Margy MacMillan
@margymaclibrary.bsky.social
860 followers 660 following 570 posts
Retired librarian with time on her hands, interested in pretty much everything, but especially wildlife/ecology, SoTL, Indigenous matters/decolonization, science, medieval literature… Settler on unceded Songhees, Esquimalt & WSÁNEĆ territory.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
ximenaka.bsky.social
I began writing this story with a naive question in mind: What do we lose when public education is privatized? A lot, actually.

By following the MAGA playbook, the UCP’s push against public education not only undermines democracy, it jeopardizes the possibility of a better future for all Albertans.
Inside the Right-Wing Attack on Alberta's Public Education | The Tyee
MAGA’s Project 2025 has become a blueprint for undermining Canada’s schools in the name of profit and privilege.
thetyee.ca
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
sarahmackattack.bsky.social
Good news: a grant I submitted got selected for an interview out of ~150 apps. Only 2 others got interviews!

Bad news: @skypeascientist.bsky.social was not selected in the end 😞

I will keep trying.

In the meantime, consider supporting our work with $5-10/month?

givebutter.com/SupportSAS25
Support Skype a Scientist!
By Skype a Scientist
givebutter.com
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
shannonmattern.bsky.social
“This exchange is part of Conversations on Dictionaries: The Universe in a Book, by Ilan Stavans…
It features 22 conversations with the top authorities on dictionaries in 22 different languages: from Arabic, Esperanto, French, + Ancient Greek to Japanese, Italian, Nahuatl, Spanish, + Yiddish.”
How to Build a Dictionary: On the Hard Art of Popular Lexicography
At the end of the first quarter of the twenty-first century, about 400 million people are native English speakers. With those for whom English is a second language, the number reaches far above: betw…
lithub.com
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
loex.bsky.social
"Inclusion and Empathy Are Not Enough: Cultivating Student Belonging in the Academic Library Through Compassion" by Emily Reed, Penn State Harrisburg (portal: Libraries and the Academy)
rebrand.ly/q9o9al4
Project MUSE - Inclusion and Empathy Are Not Enough: Cultivating Student Belonging in the Academic Library Through Compassion
rebrand.ly
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
shannonmattern.bsky.social
“ALL of Florida lost its [interlibrary loan] services as of October 1. This, of course, most harms those in rural communities. That means those with the most to lose and with the weakest access to education and entertainment materials are now wholly dependent on what their own library owns…”
The Current State of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (October 2025 Edition)
Grant money that should be going to library projects is going to state-sponsored propaganda, among other IMLS updates.
buttondown.com
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
gutenberg.org
TAROCH Coalition, led by Creative Commons, promotes equitable access to public domain heritage. Its Open Heritage Statement affirms shared values, removes barriers & urges a UNESCO framework to secure global cultural access & participation for a sustainable creative future

openheritagestatement.org
Open Heritage Statement
openheritagestatement.org
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
gutenberg.org
From lectures by Stephen Hawking to the letters of British politician Neil Kinnock – it's a race against time to save the historical treasures locked away on old floppy disks.

By Christian Kriticos

www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

#digital_dark_age
8-inch, 5,25-inch, and 3,5-inch floppy disks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floppy_disk#/media/File:Floppy_disk_2009_G1.jpg
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
emgeekay.bsky.social
3rd International Conference on Digital Preservation

October 15 2025, 9:30 CEST

Will be held ON-LINE and registration is free:
forms.office.com/e/Mne6g04WhF

Agenda:
polona.pl/static/polon...

#digipres #libraries #archives
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
thetyee.ca
The Alberta teacher strike that has affected more than 700,000 students isn’t just another labour dispute.

It’s the latest front in a long campaign to undermine education — closely linked to the right-wing Project 2025 initiative to transform America.

@ximenaka.bsky.social writes. #abpoli #uspoli
Inside the Right-Wing Attack on Alberta's Public Education | The Tyee
MAGA’s Project 2025 has become a blueprint for undermining Canada’s schools in the name of profit and privilege.
thetyee.ca
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
thetyee.ca
@adampolsen.bsky.social: There is a growing chorus of voices telling Canadians that reconciliation is impossible.

As someone who exists in the dash connecting Indigenous-Crown relations, I need to push back on the idea of winners and losers.

#bcpoli #canpoli
As Denialism Grows, Look to Our History of Coming Together | The Tyee
We can choose which traditions to uphold. Here’s my choice.
thetyee.ca
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
leftofphilosophy.bsky.social
new episode out now! we talk about Alfred Sohn-Rethel's work on real abstraction and his theory of commodity exchange as the origin of transcendental subjectivity. we love a big swing and this is truly a big swing, folks www.patreon.com/posts/122-re...
122 | Real Abstraction and the Origin of Consciousness with Alfred Sohn-Rethel | What's Left of Philosophy
Get more from What's Left of Philosophy on Patreon
www.patreon.com
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
uvicanthro.bsky.social
Ocean-connected communities: Historical perspectives inform modern relationships. 15–19 June 2026 University of Victoria
Hosted by Professors Jason Colby, Loren McClenachan & Iain McKechnie
Abstract submissions open early Autumn 2025; decisions in Jan 2026
oceanspast.org/2026-opi-xi
@uvic.ca
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
abeba.bsky.social
apparently a lot of people need to hear this: harmful practices that violate fundamental rights are not a matter of ethics or morality. please don’t frame it as “unethical”. the “ethics” lens undermines the fact that is it unacceptable under any condition. not a matter of debate
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
issotl.bsky.social
Get ready — the full #ISSOTL25 conference program has landed! Explore inspiring sessions, dynamic speakers, and can’t-miss events that will make this year’s gathering in Christchurch one to remember.
Dive in now: issotl.com/issotl25/con...
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
diane.dianeduane.com
Status report, "Fabuloue Stuff" dep't: This whole series of SudwestRundfunk films on handcrafts ("How to Make a [Fill In The Blank]") is terrific, but this one, on Black Forest cakes, is unusually revelatory. 😀 youtu.be/My-fVT-XOvs...
Wie man Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte macht | SWR Handwerkskunst
YouTube video by SWR Handwerkskunst
youtu.be
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
aptnnews.bsky.social
Both Inuit and non-Inuit academics say hunger in Nunavut is not a new challenge, but it's an issue that's been increasing in recent years.

APTN News web reporter Jesse Staniforth took a deep dive into hunger in the territory.
What’s behind the growing hunger crisis in Nunavut? | APTN News
YouTube video by APTN News
youtu.be
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
aptnnews.bsky.social
Identity can be redefined through textiles and tradition.

That's what APTN’s Stéphanie de Sève discovered when she met with the members of the Mode Autochtone Design Collective just before their fashion show during Montreal's Fashion Week.
Indigenous design collective shows identity can be redefined through textiles, tradition | APTN News
YouTube video by APTN News
youtu.be
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
calgaryhester.bsky.social
Hey #yyc! If you can't get to the polls on election day, you can PICK UP a ballot from Elections Calgary anytime until Oct. 20, & bring it back. You have to request your ballot here:
sb.calgaryelections.ca
I wrote a comic about this for @sprawlcalgary.bsky.social. But I have some more thoughts. 1/7
A black & white comic strip on a bright green background telling the story of how I found out that I could pick up a ballot from Elections Calgary, so my mom could vote at her continuing care residence... but I was confused that this was called a "mail-in ballot." There is no mail involved!
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
calgaryhester.bsky.social
If you can’t make it to the polls, you can request a mail-in ballot, which is usually sent to you by Canada Post (or by self-paid courier, if there happens to be a postal strike). However, I was surprised to learn that there’s another option. You can request a ballot, and go pick it up! 4/7
calgaryhester.bsky.social
But which continuing care residences actually do get on that list? The Elections Calgary website says that, of the 150-ish residences, 58 are on the list:
elections-prd.calgary.ca/for-voters/a...
I'm curious about how that list is made! But, that's another story. On to special ballots! 3/7
Reposted by Margy MacMillan
calgaryhester.bsky.social
You’d think that in an election that bodes extremely low turnout, Elections Calgary might want to... TELL PEOPLE it's possible to pick up a ballot? Anytime up until election day, at a fairly central location (1212 31 Ave NE)? Maybe folks could benefit from that info? Ok, my rant's almost done. 6/7
calgaryhester.bsky.social
But here’s the weird part. On the Elections Calgary site, this helpful service is referred to as a "Mail-In Ballot," or “Special (Mail-in) Ballot package" (see my screenshots). How is anyone supposed to learn that a pick-up option is available? There's no mention of it! 5/7
Screenshot of a screen that says "Register to vote by mail." Screenshot of a screen that says, "Request a mail-in ballot."