Editorial

Andrew Marsden reflects on his first UKSG conference - "full on, very tiring, but also very inspirational"

Attending my first UKSG conference was a truly great experience. It wasn’t just my first time at UKSG, but also my first conference altogether, and I must admit the prospect of networking with some very impressive librarians and publishers made me quite nervous.

The OA Switchboard is a mission-driven, community led initiative designed to simplify the sharing of information between stakeholders about open access publications throughout the whole publication journey. Yvonne Campfens looks at progress so far.

March 1988 saw the publication of the first issue of Serials: The Journal for the Serials Community. The editor said, “We hope to create a journal, with a mixture of articles and news items, which will appeal to all types of members of the Group, whether librarians, publishers, subscription agents, binders, and all others having an interest in serials.”

The decision to work with colleagues in the School of Psychology to create an open textbook was an easy one to make. The University of Sussex Library was using an etextbook model to support first- and second-year Psychology cohorts, and we were finding that cost was high and that the usage could be better. One of the module convenors came to us and said: I know what my students need, I could write their textbook. And so, we said…. Let’s do it! Bethany Logan, University of Sussex

Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT is a phenomenal technological advancement in transforming traditional systems of education, enabling us to radically rethink the way we teach and learn. ChatGPT is driving an education revolution. It’s here to stay but leads to some big questions. This article explains what ChatGPT is and how to use it; what we can do about it, current challenges and potential future applications. Read on to learn more about Chat GPT and strategies for learning to use it and avoiding potential misuse in the classroom.

This year’s UKSG conference is returning to the vibrant city of Glasgow, a favourite location amongst regular attendees at the conference. Why (in the words of Billy Connolly) do “I wish I was in Glasgow”, and why should you make sure that you’re there too? Joanna Ball reviews the upcoming conference offering and how it fits the UKSG strategy.

With this piece, Siobhan Haimé hopes to provide some thoughts for discussion and reflection on the role of Whiteness in academic libraries, and to generate positive disruption. These thoughts emerged from reflections on my experiences as a mixed-race, often ‘white-passing’ woman in libraries and academia.

In 2020 and during the pandemic, GBS (Global Banking School) embarked to the ambitious project of creating 7+ Libraries in a year and a half's time. Here is the story of a team that worked hard to reach the goal and how it found its way to the most prestigious Higher Education Awards in 2022 (THE Awards).

Are our libraries genuinely neutral? Are they places of sanctuary and safety for all? Are they accessible to everyone? Do our collections serve our users and reflect their lived experiences and outlooks? Do we reflect and acknowledge our own positionality and privilege when designing library services, support, facilities?