pam lach
@plach.bsky.social
Digital Humanities Librarian/DH Center Director living/working on unceded Kumeyaay land (San Diego). US historian (PhD) + info scientist (MSIS). Podcast teacher. Still masking. Dogs are my jam. @ach.bsky.social Co-VP. she/her
Pinned
pam lach
@plach.bsky.social
· Oct 11
I love my colleagues and collaborators. But I HATE their file names.
Sharing another recent sunset pic for anyone in search of something to lower their blood pressure this morning
January 3, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Sharing another recent sunset pic for anyone in search of something to lower their blood pressure this morning
Here it is! All of my sleep/insomnia visualized for 2025. One Z for each night. The thread colors represent the amount of sleep while the beads signify types of wakefulness. All tracked and coded manually in my sleep journal and stitched over the course of the year. #DHmakes
January 3, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Here it is! All of my sleep/insomnia visualized for 2025. One Z for each night. The thread colors represent the amount of sleep while the beads signify types of wakefulness. All tracked and coded manually in my sleep journal and stitched over the course of the year. #DHmakes
Reposted by pam lach
Every sunset is magical. Tonight’s was even more dazzling than usual
December 30, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Every sunset is magical. Tonight’s was even more dazzling than usual
Every sunset is magical. Tonight’s was even more dazzling than usual
December 30, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Every sunset is magical. Tonight’s was even more dazzling than usual
Reposted by pam lach
"We envision a resistance that is...a repudiation of the efficiencies that automated algorithmic education falsely promises: a resistance comprising the collective force of small acts of friction."
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
Four Frictions: or, How to Resist AI in Education - Public Books
We are calling for resistance to the AI industry’s ongoing capture of higher education.
www.publicbooks.org
December 16, 2025 at 5:27 PM
"We envision a resistance that is...a repudiation of the efficiencies that automated algorithmic education falsely promises: a resistance comprising the collective force of small acts of friction."
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
"How to Resist AI in Education" by me & @cnygren.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
Reposted by pam lach
Relatedly, the other thing I love about this recommendation by AHA is that it instructs members to violate the TOS of the databases they're getting their materials from. Most databases have a restricted to no genAI uploading clause in the vendor contracts.
This is one of the reasons I remain horrified by seeing @historians.org suggest "ways to use gAI" that included this:
December 20, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Relatedly, the other thing I love about this recommendation by AHA is that it instructs members to violate the TOS of the databases they're getting their materials from. Most databases have a restricted to no genAI uploading clause in the vendor contracts.
Reposted by pam lach
a profound ethical and intellectual failure on the part of the AHA @historians.org
an absolute betrayal of everything that historians value and the value they bring to society.
an absolute betrayal of everything that historians value and the value they bring to society.
This is one of the reasons I remain horrified by seeing @historians.org suggest "ways to use gAI" that included this:
December 20, 2025 at 5:02 PM
a profound ethical and intellectual failure on the part of the AHA @historians.org
an absolute betrayal of everything that historians value and the value they bring to society.
an absolute betrayal of everything that historians value and the value they bring to society.
Reposted by pam lach
Closed out my last day in the office for 2025/my last one for several weeks. Didn’t get as much done as I’d planned, but I’ve let go of the illusion of finishing everything. There’s too much for any 1 person to do (it’s always more with less 🙃). I’m gonna do my best to forget it all during the break
December 20, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Closed out my last day in the office for 2025/my last one for several weeks. Didn’t get as much done as I’d planned, but I’ve let go of the illusion of finishing everything. There’s too much for any 1 person to do (it’s always more with less 🙃). I’m gonna do my best to forget it all during the break
Reposted by pam lach
Further down thread it says 170 fac have been given offers (buyouts, retirements). If not enough take them there will be “involuntary separations.” 170! Think of the collective yrs of training, specialization, teaching, the number of students taught, advised, mentored, the wealth of KNOWLEDGE.
New School “administrators have started to implement a plan to close, overhaul or merge about 30 academic programs or majors; pause nearly all admissions to doctoral programs; and offer buyouts or early retirement to what professors say is about 40 percent of the full-time faculty.”
Falling Enrollment, Money Woes: The New School Seeks a Path to Survival
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Further down thread it says 170 fac have been given offers (buyouts, retirements). If not enough take them there will be “involuntary separations.” 170! Think of the collective yrs of training, specialization, teaching, the number of students taught, advised, mentored, the wealth of KNOWLEDGE.
Reposted by pam lach
This details the costs of buying AI subscriptions at universities. Co-pilot, which my university subscribes to, is around $30 per month per user.
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
OpenAI Inks Deals With Colleges, Seizing Early Lead in Education Market
OpenAI has established a beachhead at many US colleges, overcoming university administrators’ wariness of artificial intelligence and giving ChatGPT a headstart on becoming the go-to assistant for the...
www.bloomberg.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM
This details the costs of buying AI subscriptions at universities. Co-pilot, which my university subscribes to, is around $30 per month per user.
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
No wonder budgets are tightening. Imagine if we took that money back from the slop peddlers and their boosters…
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
I'm not crying, you're crying
"You have been, hands down, one of the most influential people of my academic career. The school and its students are so lucky to have you!"
-From a thank you card from a graduating student
Is there someone who's made made a positive impact on you? TELL them!
"You have been, hands down, one of the most influential people of my academic career. The school and its students are so lucky to have you!"
-From a thank you card from a graduating student
Is there someone who's made made a positive impact on you? TELL them!
December 18, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I'm not crying, you're crying
"You have been, hands down, one of the most influential people of my academic career. The school and its students are so lucky to have you!"
-From a thank you card from a graduating student
Is there someone who's made made a positive impact on you? TELL them!
"You have been, hands down, one of the most influential people of my academic career. The school and its students are so lucky to have you!"
-From a thank you card from a graduating student
Is there someone who's made made a positive impact on you? TELL them!
Had to come to campus super early today. It was early enough that I saw unhoused students still asleep in their cars. Meanwhile admin is trying to ram through an athletic fee hike, on top of systemwide tuition hikes. The “People’s University” indeed 😭
December 18, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Had to come to campus super early today. It was early enough that I saw unhoused students still asleep in their cars. Meanwhile admin is trying to ram through an athletic fee hike, on top of systemwide tuition hikes. The “People’s University” indeed 😭
Reposted by pam lach
Such h index, very wow 📚
Grading and googling hallucinated citations, as one does nowadays, and now that LLMs have been around for a while, I've discovered new horrors: hallucinated journals are now appearing in Google Scholar with dozens of citations bc so many people are citing these fake things
December 15, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Such h index, very wow 📚
Reposted by pam lach
Grading and googling hallucinated citations, as one does nowadays, and now that LLMs have been around for a while, I've discovered new horrors: hallucinated journals are now appearing in Google Scholar with dozens of citations bc so many people are citing these fake things
December 15, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Grading and googling hallucinated citations, as one does nowadays, and now that LLMs have been around for a while, I've discovered new horrors: hallucinated journals are now appearing in Google Scholar with dozens of citations bc so many people are citing these fake things
Reposted by pam lach
It's reaching that time of year again where I update the Academic Workload Tracker so people can use it in 2026.
If you used it in 2025, please let me know any bugs you encountered, things you wanted that weren't there, or just nice things about how valuable it was.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
If you used it in 2025, please let me know any bugs you encountered, things you wanted that weren't there, or just nice things about how valuable it was.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Academic Work Tracker Template v2.2 (2025)
docs.google.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:26 PM
It's reaching that time of year again where I update the Academic Workload Tracker so people can use it in 2026.
If you used it in 2025, please let me know any bugs you encountered, things you wanted that weren't there, or just nice things about how valuable it was.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
If you used it in 2025, please let me know any bugs you encountered, things you wanted that weren't there, or just nice things about how valuable it was.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Needed something to brighten up my basement office. Hopefully it’ll get me through this final week of the semester.
December 15, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Needed something to brighten up my basement office. Hopefully it’ll get me through this final week of the semester.
Reposted by pam lach
Updated AI policy, in effect starting with the January 2026 open submission window
www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ai-policy/
www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ai-policy/
December 15, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Updated AI policy, in effect starting with the January 2026 open submission window
www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ai-policy/
www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/ai-policy/
Reposted by pam lach
The CFP for ACH2026 is now live: ach2026.ach.org/en/cfp/
The theme this year is Emergence/ia and the conference will be virtual and bilingual.
Submit proposals by 11:59pm on 2/2/2026 and save the date for June 24-26, 2026!
The theme this year is Emergence/ia and the conference will be virtual and bilingual.
Submit proposals by 11:59pm on 2/2/2026 and save the date for June 24-26, 2026!
ACH 2026 CFP
Submit a proposal: ACH 2026 ConfTool
ach2026.ach.org
December 15, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The CFP for ACH2026 is now live: ach2026.ach.org/en/cfp/
The theme this year is Emergence/ia and the conference will be virtual and bilingual.
Submit proposals by 11:59pm on 2/2/2026 and save the date for June 24-26, 2026!
The theme this year is Emergence/ia and the conference will be virtual and bilingual.
Submit proposals by 11:59pm on 2/2/2026 and save the date for June 24-26, 2026!
Reposted by pam lach
My humanities dept was relevant. Majors were up. Courses were 100% enrolled. Revenue positive, GE serving, etc etc. We were still eliminated.
The problem is ideological administrative destruction. Couldn’t write a report, a self study, or a spreadsheet against that.
The problem is ideological administrative destruction. Couldn’t write a report, a self study, or a spreadsheet against that.
'For humanities departments to continue to matter, they must challenge the modern world rather than accommodate it. Indeed, the most useful lesson the humanities have to offer today is a profoundly countercultural one: Difficulty is good, an end in its own right.' 2/2
December 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
My humanities dept was relevant. Majors were up. Courses were 100% enrolled. Revenue positive, GE serving, etc etc. We were still eliminated.
The problem is ideological administrative destruction. Couldn’t write a report, a self study, or a spreadsheet against that.
The problem is ideological administrative destruction. Couldn’t write a report, a self study, or a spreadsheet against that.
Reposted by pam lach
one of the great, pernicious myths perpetrated about higher ed—which media, higher ed administrators, politicians, and a number of faculty are complicit in spreading—is that humanities departments close due to some combination of cratering student demand and unjustifiable cost. It’s not true
My humanities dept was relevant. Majors were up. Courses were 100% enrolled. Revenue positive, GE serving, etc etc. We were still eliminated.
The problem is ideological administrative destruction. Couldn’t write a report, a self study, or a spreadsheet against that.
The problem is ideological administrative destruction. Couldn’t write a report, a self study, or a spreadsheet against that.
'For humanities departments to continue to matter, they must challenge the modern world rather than accommodate it. Indeed, the most useful lesson the humanities have to offer today is a profoundly countercultural one: Difficulty is good, an end in its own right.' 2/2
December 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
one of the great, pernicious myths perpetrated about higher ed—which media, higher ed administrators, politicians, and a number of faculty are complicit in spreading—is that humanities departments close due to some combination of cratering student demand and unjustifiable cost. It’s not true
Reposted by pam lach
University admin should have to demonstrate understanding of “AI” actually works before they can:
-buy licensing contracts
-promote AI tools and especially,
-use them
-buy licensing contracts
-promote AI tools and especially,
-use them
December 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
University admin should have to demonstrate understanding of “AI” actually works before they can:
-buy licensing contracts
-promote AI tools and especially,
-use them
-buy licensing contracts
-promote AI tools and especially,
-use them
Reposted by pam lach
This entire weekend
December 15, 2025 at 3:58 AM
This entire weekend
Reposted by pam lach
People are taken back when many academics respond so viscerally to so many uses of GenAI, but this is why.
One of the only really good values you learn in academia--or at least in my corner of it--is citation. Choosing not to cite just makes you a low-down thief.
One of the only really good values you learn in academia--or at least in my corner of it--is citation. Choosing not to cite just makes you a low-down thief.
I read this piece 👆 after I had one of these incidents 👇 last week. Citation is *not* merely "academic." It's about honesty and honor and responsibility and generosity. And there are ways to do it that aren't clunky and intrusive!
I’ve occasionally been asked to offer feedback on “social entrepreneurship” projects; I almost always note the lack of acknwldgmt of relevant scholarship — and I’m told: “these aren’t scholars.” Sure, but the relevant rsch has lots of “real-world” implications + can prevent you from doing harm.
December 15, 2025 at 2:43 AM
People are taken back when many academics respond so viscerally to so many uses of GenAI, but this is why.
One of the only really good values you learn in academia--or at least in my corner of it--is citation. Choosing not to cite just makes you a low-down thief.
One of the only really good values you learn in academia--or at least in my corner of it--is citation. Choosing not to cite just makes you a low-down thief.