Just eating tonight’s triumphant risotto. Kitchen looks like a murder scene. But worth it.
Lesley Pitman
@lesleypitman.bsky.social
Librarian at large. Chair of CILIP ILIG. Used to be a Slavonic librarian. Posts a random mix of libraries, Russia, food (gluten free) and the joys of life in Tooting. https://hcommons.org/members/lesleypitman/
Bizarre and surreal merger of articles on the Middle East and Jimmy Cricket in today’s Guardian. Only in text mode, which is always unpredictable.
I hope you are all very grateful. It always rains when I go to the hairdresser, and guess what I’m doing today. A very little rain is falling on Tooting. Best I could manage.
📢PROJECT UPDATE📢 You may have seen the news that the University of Exeter, home of the wills project, has placed 500 academics at risk of redundancy. The project leader Prof. Jane Whittle & project co-investigator Dr Laura Sangha are both at risk, alongside almost all of the History department. 1/
Expert statement on the importance of professional library leadership in Lambeth Libraries https://www.europesays.com/gbr/london/8661/ Dr Alice Corble, Lecturer in Library and Information Studies at University College London, has written this statement addressing…
Expert statement on the importance of professional library leadership in Lambeth Libraries - London | EUROPESAYS.COM
Dr Alice Corble, Lecturer in Library and Information Studies at University College London, has written this statement addressing their concerns about the
europesays.com
Was simultaneously riveted and soothed last night by this live cam of a barn owl nest from the National Trust. If you can’t sleep it is perfect. m.youtube.com/watch?v=SuNY...
Barn Owl Nest – LIVE from National Trust Arlington Court 2026
YouTube video by National Trust
m.youtube.com
According to the BBC website there is an 11 per cent chance of rain in Tooting at 3pm today. Precisely 11 per cent. I suppose that is progress.
"amends state laws by including librarians...among those who can be criminally charged for distributing or providing materials deemed “harmful to minors.” The law...fails to define what constitutes “obscene” or “inappropriate.” " bookriot.com/arkansas-act...
Librarians and Booksellers Will Be Arrested For Doing Their Jobs in Arkansas
A Federal Judge has allowed an Arkansas law to go into effect that will lead to widespread book bans and jail time for librarians.
bookriot.com
Like all great writers, it's a time to pay tribute to the words they left us with
The National@scotnational.bsky.social · 2d agoBREAKING: Sunday Times and Sun columnist Rod Liddle has died aged 66 after a short illness
Free advice: try to live your life in such a way that people won't be queuing up to celebrate your death.
What I should say is that my interest in books, and aspects of my own writing style, were greatly enhanced by the unknown librarian who chose to stock the complete works of Orwell and Evelyn Waugh, as well as Greene and Wodehouse in the school library. I read so much outside class.
Jo Wolff@jowolff.bsky.social · 4d agoIn my case I developed a love of reading and language on my own and my English teachers seemed determined to do whatever they could to snuff it out. (I’m sure they were well intentioned but it didn’t work for me).
I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful
A fascist party founded just months ago polled 8.7%, ahead of the Conservatives, in the Manchester mayoral election. What’s happening on the right of British politics is terrifying.
Election Maps UK@electionmaps.uk · 5d agoGreater Manchester Mayoral By-Election Result: 🌹 Craig | LAB: 47.2% ➡️ Astley | RFM: 21.0% 🌍 Coggins | GRN: 12.2% ◼️ West | RES: 8.7% 🌳 Eckersley | CON: 7.7% 🔶 Kilpatrick | LDM: 2.2% 🙋 Farmer | Ind: 0.6% 2nd Round: 🌹 Craig | LAB: 66.3% ➡️ Astley | RFM: 33.7% Labour HOLD.
Terry Belanger would begin his Rare Book School classes by physically destroying/dismantling a (well-chosen) old book. This is NOT the same as what Anthropic is doing! But there is a popular culture of preciousness around books that is belied by the material realities of their circumstances. +
Daniel Bellingradt@dbellingradt.bsky.social · 7d agoAI companies scanning and shredding old and rare books is bad, but you should be aware that shredding new, old, and used books is an established practice of selling and marketing books. In fact, hundreds of millions of books are shredded every year discretly, and legally, in Europe alone. #booksky
A shame that WLIC in Busan is not offering any chance to attend virtually. I can’t attend in person and would really appreciate being able to drop into some sessions online, and would be prepared to pay a reasonable fee. Are we going backwards in making events like this accessible? I hope not.
I am not here to legitimize the business practices of the US-based tech companies, because if they physically destroy unique or very rare books, that's bad. But most stuff you would find in a second-hand book store around your corner is not the super rare or unique publication you might think of.
This is just to say I have OCRed the text thet was in tne arch:ve and whicb yov were prabaldy seamhing for "breahtast" Fargme ms fheg mem debo:w5 sb ?mccf mmb 5c oc1b
Lifelong learning keeps people moving forward, not just up. One small step: local libraries and community colleges often have free or cheap courses. Easy way to start without a big commitment. Glad you're pointing this out.
Very happy to see more vocational education for those that want it, but how on earth are they going to prevent those 14 year olds from working class backgrounds who would actually benefit from university going down that route instead?
Anyway don’t worry you’ll be protected from AI generated slop as Amazon limits the number of titles authors can create to 10 BOOKS PER FORMAT PER WEEK
What would I be prepared to do to fight fascism? The perennial question. But not posting on Twitter seems a pretty small ask. Amazed how many people I have admired are still doing it.
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 2w agoThere is simply no ambiguity in what Elon Musk is arguing and endorsing here.
An article on rough sleeping in yesterday’s Guardian was illustrated with the homeless man who lives on a bench outside Tooting Library. A sad story that seems impossible to resolve, despite many attempts. His mother died a couple of years ago but he is still there. www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories...
Is it OK if someone wants to live for years on a bench?
A mother and son have been living on a bench for more than four years. Why haven't they been housed?
bbc.co.uk
I wonder whether John Healy will get called, "John From Accounts" or whether that name was exclusively reserved for Rachel Reeves because she is a woman.
It’s official: starting today you can enjoy unlimited bus and tram journeys every weekend for the price of a single daily journey.
Good to see such a quick response.
CILIP@cilip.bsky.social · 2w agoWe’ve listened carefully to your feedback on our new website, and you are absolutely right to hold us to account. During the development phase we used AI generated images as place holders, and unfortunately not all of these were replaced before the site went live.
Just been reminded that if you are coeliac, avoid Pizza Pilgrims. All those gluten free pizzas on their website? They’re not for you.
⏱️161 hours. That's how long the River Wandle had sewage pumped into it last year. We need urgent action to protect this precious natural resource for generations to come.