“[When] language is struggling w/ the failure to represent….the encounter w/ the world is actually at that point where your system of representation is under serious strain. When that happens to a discipline, that is when you need to read another discipline, to borrow their means of representation.”
My book Radical Infrastructure came out last week! It goes deep into the political and economic roots of technological infrastructure to explain hype around various technical projects, and counters it with cases of people pushing back.
Download OA: www.ucpress.edu/books/radica...
EVERYONE GET more anti ai NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in red text with a white background
i really think the stuff about literacy being primarily for “economic security” isn’t like some nefarious plot, it’s that the people who make decisions about this stuff truly believe that’s the highest end of learning to read and write
My colleagues at ACRLog wrote short tributes to the life and work of Fobazi Ettarh @fobettarh.bsky.social. I wrote about her work on disability, which I think deserves more recognition. acrlog.org/2026/03/04/t...
Thanks @ezerrenner.bsky.social for coordinating. #CripLib #VocationalAwe
Thank you @chicagoreader.com and everyone who voted! Here's to more movies in 2026!
+ 200 more Chicago Public Library workers!
👀 (can’t go to toronto, but interested if virtual is possible!)
pan of baked ziti
baked ziti baby!
“As a discipline, cultural studies occupied a liminal space between sociology and English literature and was defined by research subjects ‘not considered legitimate’ enough for either, as McRobbie puts it.”
lareviewofbooks.org/article/ange...
Our new Read to Respond reading list, "Critical Perspectives on AI in the Humanities," brings together books, journal articles, and issues that examine the cultural, ethical, political, and intellectual dimensions of AI.
Access the content for free: buff.ly/qJR0MXU
Last week, I had the immense honor (and responsibility) of facilitating a dialogue about organizing against AI data centers in the US-Mexico Borderlands. I am very pleased to share a recording of the event www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E43...
This week, we officially launched a major update to the National Police Index — a tool built to help communities, journalists, attorneys, and researchers track officers as they move between agencies.
Visit the new NPI website here: national.cpdp.co
please do!!
hello!! 👋 thanks for connecting—happy to be on & know some folks who would also be interested!
having a beautiful experience deleting 10 years of photos off of my phone—confronting past selves, erasing them, and discovering many book covers otherwise forgotten
square light orange graphic with black and neon text that says: “Join Liberation Library’s Steering Committee. Liberation Library is looking for new Steering Committee members. Join us in building meaningful solidarity with young people who are incarcerated across Illinois.” In a bubble in black text it says: “Apply by March 31st at bit.ly/JoinLibLib”. In small text at the bottom of the graphic in black text says: “To learn more about Liberation Library visit liberationlib.org”. In the background are translucent bubbles and hearts and a stack of colorful books on the left side, the Lib Lib logo in black in a heart towards the bottom right.
For Chicago folks: Liberation Library is looking to recruit additional members to its Steering Committee (SC). Apply by March 31st. It's a great group. bit.ly/JoinLibLib
"The John Hope Franklin Research Center is pleased to share that the archive of philosopher, scholar, and author Sylvia Wynter will be opened to the public beginning March 3." Alt text: photograph of Sylvia Wynter.
The military is bailing out the AI industry. We interview author and activist @naomiaklein.bsky.social on our latest episode of Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000. Check out episode 72: How the War Department Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AI.
(with @emilymbender.bsky.social)
bell hooks said, “No insurgent intellectual, no dissenting critical voice in this society escapes the pressure to conform...irrespective of our locations, we are all vulnerable. We can all be had, co-opted, bought. There is no special grace that rescues any of us. There is only a constant struggle.”
Humanities Methods in Librarianship, a new, no-fee open access journal, is pleased to announce our first call for papers! We are seeking scholarship, book reviews, and creative non-fiction that explore librarianship through the varied methodological lenses of the humanities. For more details about the journal, see our Issue 0 editorial. Examples of possible contributions include (but are not limited to): • Explorations of the concept(s) of ‘library’, ‘librarians’, or ‘librarianship’ , especially as they relate to humanities disciplines (religion, history, literature, political theory, etc.)
Disciplinary investigations of topics significant to librarianship. Examples might include: cultural studies interpretations of library policies or debates; philosophical analyses of librarianship; or art history perspectives on library imagery or architecture • Humanistic analyses of library-related practices and infrastructures, such as theories of bibliographic description, classification, library technology, or library spaces • Autoethnographic scholarship, oral histories, or interviews related to librarians or library workers
We also seek to publish book reviews on a broad array of topics that are relevant to the humanities, whether non-fiction or fiction. We invite you to contribute your work, and we look forward to your submissions! Our submissions page has more details about our requirements. Please submit by April 24, 2026 to be considered for our first issue. Articles will be published on a preliminary rolling basis as they are ready. We expect to announce the full publication of Issue 1 in summer or fall 2026. Humanities Methods in Librarianship is published by the City University of New York, with an editorial board from across the United States and Canada.
CFP: Humanities Methods in Librarianship, Issue 1
• Explorations of concepts re: ‘library’, ‘librarians’, ‘librarianship’
• Disciplinary investigations of LIS
• Humanistic analyses of LIS practices/infrastructures
• Autoethnographies, oral histories, interviews
cuny.manifoldapp.org/read/call-fo...
TODAY: @littlewow.online on "paranoid reading" and its remedies. "To practice a worldview more expansive and more open to possibilities than paranoia does not mean you have to deny the reality or gravity of oppression." flaminghydra.com/issue-511/#a...
Disappointing decision by DePaul. This museum had some of the more inventive and thought provoking exhibits about Chicago activism and history that I’d seen. Often highlighted populations not often visible in exhibits.
159 - Why We Fear AI feat. Hagen Blix
This week we’re joined by @hagenblix.bsky.social to talk about their new book on AI and labor/power/knowledge/eugenics. We also discuss some library Reddit developments.
LIBRARY FREEDOM PROJECT WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH Al? Feeling overwhelmed, confused, wary, or alarmed about the sudden prevalence of Al products in all of your tech platforms? You're not alone. WHAT EXACTLY IS Al? • "Al" is a marketing term and political project that refers to a number of technologies new and old, including: • Pattern recognition algorithms that produce "new" text, videos, or images based on copies of existing, human-created materials. • Applications (gpps), like chatbots, image generators, virtual assistants. • These technologies are not actually intelligent: the Al project is about increasing the value of these technologies by marketing them as having human qualities, while cutting costs to devalue real human labor & skill. • Human interaction is replaced by a fantasy one-stop answer shop. WHY IS AI SEEMINGLY EVERYWHERE? • We are currently in a well-funded Al hype cycle. Al companies have become increasingly valuable because investors are gambling on Al. • Al companies are trying to make a return on these high investments, so Al apps are now popping up in all kinds of tech platforms in order to increase adoption. • Returns on investment for Al apps are zero or negative, and skepticism about these technologies is growing among the general populace. DOES AI KNOW THINGS? • Al apps are often wrong. Some have disclaimers that say that their answers cannot be verified (you may have heard of "hallucinations") and therefore should not be trusted. • Al apps cannot evaluate information on their own. Responses are based on statistical relationships of words and phrases rather than knowledge. • Al apps reflect the bias of the material they are trained on and the motives and values of the companies creating the technology. • Al is a main driver of the ongoing crisis of mis- and disinformation. • Identifying and verifying Al-generated content is difficult and time consuming. libraryfreedom.org info@libraryfreedom.org
LIBRARY FREEDOM PROJECT WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH Al? WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF Al? • Energy and raw materials: The production of Al apps increase electronic waste, carbon emissions, and extraction of metals and minerals-already inflating computer and energy prices for the general public. • Big Tech is not transparent about levels of use, making exact climate impacts hard to measure. • Local energy and water infrastructure: Al technologies require the construction and upkeep of large data centers, straining these systems. • Mental health: Use of Al chatbots contributes to mental health crises, like psychosis and suicidality, and is shown to have negative impacts on curiosity and creativity. • Labor: Al tools aren't self-powered. Human workers do the draining work of "data labeling," often without job stability or adequate pay. IS AI COMING FOR MY JOB? • Al can't do your job as well as you can, and management may use Al as an excuse to eliminate or downsize your job anyway. • Al undermines our ability to learn, think, create sound arguments, and become experts in our own right, making us as workers less employable. • Where jobs are not eliminated, bosses may make employees editors of Al outputs rather than allowing them to do the creative work themselves. • Al data centers only employ a handful of permanent employees. Often the parent company brings them in from outside the local community. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? This guide includes talking points, research, and actions: https://www.kairosfellows.org/fightdatacenters These talking points offer workers a way to practice resisting Al: https://www.workersdecide.tech This teaching resource helps students critically engage with Al: https://www.civicsoftechnology.org/curriculum These resources Learn ways to resist Al through this practical plan for action: and many more! https://ainowinstitute.org/publications/research/ai-now-2025-landscape-report libraryfreedom.org info@libraryfreedom.org
AI TALKING POINTS FOR LIBRARY WORKERS Mellon Foundation WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT AI? Al is seemingly everywhere right now, thanks to enormous venture capital funding and a lot of hype. Popular conceptions about Al are influenced by this hype. There is some potential in Al tools, but also real harms, scams, and other serious ethical concerns. Libraries are and will continue to be impacted by Al and are in a position to educate the public. WHAT ARE SOME ETHICAL ISSUES OF Al? How it's made: What it creates: How we approach it: These systems are opaque, even to Al is used in predatory surveillance their creators systems and military applications There is very little regulation or oversight around the creation and use of Al Al is often trained on illegally scraped copyrighted material Al reproduces existing human bias due to training on human-created Al is part of a well-funded hype content cycle that continues to grow Al uses exploitative labor, especially in the Global South Al regurgitates fake information These tools are advertised as a fix-while sounding authoritative all to enhance every aspect of work Creation, training, and maintenance use enormous It perpetuates an "If Al can create and play amounts of fossil fuels, water, and it for free, why do we need to pay Reliance on Al is already shown to precious materials a person?" approach to labor negatively impact our cognitive abilities Al scraper bots overwhelm web servers and can cause targeted There is a swift and uncritical websites to crash adoption of Al across sectors AI TALKING POINTS FOR LIBRARY WORKERS Mellon Foundation WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT Al? Al is seemingly everywhere right now, thanks to enormous venture capital funding and a lot of hype. Popular conceptions about Al are influenced by this hype. There is some potential in Al tools, but also real harms, scams, and other serious ethical concerns. Libraries are and will continue to be impacted by Al and are in a position to educate the public. WHAT A…
AI TALKING POINTS FOR LIBRARY WORKERS HOW SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT IT? Consider who you're talking to, and what their concerns or priorities might be: Mellon Foundation Administration or Board Members IT Departments Staff or Faculty Patrons and Community Members What liability concerns exist if we incorporate Al into our operations? The data collection practices employed by most Al companies go against the Library Code of Ethics, specifically regarding intellectual property and privacy. With library funding already at risk, can we afford this tool? What amount of doublechecking or training might this add to someone's workload? How does this model's data usage and privacy practices align with ours? Would training others to use this tool add extra labor or additional duties to your existing work? Is this tool actually making your work easier, or is it a way to demand more productivity from you without additional training or compensation? Have you been given time/space to provide feedback on these tools? Using Al has a significant environmental impact, the extent of which is still unknown. It will soon become hard to identity what is real and what is Al. Should we let a computer perform creative work, or should we pay artists for their labor? libraryfreedom.org info@libraryfreedom.org AI TALKING POINTS FOR LIBRARY WORKERS Mellon Foundation HOW SHOULD WE TALK ABOUT IT? Consider who you're talking to, and what their concerns or priorities might be: Administration or Board Members IT Departments Staff or Faculty Patrons and Community Members What liability concerns exist if we incorporate Al into our operations? The data collection practices employed by most Al companies go against the Library Code of Ethics, specifically regarding intellectual property and privacy. With library funding already at risk, can we afford this tool? What amount of doublechecking or training might this add to someone's workload? How does this model's data usage and privacy practices align with …
What’s the Deal with AI? + Critical AI Talking Points — Library Freedom Project info sheets produced by library workers, for library workers
libraryfreedom.org/resources/
omg i read this last night and just about threw the book across the room! and i am about the oldest a zoomer could possibly be (29)!
i have so many questions. who is the intended audience for this footnote? someone 25 years from now?
Judges' decisions affect many aspects of life, from traffic tickets to divorces, civil lawsuits, evictions, and criminal cases. Our team of reporters researched every candidate running for Cook County judge so you can make your own decision about who you want on the bench. buff.ly/6PNez5g
