Dr. Ben Mitchell
@drlibraryben.bsky.social
(he/they) Scholar. Geek. Nova Scotian. 🌍 Libraries (#GLAM), medical humanities, history/public history, neurodiversity and disability studies. 🌍 Geekier at: @willow0wisp.bsky.social
Pinned
Dr. Ben Mitchell
libraryben.trubox.ca
Lots of new follows and following after being on those lists. Folks who are interested can see some of my work and video recording of recent talks I've given on my website: libraryben.trubox.ca
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
OK, this is super neat: "Toronto's Linguistic Heritage" from @uoftcities.bsky.social!
It tracks the histories and geographies of linguistic communities in Toronto. Greek, Hungarian, Arabic...and way more! Bravo Aniket Kali & Jeff Allen!
schoolofcities.github.io/languages/to...
It tracks the histories and geographies of linguistic communities in Toronto. Greek, Hungarian, Arabic...and way more! Bravo Aniket Kali & Jeff Allen!
schoolofcities.github.io/languages/to...
Toronto's Linguistic Heritage
Explore how Toronto's linguistic landscape has evolved over decades.
schoolofcities.github.io
January 14, 2026 at 11:19 PM
OK, this is super neat: "Toronto's Linguistic Heritage" from @uoftcities.bsky.social!
It tracks the histories and geographies of linguistic communities in Toronto. Greek, Hungarian, Arabic...and way more! Bravo Aniket Kali & Jeff Allen!
schoolofcities.github.io/languages/to...
It tracks the histories and geographies of linguistic communities in Toronto. Greek, Hungarian, Arabic...and way more! Bravo Aniket Kali & Jeff Allen!
schoolofcities.github.io/languages/to...
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Speaker update!
We've added a new speaker, Danielle Baptiste, to the line-up for our seminar next week on power in autism research. Danielle is a PhD student at the University of Warwick, researching Black women's experiences around adult autism diagnosis.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quahrc-sem...
We've added a new speaker, Danielle Baptiste, to the line-up for our seminar next week on power in autism research. Danielle is a PhD student at the University of Warwick, researching Black women's experiences around adult autism diagnosis.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quahrc-sem...
QUAHRC Seminar: Rethinking Power in Autism Research
Rethinking Power in Autism Research: Intersectional, Participatory, and Afrocentric Futures?
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 14, 2026 at 12:05 PM
Speaker update!
We've added a new speaker, Danielle Baptiste, to the line-up for our seminar next week on power in autism research. Danielle is a PhD student at the University of Warwick, researching Black women's experiences around adult autism diagnosis.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quahrc-sem...
We've added a new speaker, Danielle Baptiste, to the line-up for our seminar next week on power in autism research. Danielle is a PhD student at the University of Warwick, researching Black women's experiences around adult autism diagnosis.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quahrc-sem...
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Several Canadian news orgs have already left X, but I believe @pressprogress.ca may be the first to adopt a policy setting standards around use of digital platforms
We think it's time news orgs stop prioritizing clicks and start requiring higher standards from these platforms
We think it's time news orgs stop prioritizing clicks and start requiring higher standards from these platforms
We’ve adopted a new policy clarifying how we’ll be using digital platforms to share our journalism
Going forward, we will expect any platforms we use to demonstrate basic commitments to user safety, information integrity and democratic values
Learn more: pressprogress.ca/journalistic...
Going forward, we will expect any platforms we use to demonstrate basic commitments to user safety, information integrity and democratic values
Learn more: pressprogress.ca/journalistic...
January 14, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Several Canadian news orgs have already left X, but I believe @pressprogress.ca may be the first to adopt a policy setting standards around use of digital platforms
We think it's time news orgs stop prioritizing clicks and start requiring higher standards from these platforms
We think it's time news orgs stop prioritizing clicks and start requiring higher standards from these platforms
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Study of 25,000 teens says social media time does not increase teenagers' mental health problems https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jan/14/social-media-time-does-not-increase-teenagers-mental-health-problems-study
News and analysis ⇢ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured
News and analysis ⇢ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured
January 14, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Study of 25,000 teens says social media time does not increase teenagers' mental health problems https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jan/14/social-media-time-does-not-increase-teenagers-mental-health-problems-study
News and analysis ⇢ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured
News and analysis ⇢ canadahealthwatch.ca/featured
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Still over half of UK universities remain active on X. @sheffielduni.bsky.social and University for the Creative Arts were the last two I had spotted as ceasing activity in the late summer. Maybe others since.
I've updated my data with regards to 141 UK institutions and who has gone where after X.
I've updated my data with regards to 141 UK institutions and who has gone where after X.
January 12, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Still over half of UK universities remain active on X. @sheffielduni.bsky.social and University for the Creative Arts were the last two I had spotted as ceasing activity in the late summer. Maybe others since.
I've updated my data with regards to 141 UK institutions and who has gone where after X.
I've updated my data with regards to 141 UK institutions and who has gone where after X.
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
"So in 1949, when Canada’s racist policy was finally abandoned, there were no homes, farms, or other assets for Japanese Canadians to return home to on coastal British Columbia. The 'property belonging to Japanese Canadians became the ‘antiques’ and ‘inheritance’ of other Canadians.'"
Disinheritance: The Internment of Japanese Canadians - JSTOR Daily
Glenn McPherson, the bureaucrat largely responsible for selling off the property of interned Japanese Canadians during World War II, was also a secret agent.
daily.jstor.org
January 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
"So in 1949, when Canada’s racist policy was finally abandoned, there were no homes, farms, or other assets for Japanese Canadians to return home to on coastal British Columbia. The 'property belonging to Japanese Canadians became the ‘antiques’ and ‘inheritance’ of other Canadians.'"
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Perennial reminder of this excellent paper about how secret police forces are swamped with underachievers
“We don’t want clever people. We want mediocrities.”
(Ungated summary here ajps.org/2019/10/08/w...)
“We don’t want clever people. We want mediocrities.”
(Ungated summary here ajps.org/2019/10/08/w...)
January 14, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Perennial reminder of this excellent paper about how secret police forces are swamped with underachievers
“We don’t want clever people. We want mediocrities.”
(Ungated summary here ajps.org/2019/10/08/w...)
“We don’t want clever people. We want mediocrities.”
(Ungated summary here ajps.org/2019/10/08/w...)
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
ALDinHE's Neurodiversity / Inclusivity community of practice is an informal, supportive environment to share experiences connected to neurodiversity & inclusivity. Find out how to get involved & access the neurodiversity resource bank: http://aldinhe.ac.uk/resource-bank/neurodivergence #LoveLD
January 14, 2026 at 2:59 PM
ALDinHE's Neurodiversity / Inclusivity community of practice is an informal, supportive environment to share experiences connected to neurodiversity & inclusivity. Find out how to get involved & access the neurodiversity resource bank: http://aldinhe.ac.uk/resource-bank/neurodivergence #LoveLD
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
As part of my commitment to open scholarship and/or my inability to think without doing it out loud, I have a new short form podcast project called The Sabbaticast. It's a place to share edtech research tidbits and also to wonder if I'm doing my sabbatical right:
Preview Episode – The Sabbaticast
sabbaticast.brennaclarkegray.ca
January 14, 2026 at 6:50 AM
As part of my commitment to open scholarship and/or my inability to think without doing it out loud, I have a new short form podcast project called The Sabbaticast. It's a place to share edtech research tidbits and also to wonder if I'm doing my sabbatical right:
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Congratulations Kylie 🥳🥳
Today is publication day! The Open Access version is now online so you can read for free on @manifoldscholar.bsky.social With huge thanks to @uncpress.bsky.social @ecds-emory.bsky.social and @foxcenteremory.bsky.social Go to jimcrowintheasylum.com
Jim Crow in the Asylum | Emory Center for Digital Scholarship - Manifold Scholarship
<h3>Untangling the relationship between race and psychiatry in the American South</h3>
There is a complicated history of racism and psychiatric healthcare in the Deep South states of Georgia, Alabama...
jimcrowintheasylum.com
January 13, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Congratulations Kylie 🥳🥳
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Oh hey, looks like Libby has a built in spot to let them know what we all think of their recent announcement about allowing AI books in their systems.
January 13, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Oh hey, looks like Libby has a built in spot to let them know what we all think of their recent announcement about allowing AI books in their systems.
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Northwestern University Libraries is helping their faculty understand the Anthropic copyright class action litigation. 📚 sites.northwestern.edu/northwestern...
University authors, don’t sleep on Anthropic AI settlement | LIBRARIES | Blog
By Liz Hamilton, Copyright Librarian If you are one of the many authors in the Northwestern community who has received an email titled “Court Notice:...
sites.northwestern.edu
January 12, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Northwestern University Libraries is helping their faculty understand the Anthropic copyright class action litigation. 📚 sites.northwestern.edu/northwestern...
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Thread 2 of a series on setting up an interesting feed and getting started with posting on a site without a central algorithm.
Today’s post is about finding accounts using Bluesky’s starter packs, and creating lists to organize accounts thematically.
#BlueskyHacks
1/
Today’s post is about finding accounts using Bluesky’s starter packs, and creating lists to organize accounts thematically.
#BlueskyHacks
1/
January 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Thread 2 of a series on setting up an interesting feed and getting started with posting on a site without a central algorithm.
Today’s post is about finding accounts using Bluesky’s starter packs, and creating lists to organize accounts thematically.
#BlueskyHacks
1/
Today’s post is about finding accounts using Bluesky’s starter packs, and creating lists to organize accounts thematically.
#BlueskyHacks
1/
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
It was such a pleasure to talk with Rich. You can watch the first part of the interview at the link below: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mxq...
January 13, 2026 at 4:37 PM
It was such a pleasure to talk with Rich. You can watch the first part of the interview at the link below: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mxq...
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
This is a really significant article for anyone working on human rights, civil liberties and protest in history.
#Skystorians Thought I'd flag this important new article out as may not been on historians radars. It's a fab article by the late Conor Gearty, one of the UK's leading scholars of human rights & civil liberties: 'The Suffragette Movement and Civil Liberties', doi.org/10.1017/S000...
THE SUFFRAGETTE MOVEMENT AND CIVIL LIBERTIES | The Cambridge Law Journal | Cambridge Core
THE SUFFRAGETTE MOVEMENT AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
doi.org
January 12, 2026 at 1:33 PM
This is a really significant article for anyone working on human rights, civil liberties and protest in history.
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
TIL that Alexander McMillan subsidized 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 for 30 years until it began to make a profit.
www.asimov.press/p/nature
#ScholComm
www.asimov.press/p/nature
#ScholComm
How Nature Became a 'Prestige' Journal
Since launching in 1869, Nature has evolved from a periodical offering commentary on pigeons to the prestige journal in science. But how did Nature build its reputation, and can it last?
www.asimov.press
January 11, 2026 at 8:32 PM
TIL that Alexander McMillan subsidized 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 for 30 years until it began to make a profit.
www.asimov.press/p/nature
#ScholComm
www.asimov.press/p/nature
#ScholComm
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
How did manga and anime—“moving manga”—become ubiquitous? MANGA'S FIRST CENTURY delves into the history and finds surprising answers.
Read our Q&A with author Andrea Horbinski for #AHA26:
Read our Q&A with author Andrea Horbinski for #AHA26:
Q&A with Andrea Horbinski, author of "Manga's First Century"
Author Andrea Horbinski talks about her manga and anime interests and why the first century of the most popular form of storytelling is vital for fans and non-fans to know.
www.ucpress.edu
January 9, 2026 at 8:01 PM
How did manga and anime—“moving manga”—become ubiquitous? MANGA'S FIRST CENTURY delves into the history and finds surprising answers.
Read our Q&A with author Andrea Horbinski for #AHA26:
Read our Q&A with author Andrea Horbinski for #AHA26:
Job Posting
Access Services Assistant
Location:
Guelph, ON, CA, N1G 2W1
careers.uoguelph.ca/job/Guelph-A...
Access Services Assistant
Location:
Guelph, ON, CA, N1G 2W1
careers.uoguelph.ca/job/Guelph-A...
Access Services Assistant
Access Services Assistant
careers.uoguelph.ca
January 9, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Job Posting
Access Services Assistant
Location:
Guelph, ON, CA, N1G 2W1
careers.uoguelph.ca/job/Guelph-A...
Access Services Assistant
Location:
Guelph, ON, CA, N1G 2W1
careers.uoguelph.ca/job/Guelph-A...
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Just ordered a copy of The Gardens of the British Working Class Paperback by Margaret Willes from Oxfam. Really looking forward to spending a few winter evenings reading it with the promise of spring around the corner.
January 7, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Just ordered a copy of The Gardens of the British Working Class Paperback by Margaret Willes from Oxfam. Really looking forward to spending a few winter evenings reading it with the promise of spring around the corner.
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
This conversation was SUCH a delight. I thought I knew and understand UDL, but @fritztesha.bsky.social's framework for using UDL as a tool for antiracism was so eye-opening. Another reminder of how K-12 educators have so much to teach us in post-secondary.
www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Scholarly-Po...
www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Scholarly-Po...
January 8, 2026 at 10:25 PM
This conversation was SUCH a delight. I thought I knew and understand UDL, but @fritztesha.bsky.social's framework for using UDL as a tool for antiracism was so eye-opening. Another reminder of how K-12 educators have so much to teach us in post-secondary.
www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Scholarly-Po...
www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Scholarly-Po...
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
Very interesting article. This articulates really well some things we’ve been discussing and working to combat in my team at work. For profit open access is a scourge.
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
#academicSky
theconversation.com/the-5-stages...
#academicSky
theconversation.com/the-5-stages...
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
Academic publishing now shows the same decline that has hit social media and online marketplaces.
theconversation.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:40 AM
Very interesting article. This articulates really well some things we’ve been discussing and working to combat in my team at work. For profit open access is a scourge.
Reposted by Dr. Ben Mitchell
#TTRPG Designers, players, & related nerds:
@ttrpgcataloging.bsky.social is a group of Library & Information Science MA students are working on a research project focused on improving cataloging for TTRPGs — unbelievably important work!
They’re seeking participants for interviews.
@ttrpgcataloging.bsky.social is a group of Library & Information Science MA students are working on a research project focused on improving cataloging for TTRPGs — unbelievably important work!
They’re seeking participants for interviews.
January 8, 2026 at 1:31 AM