John Barbrook

Code Club Sunday: Spaces Free for Out of this World. A free,volunteer-led coding club where ages 7-17 explore coding and more. Sunday in the library go 'Out of this World' taking part in the Astro Pi challenge - have your code displayed on the International Space Station! www.codeclublancaster.org

YouTube video by PoliticsJOE We have become slaves to Silicon Valley | Cory Doctorow Interview

@politicsjoe.bsky.social interviewing one of my favourite authors, Cory Doctorow, on digital enshittification? Don't mind if I do! www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzEU...

Photo of SCONUL Library design award 2025 showing circular wooden plaque with SCONUL logo

We have received a national design award from SCONUL, the Society for College, National and University Libraries. The award recognises the sustained impact and benefits provided by our Library extension which was opened in 2021.

Learn more on SCONUL's website: www.sconul.ac.uk/News/View?g=...

Christmas is great and all, presents, food, top telly. But what we really care about is the new @overton.io advanced search builder. That they added "effortlessly spot-check and replicate queries across different projects or when conducting #systematicreviews." is quite exciting. Well for me. #nerd

It could be worse, though. Rude.

Oh dear. A thing happened 🙄 #pubmed

I made a #3dprinted case for a fellow #maker and his #meshtastic. I used sparkling filament and a holographic build plate because, why not? And doesn't it look fabulous! @lammspace.bsky.social

Library of Things - with some potential items to borrow.

We are working towards creating a Library of Things in Lancaster. Do you want to be able to borrow something for a few days, for a small cost, such as a drill or a tent or a carpet cleaner or a lawnmower?

You can help this happen by voting: libraryofthings.co.uk/heatmap/lanc...

#libraryofthings

#3dprinted cane toppers.... #allotments

New boundary fence and sign

Woodshed.

Last day of leave.... I made a fancy new sign using the @lammspace.bsky.social lasercutter for the allotment and finished the refurbished fence. I also have filled my woodstore with enough to keep me entertained for a while! #smallwins

I can say this for myself and hopefully much of the Information Scientist community, thanks! This is brilliant work and will probably save me a lot of time going forward. #healthlibs #systematicreviews

When I entered the hallowed halls of The Department Of Information and Library Studies (Campus shared with Rural Studies, and you could tell) at @aberuni.bsky.social, way back in the 1990s, I recall that "Librarians will be all out of jobs" was pretty much the first, rather sarcastic OHP slide 😀

This is a fantastic offer. Hopefully we will see many more #systematicreviews using @policycommons.bsky.social. #greylit is the future. #medlibs

So far, the best scoping review on using #LLMs in #SystematicReviews by our German colleagues

"Large Language Models for Conducting Systematic Reviews: On the Rise, But Not Yet Ready for Use - A Scoping Review"

#GenerativeAI #AI #EvidenceSynthesis

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40021099/

Interview with Professor Jos Kleijnen on 40 Years of Systematic Reviews

He shares great lessons, stories, and wisdom, mentioning many people who shaped the #EvidenceBasedMedicine & #SystematicReviews

youtu.be/z88VyBb-9pQ

The @ebscouk.bsky.social pricing tiers for Academic Search rather confusingly include 'Premier, Elite, Ultimate and Complete'. For a fun new library pub quiz game, you could rank them in order of number of journals. It is trickier than you think!
#healthlibs #libraries

It was actually pretty fun! I managed a bike shop at the time and we rented it out all the time. It had the turning circle of a school bus unfortunately. I missed it so much I built an updated version 10 years later. I couldn't find anyone reckless enough to ride it with me though 😀

Blast from the past incoming. I built an early MTB tandem in 2006, but would I ride it now? I am unsure. But those were different, less risk adverse times, we were all listening to Jack Johnson and everything was alright.

I have started taking orders for my #3Dprinter. Mainly BRIO track pieces. What should I charge? Tidy bedroom? Maths homework completed?

I am unsure if this is a genuine #library job, as it looks a little like an AI-generated hallucination. But I like to think it is. #libraries #libraryjobs #linkedin

Obligatory

a group of people are sitting in a park with a white truck in the background . ALT: a group of people are sitting in a park with a white truck in the background .

New EBSCO Interface. Share your best GIFs. #medlibs #systematicreviews #sysrev

A feature I love about Google Photos is that whenever I am near somewhere I lived, it sends me a playlist of places and the bikes I rode. In this case Berlin and the folding bike I found in the Flea Market. Circa 2009/2010. Whoever thought up that feature, I would like to buy you a beer. #goodvibes

I can imagine that all the 'Engagement and Influence Specialists' are padding their friends list before Bluesky gets popular. This is why we can't have nice things 😭

It is often faster isn't it! If you are interested in some more additional areas (grey lit/decolonisation) in relation to Systematic Reviews. Would love to have a chat.

a man in a suit and tie is saying " you 're in no position " ALT: a man in a suit and tie is saying " you 're in no position "

Colleague. It would be best practice if you searched 3+ Databases in your #systematicreview

Researcher: Really? The most I can do is two. No subject terms.

a cartoon of homer simpson and bart simpson sitting on a couch with the words welcome join the club ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson and bart simpson sitting on a couch with the words welcome join the club

Hiiii it's nice to see so many of you showing up here!

#medlibs

Uhoh. I can only handle one terrible interface redesign at a time. I am but one person 😬😭

Is Skeets the word now? I am so out of date 😂

Suppose I am on Bluesky now! Here is a photo of a #3dprinted pangolin at Light up Lancaster. That is all.