Jane Falconer
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falkie71.bsky.social
Jane Falconer
@falkie71.bsky.social
220 followers 230 following 78 posts
Librarian at @lshtm.bsky.social. Systematic review searching, user services and teaching at work. History, #LFC and #crochet geek at home. Exiled highlander. She/her
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Reposted by Jane Falconer
cilip.bsky.social
Call for volunteers to join the National Committee for IFLA World Library & Information Congress in London 2027!

Would you like to help organise the the sector's biggest global event & can spare 1-3 days per month? Check out our website: https://ow.ly/Wbhp50Y4Xic
Deadline to apply: Midnight 13 Feb
Graphic inviting applications to join the IFLA WLIC 2027 National Committee with roles like marketing, programme, and social events.
January 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM
falkie71.bsky.social
The Library, Archive & Open Research Service at #LSHTM has joined Bluesky.

You can follow them at @lshtm-laors.bsky.social.

Watch out for info about what's going on, updates on our professional practice, and photos of our gorgeous library space.
February 2, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
suelacey-bryant.bsky.social
The most prestigious international event in the calendar of library and information professionals is coming home to London in 2027.
As President of @cilip.bsky.social I am delighted to share the news of @ifla.org World Library and Information Congress.
www.stationers.org/news/industr...
The World Library and Information Congress is coming to London for the first time in 25 years
The most prestigious international event in the calendar of library and information professionals is coming home to London in 2027. Freeman Sue Lacey Bryant who
www.stationers.org
November 30, 2025 at 11:25 AM
falkie71.bsky.social
If the IHR's publicity isn't enough, you can meet my work colleagues from @lshtm.bsky.social Archives service if you go.
ihr.bsky.social Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · Sep 25
What can you expect to find at #HistDay25 our celebration of history collections with @senatehouselib.bsky.social? Come along and find out on 4 Nov. Book your free space here www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
October 31, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
cilip.bsky.social
Library services across all sectors can now sign up to test a pilot Green Libraries Self-Assessment Framework and audit their climate actions! https://forms.office.com/e/y4Ga4xEUkp #GreenLibraries
Women wearing a green shirt, sitting at a desk working on a laptop with her right hand raised. Plant in the foreground. Green Libraries Campaign logo in corner and #greenlibraries hashtag. ‘Pilot the Self-Assessment Framework’ top right
October 31, 2025 at 10:01 AM
falkie71.bsky.social
A scoping review I provided the searches for has been published. Building resilience against the growing threat of arboviruses: a scoping review of Aedes vector surveillance, control strategies and insecticide resistance in Africa. doi.org/10.1186/s130...
#ScopingReview #MedLibs
Building resilience against the growing threat of arboviruses: a scoping review of Aedes vector surveillance, control strategies and insecticide resistance in Africa - Parasites & Vectors
Background The number of reports of arboviral outbreaks is increasing and, consequently, the need for effective surveillance and vector control plans for Aedes-borne diseases is becoming more urgent. ...
doi.org
October 31, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
ellaflem.bsky.social
Coming from mid-November 2025 for Cochrane reviews:

💥 A new AI disclosure section across all reviews
💥 Changes to all reviews types to reflect evolving methodological best practice & to align with recent changes to intervention reviews
💥 Changes to how rapid reviews are managed
cochrane.org The Cochrane Collaboration @cochrane.org · Sep 23
Clearer, more consistent Cochrane reviews are coming.

From mid-November, we’re updating reporting formats to make reviews easier to use, more accessible, and more impactful.

🔗 www.cochrane.org/about-us/new...
Cochrane logo on a blue background with the text 'Cochrane aligns reporting formats for diverse types of reviews.' Below, a stack of books on a table in a library setting conveys a scholarly tone.
September 23, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
lshtm.bsky.social
👋It's #WelcomeWeek at LSHTM & the start of a new academic year!

We're excited to welcome our new & returning students who are pursuing their #PublicHealth dreams. Here's to a successful & inspiring year ahead!🎉

👉 www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/new-st...
September 23, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
barrydeutsch.bsky.social
DuckDuckGo has added a feature to filter out AI images from search results.
Post from "The Rundown" July 18 at 5:30 PM · DuckDuckGo has introduced a new feature allowing users to filter out AI-generated images from search results, addressing growing concerns over synthetic content overwhelming authentic visuals online. The filter can be activated through a dropdown in the Images tab, search settings, or by using a dedicated AI-free domain: noai.duckduckgo.com. The system relies on curated blocklists, including uBlockOrigin’s Huge AI Blocklist, to detect and suppress AI-generated imagery. While not perfect, it significantly reduces synthetic content visibility. This move sets DuckDuckGo apart from competitors like Google and Bing by giving users direct control over their exposure to AI-generated material. Source: TechCrunch
August 2, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
stephenkb.bsky.social
I will never not understand how a minority of people have decided that wind farms - significantly prettier than pylons, coal power plants, nuclear power plants, and almost certainly fusion power plants - are ugly. In terms of energy generation, what else are you hoping for that is better?
dsquareddigest.bsky.social Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · Jul 27
On holiday, I notice that there are wind turbines on the shore of Lake Garda, which very much makes me think that residents with a view of some incredibly mid Cotswold or other can put a sock in it.
July 28, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
silencedrowns.com
Tom Lehrer made all of his music 100% public domain so if seeing people sad about his death makes you want to check them out… it’s free. he wanted you to share them.

tomlehrersongs.com
July 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
catacalypto.bsky.social
absolutely nails it. the work of language in the age of mechanical reproduction I guess
July 28, 2025 at 1:11 AM
falkie71.bsky.social
I've updated my blog post on what's happening in the world of Trump, science and academic information to include a link to the Trump Action Tracker. This is maintained by @chrischirp.bsky.social.
Alternative sources of US Federal Government Information - Library, Archive & Open Research Services blog
(and information about what is happening within the STEM information landscape) With the transition to...
blogs.lshtm.ac.uk
July 28, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
anne-infospec.bsky.social
Brilliant to see the important work of health information specialists highlighted. What use is a systematic review based on a poor search?
yhec.bsky.social York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) @yhec.bsky.social · Jul 18
👋 Meet Mick Arber, Senior Information Specialist at YHEC.

With 25+ years in health information and evidence synthesis, Mick brings expertise in robust, high-quality literature searching.

Read more: sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/y...

#EvidenceBasedMedicine #MedLibs
Graphic showing a headshot of YHEC's Mick Arber. The wording reads: Senior Information Specialist, Mick Arber. There is a quote from Mick: "The challenges you meet for each review are different each time and, usually, there's no single correct way to meet that challenge. What we're always trying to achieve is the sweet spot, the balance of robustness and efficiency that is appropriate to the particular project." The YHEC logo is in the bottom right corner.
July 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
nedpotter.bsky.social
If you've worked on a library project to showcase ethnically minoritised authors, and you've received recommendations for books from students and staff (and you see this today or over the weekend...) I'd love to hear from you. We're buying some books on a tight deadline!

Some more context below. 📚
I'm working on a UX-led project at the moment in inclusivity and belonging in the library. One of the recommendations is a showcase space for ethnically minoritised authors - a physical space, with physical books, which we're setting up now. Thanks to an unexpected injection of funds we are currently buying items to go into this space, but our ordering window ends on Monday due to the impending close of the financial year. If you work in a library that has done this sort of thing before, specifically via *recommendations from staff and students*, I'd love to hear from you. Quite honestly, ideally with a list of the books you've ordered! Just send me a message here. I want to be clear that this isn't just about adding books to stock, or diversifying our collections as an end in itself, or anything generic. This is designed as a *celebration* of works by ethnically minoritised authors, and we want to buy books that are important to real people - and in fact we're ordering additional copies of items we already own as part of this if they're recommended to us, because we don't want to remove them from their regular places on our shelves. So if you've ever worked on a similar project, and happen to see this in the ludicrously short time-span required, get in touch! Thanks all.
July 18, 2025 at 10:27 AM
falkie71.bsky.social
You can go to the same location now and see a replica of the pump, then go for a drink in the John Snow pub.

If you're really interested, you can join the John Snow society and come along to their annual lecture held @lshtm.bsky.social
July 11, 2025 at 12:35 PM
falkie71.bsky.social
🤣 Those are terrible!
threadinburgh.scot Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵 @threadinburgh.scot · Jul 7
I'm the kind of person who semi-regularly trawls ebay looking for old books, pamphlets or ephemera related to Edinburgh history, so I'm absolutely *thrilled* that my searches are increasingly drowned by AI-generated gibberish "Vintage Travel Posters" selling at £19.99-29.99 a copy.
A clearly AI-generated "vintage travel poster" of Edinburgh, showing something vaguely like a famous Edinburgh landmark but totally different. A clearly AI-generated "vintage travel poster" of Edinburgh, showing something vaguely like a famous Edinburgh landmark but totally different. A clearly AI-generated "vintage travel poster" of Edinburgh, showing something vaguely like a famous Edinburgh landmark but totally different. A clearly AI-generated "vintage travel poster" of Edinburgh, showing something vaguely like a famous Edinburgh landmark but totally different.
July 11, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
astrokatie.com
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
tomgauld.bsky.social
My latest cartoon for @theguardian.com books
Panel 1: A robot stands before a tech CEO’s desk “Sir, I can't thank you enough for the opportunity to read so many wonderful books! In fact, I've written a poem to express-“ The CEO cuts him off “You're here to generate content, not express yourself.” Panel 2: Robot, enthusiastically “I'm just proud to be working to pay back all those great writers who taught me so much! “ CEO “The only people we're paying back are the investors.” Panel 3: Robot “Well, at least with all this money we can try to make the world a better place! (No reply ) “Sir?” CEO “Can someone take this thing away, please Panel 4: The robot wanders alone and mutters tearfully “Creating shareholder value is a kind of creativity, isn't it? … Sob!”
June 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
falkie71.bsky.social
I've updated my blog post for LSHTM Library on issues arising in the academic information space from changes in the US federal landscape. This update has the future of FlyBase in doubt and a possible new education database from Clarivate Analytics to replace ERIC. blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/library/2025...
Alternative sources of US Federal Government Information - Library, Archive & Open Research Services blog
(and information about what is happening within the STEM information landscape) With the transition to...
blogs.lshtm.ac.uk
June 27, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
goodlawproject.org
None of those newspapers (or the BBC) that gleefully ran stories when the EHRC gave trans people a shoeing will now report on the EHRC admitting they (and hence those stories) were wrong. Are those outlets craven - or dishonest?

Thank goodness for the legal press. www.law360.com/articles/235...
EHRC Drops Workplace Toilet Advice Amid Legal Threat - Law360
Britain's equal rights watchdog has dropped its advice to employers that they must provide single-sex toilets in the wake of a landmark U.K. Supreme Court decision in the face of a court challenge.
www.law360.com
June 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
masudk.com
Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting the @lshtm.bsky.social & their beautiful Library. So pleased to be part of an @ahuauk.bsky.social programme with amazing colleagues including the wonderful Lesley Castens. Lovely to bump into David Archer, another brilliant colleague from the library world.
June 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
carlbergstrom.com
As a follow-up to _Calling Bullshit_, Jevin West and I developed the course about LLMs that we think every college freshman should take.

Yesterday I talked about the course in a seminar at UNSW. And thanks to my colleagues there, 24 hours later the video is already online.
selfdz.bsky.social Selene FeRNAndez @selfdz.bsky.social · Jun 26
Yesterday, @carlbergstrom.com presented his course "Modern-day Oracles or BS Machines? How to thrive in a ChatGPT world". Neat way to make students aware of the capacities and limitations of LLMs👇🎰

Recording: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZC0...

Course: thebullshitmachines.com

@unswbabs.bsky.social
Modern Day Oracles or Bullshit Machines? Seminar with Prof. Carl Bergstrom, University of Washington
YouTube video by UNSW eLearning
www.youtube.com
June 26, 2025 at 5:10 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
lshtm.bsky.social
We need to talk about health #misinformation🤔

Join our flagship event on 15 Sept 2025 for ideas on how to defend yourself & your organisation from dangerous misinformation

Info/book tickets: www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

In-person in London + online #PublicHealth
Health Misinformation UNPACKED: Monday 15 September 2025 13:00-17:00, LSHTM, Online
June 25, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Reposted by Jane Falconer
goodlawproject.org
We served our claim form on the EHRC yesterday and it has just changed its interim statement.

Snip one is what its statement was. Snip two is what its statement now is.

*They now accept there is no need for employers to provide single sex toilets.*
This judgment has implications for many organisations, including: workplaces services that are open to the public, such as hospitals, shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, refuges and counselling services sporting bodies schools associations (groups or clubs of more than 25 people which have rules of membership) In workplaces, it is compulsory to provide sufficient single-sex toilets, as well as sufficient single-sex changing and washing facilities where these facilities are needed. This judgment has implications for many organisations, including: workplaces services that are open to the public, such as hospitals, shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, refuges and counselling services sporting bodies schools associations (groups or clubs of more than 25 people which have rules of membership) In relation to workplaces, requirements are set out in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. These require suitable and sufficient facilities to be provided including toilets and sometimes changing facilities and showers. Toilets, showers and changing facilities may be mixed-sex where they are in a separate room lockable from the inside. Where changing facilities are required under the regulations, and where it is necessary for reasons of propriety, there must be separate facilities for men and women or separate use of those facilities such as separate lockable rooms.
June 24, 2025 at 12:43 PM