Read the outputs of some of the ALN EDI Innovation Fund projects in this week's ALN Staff Development Weekly Update, as well as the usual regional vacancies and opportunities to get involved in ALN activities: academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/staff-develo...

This week's ALN Staff Development Update is now available, with some internal and external events & opportunities, and ways you can get involved with ALN and more widely: academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/staff-develo...

Thanks to everyone who attended our in person day yesterday- the delegates, sponsored places, presenters & keynote, and our sponsors for making #ALN26 amazing. We hope to see you again next year!

Afternoon #ALN26 starting with @heroicendeavour.eurosky.social giving today's keynote.

#ALN26 kicking off with Rachel Beckett of MMU giving us a welcome to the event. (To a considerably less empty auditorium)

Almost time for #ALN26. You can get your own (virtual) ALN passport by taking part in our competition when you get here.

There once was a soul who went forth, To Academic Libraries North When asked if they'd be At the Poetry Library They immediately answered "of courth" Want a place on one of our limited visits to the Poetry Library during #ALN26? Please reserve a space at the desk during Registration.

You can get a flavour on the number of events, popular training sessions & our activities on our new "ALN 2025 in numbers infographic". Hopefully providing a good summary of all the great things we've offered last year. Looking forward to releasing new events soon academiclibrariesnorth.ac.uk/about/

Travelling to #ALN26 next week? From Victoria you can go via Deansgate by the amazing John Rylands Library, or Central Library via St Peters' Square. Piccadilly? Maybe walking via the Vimto statue will refresh you? Oxford Road is on the venue's doorstep- but can you spot the space invaders en route?

Time to start thinking about next week's #ALN26 in-person day and what you need in your conference survival kit. Last year the venue was wonderfully air conditioned but the train home was not! What are your essentials? A good book for the train?

Thanks to our speakers, sponsors and everyone who attended #ALN26 today. We hope you enjoyed the event despite the technical issues and the heat and can now relax somewhere cool with a refreshing beverage. We look forward to seeing some of you at our in-person day in Manchester in July.

A special thanks again to two of our of #ALN26 sponsors for gifting two competition prizes for our online conference today ⭐⭐@kortext.bsky.social and @tandfresearch.bsky.social

#ALN26 3B: Open to all? Practical steps to make e‑resources genuinely usable @dulib.bsky.social Opening the doors wider: how academic libraries can support carers as workers, learners, and visitors @dulib.bsky.social #openaccess #accessibility #libraries

#ALN26 cont. 3A: From ideas to actions: how HE libraries can support refugees and asylum seekers in local communities @wellcomecollection.bsky.social Developing an Equality Impact Assessment: a case study of Gypsy / Roma / Traveller History Month engagement activities at @ducollections.bsky.social

We'd like to thank delegates and speakers for their patience with today's tech issues at #ALN26 and us shuffling everyone back and forth between rooms. Please check the access links doc for the latest locations and we hope the afternoon runs smooth while we continue to play whack-a-mole with Teams.

Cute Cat Plays Whack-A-Mole Game

Alt: Cat Plays Whack-A-Mole Game trying to catch human finger in cardboard box

static.klipy.com

@libraritron.bsky.social Great visual 💡

Katharine Davidson-Brown@libraritron.bsky.social · last mo.

be a lighthouse #ALN26

how to reframe support and equity - make it difficult for staff to act in ways that don't support our users #ALN26

we have a moral duty to provide equitable access to everyone we serve #ALN26

Accessibility is not a problem you solve once. It's an ongoing relationship #ALN26

If you are attending or following #ALN26 - do send in any competition photos to our email and you can view them on our Instagram stories: www.instagram.com/academiclibr...

@elysegirard.bsky.social speaking at #ALN26: Libraries being open and available to the communities we serve is not an aspiration but an institutional commitment.

Delegates had questions and have definitely been inspired by you and Billy 🐝 - thank for sharing your lovely open (and yellow!) project with #ALN26 today 💛

Katharine Davidson-Brown@libraritron.bsky.social · last mo.

Presenting at @academiclibsnorth.bsky.social conference this morning all about Student Wellbeing (and belonging, and openness and inclusivity). with very yellow slides and lots of pictures and Billy 🐝 #ALN26

Thanks @ajpickering.bsky.social - the breaks have been enjoyed to top up drinks and indulge in ice cream/lollies. Hoping laptops and PCs cope in the heat too! #ALN26 #hotconference #notacardyinsight

Amanda @ajpickering.bsky.social · last mo.

One for everyone at the @academiclibsnorth.bsky.social online conference?!

#ALN26 2A: Student partnership in the creation of accessible library guides (Univ. of Chester Library); Library induction: engaging non-campus-based students through flexible resources @hallamlibrary.bsky.social; Moving beyond discussion: open philosophies into practice @uomlibrary.bsky.social

Session 1B for #ALN26 papers Beyond advocacy: designing sustainable and ethical Open Research @hallamlibrary.bsky.social Investigating the link between open access repositories and citation impact @livunilibrary.bsky.social #openresearch #openaccess

Yes, we do too...really strong way of capturing the ethos of the #openaccess movement #ALN26

Nick Sheppard@nickshepp.bsky.social · last mo.

I like the conception of library/open research support roles as: steward, facilitator, enabler #ALN26

Parallel sessions for #ALN26 now - here's what our delegates have to choose from... Session 1A Student wellbeing: a year round commitment @libraritron.bsky.social Exploring accessibility through sensory mapping @lborouniversity.bsky.social

@stephenpinfield keynote question on #generativeAI treat it with caution, with criticism, especially in relation to #scholarlypublications. Two-facedness of GenAI - benefits AND challenges need to be swiftly explored. Publishers research funders report an increase in agentic AI submissions. #ALN26

Epistemic openness can involve engagement between conventional scientific knowledge and indigenous knowledges can yield fruitfuk results e.g. -Environmental management -Biodiversity -Sustainable agriculture -Fisheries management #ALN26

"Scientific openness" (OA and other forms of open research) is necessary but not sufficient to achieve a global OA which is effective and equitable. @stephenpinfield.bsky.social argues we also need epistemic openness AND participatory openness #ALN26