Sam Aston she/her's Avatar

Sam Aston she/her

@manclibrarian

Lecturer in ed tech learning in Public Health CeLP SFHEA Mum. Former Librarian/Learning Developer. Programme manager for LILAC conf. Reads, hikes and occasionally knits. Loves Cornwall and the Lakes.

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07.11.2023
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Latest posts by Sam Aston she/her @manclibrarian

We're looking for a pro-active HE/research librarian, keen for responsibility, who likes being involved with a range of different tasks and is able to see the library service as an interconnected whole.

If this sounds like you - why not apply? (must be able to work in London for some of the week).

03.03.2026 09:55 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Working in social care I've had multiple years with no rise in pay. If I do get one it's always under 2%. Because I'm employed for a charity there's always the element of it being vocational & not about pay. And we are told the injuries/danger element is just part of the role of supporting people.

03.03.2026 10:10 πŸ‘ 30 πŸ” 15 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Showed how I was valued by putting me forward for projects where my strengths lie.

02.03.2026 22:43 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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UK university staff: a final chance to tell us your feelings about the redundancy wave Whether you have direct experience of redundancies or not, and whatever your role is (or was) in the university, we are still keen to hear your views

UK university staff: have you feared for your job at any point during the past two years? How confident are you that redundancies are less likely this year than they were last year? This is your last chance to let us know in our UK Redundancy Survey. @timeshighered.bsky.social

27.02.2026 16:13 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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LILAC LILAC is an annual conference covering all aspects of information literacy and is a firm favourite in the calendar of information professionals. The conference is brimming with new ideas, innovative…

We’re counting down to #LILAC26, in four weeks we’ll be saying hello from Sheffield!

Bookings close on Friday, visit our website and book your place today.

02.03.2026 10:00 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Stunning Anna! That sky.

26.02.2026 08:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The logo is all text in gold on a white background. At the top are the letters iLA (lower case i, upper case LA) in a large font with a thin line below it. Underneath this line it says Information Literacy Award in block capital letters.

The logo is all text in gold on a white background. At the top are the letters iLA (lower case i, upper case LA) in a large font with a thin line below it. Underneath this line it says Information Literacy Award in block capital letters.

You’ve got extra time to submit your nomination for the 2026 Information Literacy Award!

Nominations for the #infolit award now close on Monday 16 Feb (17:00 GMT). Don’t forget - individuals & teams can self-nominate or nominate others. Nominate via our website: buff.ly/hB0446A

05.02.2026 16:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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LILAC LILAC is an annual conference covering all aspects of information literacy and is a firm favourite in the calendar of information professionals. The conference is brimming with new ideas, innovative…

Still not booked your place for #LILAC26? We know you’ll want to after you’ve seen our amazing draft programme: buff.ly/ZJfnhsk

Our early bird rate ends on Friday (6 Feb) – don’t miss out!
#infolit #digilit

02.02.2026 09:30 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2
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Keep that LILAC buzz going with LILAC Learning Sets! – Information Literacy Website We all know the feeling: LILAC is incredible! You forge brilliant connections throughout the three conference days, and leave buzzing with intellectual momentum. But let’s be honest, that momentum…

If you're coming to #LILAC26 take a look at the new @infolitgroup.bsky.social initiative - LILAC Learning Sets. If you take part, you'll be grouped with colleagues from diverse organisations, geographical locations & career stages, & supported to maintain contact. Find out more ⬇️

27.01.2026 13:15 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Upcoming Event! Information Literacy, data and evidence removal in the US – Information Literacy Website

Upcoming event klaxon!

On Thursday 26th February, we will be hosting an event on Information Literacy, data and evidence removal in the US.

If you would like to find out more and sign up, you can do so at the link below πŸ‘‡

infolit.org.uk/upcoming-eve...

14.01.2026 15:44 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas.

Be a love, and pay it today.

19.12.2025 09:46 πŸ‘ 2828 πŸ” 1069 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
LearnHigher resourcesfree of charge, peer-reviewed for accessibility, peer evaluated, research-informed, and shared under CC.

LearnHigher resourcesfree of charge, peer-reviewed for accessibility, peer evaluated, research-informed, and shared under CC.

LearnHigher is the UK's library of learning development resources for higher education. All LearnHigher resources are free of charge, peer-reviewed for accessibility, peer evaluated, research-informed, and shared under Creative Commons Licenses./aldinhe.ac.uk/learnhigher #LoveLD

17.12.2025 10:54 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Children queuing for soup at Manchester's Wood Street Mission, c.1900. Created 1869 and still in existence continuing to support struggling families and help children across Manchester and Salford. Donate here - www.woodstreetmission.org.uk/support-us/d...

11.12.2025 07:21 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Painting of a white woman in a long grey coat, red scarf and black hat walking to the left in a snowy rural setting with her two cats

Painting of a white woman in a long grey coat, red scarf and black hat walking to the left in a snowy rural setting with her two cats

Dee Nickerson, contemporary painter who explores themes of living in the countryside #WomensArt #FridayFeeling #ArtAdvent

05.12.2025 06:29 πŸ‘ 721 πŸ” 147 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 7

Isn't it the same in many careers though - you're good at something and you're rewarded by being given a management role instead πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

01.12.2025 20:44 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
The logo for the LILAC 2026 conference. The logo is circular with a white background, the circle has a lilac outline. All text within the circle is a lilac colour and all images are white with a lilac outline, to show detail. At the centre of the circle there are two female figures. They are stood facing forwards but looking in different directions. They are wearing overalls and boots. They both have a cloth hanging out of a pocket and the figure on the right has goggles on her forehead. They each have one arm around the other and their other hand is on their own hip. 

The figures are based on the Women of Steel bronze sculpture that commemorates the women of Sheffield who worked in the city's steel industry during the First World War and Second World War. It was created by the sculptor Martin Jennings.

Above the figures are the words LILAC: The information literacy conference, below the figures is the word Sheffield - all words are in capital letters. To the left of the figures is the number 20 and to the right of the figures is the number 26.

The logo for the LILAC 2026 conference. The logo is circular with a white background, the circle has a lilac outline. All text within the circle is a lilac colour and all images are white with a lilac outline, to show detail. At the centre of the circle there are two female figures. They are stood facing forwards but looking in different directions. They are wearing overalls and boots. They both have a cloth hanging out of a pocket and the figure on the right has goggles on her forehead. They each have one arm around the other and their other hand is on their own hip. The figures are based on the Women of Steel bronze sculpture that commemorates the women of Sheffield who worked in the city's steel industry during the First World War and Second World War. It was created by the sculptor Martin Jennings. Above the figures are the words LILAC: The information literacy conference, below the figures is the word Sheffield - all words are in capital letters. To the left of the figures is the number 20 and to the right of the figures is the number 26.

Bookings for #LILAC26 are open πŸŽ‰ To find out more, and to secure your place, visit our website: buff.ly/2gyo3d4

We can’t wait to see you in Sheffield!
#infolit #digilit

01.12.2025 11:40 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Aideen is sitting in a wheelchair with one of her sons on her knee, the other child standing behind her. They are on a residential street.

Aideen is sitting in a wheelchair with one of her sons on her knee, the other child standing behind her. They are on a residential street.

Woman with dark hair in a wheelchair, positioned in front of a black SUV parked on the pavement of a residential street.

Woman with dark hair in a wheelchair, positioned in front of a black SUV parked on the pavement of a residential street.

β€œAs a mum and a wheelchair user, pavement parking puts me and my children in danger every day. I don’t understand why drivers think they can block pavements β€” they’re for pedestrians.” - Aideen, campaigner

Join our campaign against pavement parking https://bit.ly/4hWpLxM

18.11.2025 07:49 πŸ‘ 82 πŸ” 28 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 5
An illustration of this year's game. Text says: "Hidden Books Game is BACK! Play at nationalbooktokens.com" and "Win Β£500 to spend on books".

An illustration of this year's game. Text says: "Hidden Books Game is BACK! Play at nationalbooktokens.com" and "Win Β£500 to spend on books".

Booklovers, your favourite game is back! πŸ“šπŸ”Ž

Guess all 20 books in the #HiddenBooksGame and you could win a Β£500/€500 National Book Token to spend in your local bookshop (the best gift ever, in our opinion).

Play now: buff.ly/460M0aR

13.11.2025 10:37 πŸ‘ 36 πŸ” 26 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 34
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LILAC LILAC is an annual conference covering all aspects of information literacy and is a firm favourite in the calendar of information professionals. The conference is brimming with new ideas, innovative…

Do you live or work close to #Sheffield & would like to attend a day at #LILAC26? Apply for one of our Local to LILAC day bursaries! Winners will be randomly selected & get a free place + Β£50 for travel expenses. It’s really easy to apply via our website, the deadline is the 21 November (17:00 GMT).

11.11.2025 10:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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How People with Disabilities Use the Web Introduces how people with disabilities, including people with age-related impairments, use the Web.

People who want to make the web accessible need to understand the many different ways that people with disabilities use the web. This W3C resource offers a good introduction to how disabled people navigate the web, and barriers they commonly encounter.

www.w3.org/WAI/people-u...

11.11.2025 19:18 πŸ‘ 92 πŸ” 56 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Writing Alt Text for Data Visualization How do you write text that conveys the whole meaning of a visualization? You probably can’t. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try

Many struggle with writing alt text for charts and other other data visualizations. Amy Cesal's "Writing Alt Text for Data Visualization" hammers home the importance of explaining the chart type, the type of data, and the reason for the chart.

medium.com/nightingale/...

10.11.2025 16:53 πŸ‘ 40 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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LILAC LILAC is an annual conference covering all aspects of information literacy and is a firm favourite in the calendar of information professionals. The conference is brimming with new ideas, innovative…

You’ve only got a few days to finalise your #LILAC26 proposal! Our Call for Presentations closes on Thursday, 13 November, at 16:00 (GMT). Find out more and submit on our website. #infolit #digilit ⬇️

10.11.2025 09:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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RSPH Presents: Spread the Health Listen to episodes and learn more about RSPH Presents: Spread the Health. From government policies to the air we breathe, the high streets we shop on, the food on our plates, and the places we live and work - our health is shaped by the world around us.​Featuring expert guests from a breadth of sectors, fields and industries, Spread the Health explores how our environment influences health in both obvious and unexpected ways. ​We tackle the big questions about the nation's health and, crucially, examine how to overcome the barriers to building a healthier future for all.​Spread the Health...

"3.5 million people live in homes that fail the UK Decent Homes Standard."

We were joined by housing and health researcher Faye Sanders earlier this year to talk about what's driving unhealthy homes, and what we can do to fix the problem.

Listen now: https://ow.ly/jhS850XpfVy

10.11.2025 14:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

If you have a regional accent, please never try to get rid of it. Accents tell stories.

07.11.2025 20:30 πŸ‘ 3941 πŸ” 425 πŸ’¬ 177 πŸ“Œ 0
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ALDinHE's annual conference in 2026 will be hosted by the University of Leeds. Save the dates! Online - 12 June 2026 and In-Person 16 and 17 June 2026. We look forward to welcoming you! https://aldinhe.ac.uk/aldcon26 #ALDcon26. #LoveLD

07.11.2025 16:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Just gorgeous Anna! What time for day was this?

05.11.2025 15:48 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Don’t forget that the @infolitgroup.bsky.social can provide informal feedback on your draft abstract for #LILAC26. If you want to check if your idea is suitable, or you just want someone to look over your draft, email cilipilg@gmail.com before 16:00 (GMT) next Thursday (30 Oct).

23.10.2025 09:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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LILAC LILAC is an annual conference covering all aspects of information literacy and is a firm favourite in the calendar of information professionals. The conference is brimming with new ideas, innovative…

Applications are open for #LILAC26 bursaries! In addition to LILAC bursaries, which provide a full conference place, you can apply for Local to LILAC day delegate bursaries, aimed at those that live or work close to the University of Sheffield. Find out more & apply on our website.

28.10.2025 10:15 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It is a great documentary and on iPlayer.

27.10.2025 18:19 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Screenshot of text:

unfuck google drive by shooting gemini
Hey folks! Google is fucking you via sneaky enshittification again!
Want the shit in your google drive to load instantly again, instead of taking for-fucking-ever?
Open your gdrive (web OR app)
Settings > Manage Apps
Gemini was checked "use as default" (and i sure the fuck didn't set it that way, this was a silent push)
Nuke that, and suddenly, folders that took up to a minute to populate and sort do so in a fraction of a second.

Screenshot of text: unfuck google drive by shooting gemini Hey folks! Google is fucking you via sneaky enshittification again! Want the shit in your google drive to load instantly again, instead of taking for-fucking-ever? Open your gdrive (web OR app) Settings > Manage Apps Gemini was checked "use as default" (and i sure the fuck didn't set it that way, this was a silent push) Nuke that, and suddenly, folders that took up to a minute to populate and sort do so in a fraction of a second.

friend shared this, immediately updated my settings

27.10.2025 16:28 πŸ‘ 12571 πŸ” 6927 πŸ’¬ 139 πŸ“Œ 372