BritishLibrary #Libraries #JaneAusten250

2026 Polar Libraries Colloquy | Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Ohio State is in the process of revising websites and program materials to accurately reflect compliance with the law. While this work occurs, language referencing protected class status or other…

I wonder is it possible to gatecrash some sessions of this, coming to Columbus this year > 2026 Polar Libraries Colloquy | Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center

The End of the American University as We Knew It And the Models Likely to Replace It

"This is what the traditional university becomes when it stops pretending to be for everyone: an elite finishing school for the wealthy and exceptionally talented poor who win full scholarships." buff.ly/dDjb36H

The worst of times: Trouble at the British Library Cyber chaos, striking staff and a crisis of leadership. Claudia Cockerell investigates a national treasure’s year of reckoning

Overview of ongoing issues at the British Library by The Standard > The worst of times: Trouble at the British Library
Cyber chaos, striking staff and a crisis of leadership. Claudia Cockerell investigates a national treasure’s year of reckoning

Columbus Metropolitan Library employees submit cards for unionization effort More than 600 library employees including librarians, customer service specialists and others, wants better working conditions and more input on library policies.

Some local news > A supermajority of Columbus Metropolitan Library workers on Friday submitted signed union cards to the State Employment Relations Board to begin the union election process. buff.ly/ZLHSBR7

Font choices, value and ecosystem. National Library examples Typefaces and fonts are functional. However they also contribute in other ways - to brand, to atmosphere, to feeling. This is a brief introduction to aspects of the typeface ecosystem. I combine this…

Fonts are in the news! I am surprised that libraries have not taken more of an interest given the design, values, identity, cultural expressiveness and business issues they raise (albeit in small ways). An exploration of ecosystem and choices from a while ago buff.ly/sfBJVu8

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025): Pennyslvania Libraries: Research & Practice | Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice ISSN 2324-7878 (online)

Interested to come across this community based diamond access publication. I wonder how many regional library publications of this type there are? > Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025): Pennyslvania Libraries: Research & Practice buff.ly/tBVSJhb