Ed Sperr
@edsperr.bsky.social
Librarian/Developer
Currently serving as a Systems and Discovery Librarian
searchworkbench.info
https://esperr.github.io/visualizingpubmed/
https://esperr.github.io/collection-view/
Currently serving as a Systems and Discovery Librarian
searchworkbench.info
https://esperr.github.io/visualizingpubmed/
https://esperr.github.io/collection-view/
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Working on some archival materials today & a box is missing two items: Disc 6 and Disc 7
It is as the prophecy warned . . .
It is as the prophecy warned . . .
November 10, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Working on some archival materials today & a box is missing two items: Disc 6 and Disc 7
It is as the prophecy warned . . .
It is as the prophecy warned . . .
Reposted by Ed Sperr
The amount of truly bad systematic reviews is about to skyrocket isn't it...
#medlibs 📚
www.elsevier.com/about/press-...
#medlibs 📚
www.elsevier.com/about/press-...
November 7, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The amount of truly bad systematic reviews is about to skyrocket isn't it...
#medlibs 📚
www.elsevier.com/about/press-...
#medlibs 📚
www.elsevier.com/about/press-...
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Stop by the Main Library on Nov. 11–13 for our Dirty Book Sale between 9–3 PM! 📚 We will be selling a variety of books at 50% off. You don't want to miss out on this massive sale.
This is rain or shine. If raining, find us in the front library lobby.
#SpotlightontheArts #booksale #ugapress
This is rain or shine. If raining, find us in the front library lobby.
#SpotlightontheArts #booksale #ugapress
November 8, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Stop by the Main Library on Nov. 11–13 for our Dirty Book Sale between 9–3 PM! 📚 We will be selling a variety of books at 50% off. You don't want to miss out on this massive sale.
This is rain or shine. If raining, find us in the front library lobby.
#SpotlightontheArts #booksale #ugapress
This is rain or shine. If raining, find us in the front library lobby.
#SpotlightontheArts #booksale #ugapress
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
November 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Ed Sperr
oh so these people do pay attention to who politicians follow on social media, they just don’t care that the vice president follows a bunch of actual neo-nazis
Axios tried to bust James Talarico for following adult content creators on Instagram and I'm genuinely impressed by his campaign's response
November 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
oh so these people do pay attention to who politicians follow on social media, they just don’t care that the vice president follows a bunch of actual neo-nazis
Reposted by Ed Sperr
"If discovery tools return hallucinated results, the credibility of the library itself could be undermined. Students may come to see the library’s systems as just another unreliable search engine."
BINGO
BINGO
November 7, 2025 at 9:06 PM
"If discovery tools return hallucinated results, the credibility of the library itself could be undermined. Students may come to see the library’s systems as just another unreliable search engine."
BINGO
BINGO
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Hear me out, maybe libraries ... don't need AI for anything? This is a solution in search of a problem.
Aside from my "was this really written in 2025, not two years ago" snarky response, I couldn't help thinking throughout this entire blog post that a huge part of why so many libraries are STUCK on dealing with AI is because we literally don't have the staff time or funding to deal with it.
Do Academic Libraries Have a Strategy for AI? 📚
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
"...while two-thirds of libraries are exploring AI features in vendor products, only about half are offering guidance to their communities on how to use AI responsibly in academic work."
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/30/g...
November 8, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Hear me out, maybe libraries ... don't need AI for anything? This is a solution in search of a problem.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
::movie trailer voice:: They said he was retired, but Bill Kristol has one more regime to change...
Abolish Border Patrol.
Trump deportation agent: "I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys.”
November 7, 2025 at 7:06 PM
::movie trailer voice:: They said he was retired, but Bill Kristol has one more regime to change...
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Hey #medlibs, I built a tool for making it easier to create proximity search strings in PubMed. Check it out!
I presented at PNC-MLA this afternoon and will follow up with a link to the recording when it's posted.
I presented at PNC-MLA this afternoon and will follow up with a link to the recording when it's posted.
Pairwise PubMed Search Generator
The Pairwise PubMed Search Generator is a web application for working around the truncation limit...
pairwise-pubmed.streamlit.app
November 6, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Hey #medlibs, I built a tool for making it easier to create proximity search strings in PubMed. Check it out!
I presented at PNC-MLA this afternoon and will follow up with a link to the recording when it's posted.
I presented at PNC-MLA this afternoon and will follow up with a link to the recording when it's posted.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
📚📜
Librarians told 404 Media they're being inundated with new pitches for AI library tech and catalogs are being flooded with AI slop books.
But more broadly, AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, government workers, and academics.
But more broadly, AI maximalism across society is supercharging the ideological war on libraries, schools, government workers, and academics.
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 7, 2025 at 12:47 AM
📚📜
Reposted by Ed Sperr
“The New College of Florida Board of Trustees voted on a 5-year compensation package for president Richard Corcoran, making him one of the highest paid college presidents in the state. Corcoran will be paid up to $1.1 million a year, including bonuses and benefits.”
www.wlrn.org/education/20...
www.wlrn.org/education/20...
November 7, 2025 at 1:26 PM
“The New College of Florida Board of Trustees voted on a 5-year compensation package for president Richard Corcoran, making him one of the highest paid college presidents in the state. Corcoran will be paid up to $1.1 million a year, including bonuses and benefits.”
www.wlrn.org/education/20...
www.wlrn.org/education/20...
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Chris Rufo/Ron DeSantis overhauled New College and made it "the most financially inefficient school in the university system"
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
New College of Florida shows soaring expenses as state targets 'woke waste'
A report by Florida DOGE found that Sarasota's New College is the most financially inefficient school in the university system.
www.heraldtribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Chris Rufo/Ron DeSantis overhauled New College and made it "the most financially inefficient school in the university system"
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Reposted by Ed Sperr
An Opera Explores the Story of Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of DNA www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-o...
An Opera Explores the Story of Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of DNA
Betrayal, ambition and the double helix: turning Rosalind Franklin’s story and the discovery of the structure of DNA into an opera
www.scientificamerican.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
An Opera Explores the Story of Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of DNA www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-o...
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Hundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Hundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Yep. Drastically reducing the population of immigration judges at the same time they’re trying to accelerate deportations are not the actions of an administration that intends to continue to respect due process.
And of course this is in the context of the system being *short* several hundred immigration judges in the first place...
Great and important reporting here. But the administration has been pretty clear about how these judges need to rule in order to keep their jobs. So I think we’re well beyond perception of fairness.
November 7, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Yep. Drastically reducing the population of immigration judges at the same time they’re trying to accelerate deportations are not the actions of an administration that intends to continue to respect due process.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
The entire set of arguments around "using LLMs correctly" boils down to voluntarily introducing friction: doctoring the prompt and/or carefully reviewing the output. But the experience is not designed for that approach; nothing about the output of ChatGPT suggests even remotely that it's a v1 draft.
March 28, 2025 at 3:26 PM
The entire set of arguments around "using LLMs correctly" boils down to voluntarily introducing friction: doctoring the prompt and/or carefully reviewing the output. But the experience is not designed for that approach; nothing about the output of ChatGPT suggests even remotely that it's a v1 draft.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
From another perspective, friction is texture. Yes, "frictionless" things are easier. But "easy" in a vacuum is worth nothing. What's valuable is making the RIGHT THING easier to do than the WRONG THING.
Otherwise, people will happily go down the path of least resistance and do the wrong thing!!!
Otherwise, people will happily go down the path of least resistance and do the wrong thing!!!
March 28, 2025 at 3:23 PM
From another perspective, friction is texture. Yes, "frictionless" things are easier. But "easy" in a vacuum is worth nothing. What's valuable is making the RIGHT THING easier to do than the WRONG THING.
Otherwise, people will happily go down the path of least resistance and do the wrong thing!!!
Otherwise, people will happily go down the path of least resistance and do the wrong thing!!!
Reposted by Ed Sperr
ChatGPT is the only mass-adopted AI product. Nobody cared about GPT-3, but the chat wrapper removed the frictions of previous modalities like Talk to Transformer.
And the internet was instantly flooded with shit, because it was also optimized - for frictionless input.
And the internet was instantly flooded with shit, because it was also optimized - for frictionless input.
March 28, 2025 at 3:17 PM
ChatGPT is the only mass-adopted AI product. Nobody cared about GPT-3, but the chat wrapper removed the frictions of previous modalities like Talk to Transformer.
And the internet was instantly flooded with shit, because it was also optimized - for frictionless input.
And the internet was instantly flooded with shit, because it was also optimized - for frictionless input.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
If you say "we are making it frictionless" you are actually just moving the friction somewhere else, and because it's *unintentional* it's likely going to be making the experience worse.
Consider the "frictionless" ability to generate 1000 AI job applications, vs the friction the recruiter now has.
Consider the "frictionless" ability to generate 1000 AI job applications, vs the friction the recruiter now has.
March 28, 2025 at 3:13 PM
If you say "we are making it frictionless" you are actually just moving the friction somewhere else, and because it's *unintentional* it's likely going to be making the experience worse.
Consider the "frictionless" ability to generate 1000 AI job applications, vs the friction the recruiter now has.
Consider the "frictionless" ability to generate 1000 AI job applications, vs the friction the recruiter now has.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
I think about this post every day 🧪
November 7, 2025 at 12:15 PM
I think about this post every day 🧪
And of course this is in the context of the system being *short* several hundred immigration judges in the first place...
Great and important reporting here. But the administration has been pretty clear about how these judges need to rule in order to keep their jobs. So I think we’re well beyond perception of fairness.
Immigration judges with prior immigrant defense work make up the largest share of those fired by the Trump admin. NPR identified 70 fired immigration judges. The changes have at least shifted perception of fairness in these courts
My latest investigation: www.npr.org/2025/11/06/g...
My latest investigation: www.npr.org/2025/11/06/g...
November 7, 2025 at 1:16 PM
And of course this is in the context of the system being *short* several hundred immigration judges in the first place...
"Just one more datacenter bro. I promise just one more datacenter and one more petabyte of training data and it'll fix everything bro..."
"Even with notable gains in fluency, GPT-5 is still prone to hallucinate, break rules, and exhibit latent capabilities that raise safety and biosecurity concerns" www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The fragile intelligence of GPT-5 in medicine
Nature Medicine - The latest large language model from OpenAI offers safety gains, persistent risks and the illusion of understanding.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
"Just one more datacenter bro. I promise just one more datacenter and one more petabyte of training data and it'll fix everything bro..."
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Curious about using census microdata in your research? 📊
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Register for IPUMs International Online Session
Please use this form to register for the IPUMs International Session hosted by the Historical Economic Demography Group at LSE.
The session will be on Zoom from 15:15-16:30 UK Time on 12 November 202...
forms.gle
November 5, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Curious about using census microdata in your research? 📊
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Join us for a webinar on IPUMS International, the world’s leading repository of harmonized census data.
🗓️ 12 Nov 2025 | 🕒 15:15–16:30 UK | 💻 Zoom
Register: forms.gle/oqTDNU4Zpn2s...
Hosted by the LSE Historical Economic Demography Group.
Reposted by Ed Sperr
Looks like this officer… didn’t cut the mustard
November 4, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Looks like this officer… didn’t cut the mustard