Carol Dunlop
@carold.bsky.social
Philosophical academic librarian at QUB. Personal account. Likes ponies, cats and other 4 legged furries! 👩🎓 📚 🐴 🐱
What better way to spend a day off work than a ride in Castleward on a beautiful Autumn day! 🍂 ☀️ 🐴 ❤️ #HappyPlace
October 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM
What better way to spend a day off work than a ride in Castleward on a beautiful Autumn day! 🍂 ☀️ 🐴 ❤️ #HappyPlace
Playtime with Tabitha 🤗
October 8, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Playtime with Tabitha 🤗
MAYBE DON'T FORCE THEM ON US? "Yet, as these tools become embedded in scholarly workflows, the segment faces a complex challenge: how do we balance responsible AI use and the prevention of harmful outputs with the need to preserve academic freedom & research integrity?" clarivate.com/academia-gov...
Guardrails for Responsible AI
Clarivate on AI guardrails: balancing responsible AI, safety, and academic freedom through shared standards and community collaboration.
clarivate.com
September 23, 2025 at 7:02 AM
September 21, 2025 at 5:48 PM
September 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
Our Irish Studies Seminar programme for the autumn is now available - all events will be in hybrid format and everyone is welcome. For more info and registration: www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Iris...
September 5, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Our Irish Studies Seminar programme for the autumn is now available - all events will be in hybrid format and everyone is welcome. For more info and registration: www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Iris...
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
This #MapMonday can we tempt you with #MoreMaps?
We've just added early maps of Scotland and Great Britain, as well as town and county plans. These maps are from our Charlotte Smith collection, acquired by the Library in 2017. maps.nls.uk/additions/#184
We've just added early maps of Scotland and Great Britain, as well as town and county plans. These maps are from our Charlotte Smith collection, acquired by the Library in 2017. maps.nls.uk/additions/#184
September 1, 2025 at 2:45 PM
This #MapMonday can we tempt you with #MoreMaps?
We've just added early maps of Scotland and Great Britain, as well as town and county plans. These maps are from our Charlotte Smith collection, acquired by the Library in 2017. maps.nls.uk/additions/#184
We've just added early maps of Scotland and Great Britain, as well as town and county plans. These maps are from our Charlotte Smith collection, acquired by the Library in 2017. maps.nls.uk/additions/#184
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
August 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
'lamentable' as if it wasn't preventable
More than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or were handed over to volunteer groups in the UK between 2016-2024, a third of those remaining have had their hours reduced, and at least three councils have at least halved their provision
More than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or were handed over to volunteer groups in the UK between 2016-2024, a third of those remaining have had their hours reduced, and at least three councils have at least halved their provision
The lamentable decline of reading on.ft.com/3JNqX9y | opinion
The lamentable decline of reading
Childhood encouragement, libraries and government support can reverse the trend
on.ft.com
August 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
'lamentable' as if it wasn't preventable
More than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or were handed over to volunteer groups in the UK between 2016-2024, a third of those remaining have had their hours reduced, and at least three councils have at least halved their provision
More than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or were handed over to volunteer groups in the UK between 2016-2024, a third of those remaining have had their hours reduced, and at least three councils have at least halved their provision
August 14, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
Yet another reason to hate AI tools.
And people wonder why women, who in this case are being biased against, are less likely to adopt and use AI.
(Gender and racial biases previously observed in many AI systems)
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
And people wonder why women, who in this case are being biased against, are less likely to adopt and use AI.
(Gender and racial biases previously observed in many AI systems)
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
AI tools used by English councils downplay women’s health issues, study finds
Exclusive: LSE research finds risk of gender bias in care decisions made based on AI summaries of case notes
www.theguardian.com
August 11, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Yet another reason to hate AI tools.
And people wonder why women, who in this case are being biased against, are less likely to adopt and use AI.
(Gender and racial biases previously observed in many AI systems)
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
And people wonder why women, who in this case are being biased against, are less likely to adopt and use AI.
(Gender and racial biases previously observed in many AI systems)
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
July 11, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
The library AI bot will answer all your questions as long as they are stupid questions with stupid answers.
June 29, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The library AI bot will answer all your questions as long as they are stupid questions with stupid answers.
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
The latest from the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland project:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
#History #Ireland 🗃️
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
#History #Ireland 🗃️
Pioneering project releases more lost Irish records spanning 700 years
Newly restored material from vast archive destroyed in civil war takes in Anglo-Norman conquest and 1798 rebellion
www.theguardian.com
June 30, 2025 at 11:14 AM
The latest from the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland project:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
#History #Ireland 🗃️
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
#History #Ireland 🗃️
Ugh, isn’t it annoying when your sleep is disturbed by noisy neighbours? 🥱🙄🤣 #KeepTheNoiseDown #NapTime
June 30, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Ugh, isn’t it annoying when your sleep is disturbed by noisy neighbours? 🥱🙄🤣 #KeepTheNoiseDown #NapTime
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
What is common knowledge in your field but shocks outsiders?
Librarians aren't librarians because we 'love to read all day'. You know what I read at work? Emails. I read emails.
Librarians aren't librarians because we 'love to read all day'. You know what I read at work? Emails. I read emails.
What is common knowledge in your field but shocks outsiders?
The average author income is about seven grand a year.
The average author income is about seven grand a year.
What is common knowledge in your field but shocks outsiders?
It is good and proper in a well-kept library to dispose of books.
It is good and proper in a well-kept library to dispose of books.
June 17, 2025 at 10:38 AM
What is common knowledge in your field but shocks outsiders?
Librarians aren't librarians because we 'love to read all day'. You know what I read at work? Emails. I read emails.
Librarians aren't librarians because we 'love to read all day'. You know what I read at work? Emails. I read emails.
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
Last year we ran a survey on UK HE redundancies.
Based on 349 responses, the UNIVERSITIES DEGRADED REPORT uncovers awful conditions, targeting of marginalised groups, & far more cuts than estimated.
People's stories matter. We can hold leaders to account. Please share widely tinyurl.com/48nzf7ew
Based on 349 responses, the UNIVERSITIES DEGRADED REPORT uncovers awful conditions, targeting of marginalised groups, & far more cuts than estimated.
People's stories matter. We can hold leaders to account. Please share widely tinyurl.com/48nzf7ew
Universities Degraded: Staff Experiences & Employer Practices of Redundancies in UK Higher Education
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Conducted between August and October 2024 and publicised mainly by members of the University and College Union (UCU), the ‘Survey for UCU Members on HE Redundancies’ invited response...
zenodo.org
June 17, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Last year we ran a survey on UK HE redundancies.
Based on 349 responses, the UNIVERSITIES DEGRADED REPORT uncovers awful conditions, targeting of marginalised groups, & far more cuts than estimated.
People's stories matter. We can hold leaders to account. Please share widely tinyurl.com/48nzf7ew
Based on 349 responses, the UNIVERSITIES DEGRADED REPORT uncovers awful conditions, targeting of marginalised groups, & far more cuts than estimated.
People's stories matter. We can hold leaders to account. Please share widely tinyurl.com/48nzf7ew
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
"i asked grok" "i asked chagpt" yeah well I asked a rare books librarian and they found things I didn’t even know I was looking for, while answering questions about provenance
June 15, 2025 at 7:09 PM
"i asked grok" "i asked chagpt" yeah well I asked a rare books librarian and they found things I didn’t even know I was looking for, while answering questions about provenance
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
New study on the effects of LLM use:
Quote:
"LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. […] Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels."
Quote:
"LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. […] Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels."
[2506.08872] Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task
This study explores the neural and behavioral consequences of LLM-assisted essay writing. Participants were divided into three groups: LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools). Each completed three sessions under the same condition. In a fourth session, LLM users were reassigned to Brain-only group (LLM-to-Brain), and Brain-only users were reassigned to LLM condition (Brain-to-LLM). A total of 54 participants took part in Sessions 1-3, with 18 completing session 4. We used electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive load during essay writing, and analyzed essays using NLP, as well as scoring essays with the help from human teachers and an AI judge. Across groups, NERs, n-gram patterns, and topic ontology showed within-group homogeneity. EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity. Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use. In session 4, LLM-to-Brain participants showed reduced alpha and beta connectivity, indicating under-engagement. Brain-to-LLM users exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas, similar to Search Engine users. Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain-only group. LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.
arxiv.org
June 16, 2025 at 10:56 AM
New study on the effects of LLM use:
Quote:
"LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. […] Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels."
Quote:
"LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. […] Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels."
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
Come join our fabulously fun and supportive Geography dept at Queen's University Belfast!
Temporary human geography job opportunity at Queen’s University (Teaching Fellow 0.75). hrwebapp.qub.ac.uk/tlive_webrec...
Job profile
hrwebapp.qub.ac.uk
June 9, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Come join our fabulously fun and supportive Geography dept at Queen's University Belfast!
May 31, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
If Spain can do it, why can’t we? We need to do everything in our power to reverse the decline in reading for pleasure in the UK. It’s not a luxury, it’s absolutely essential for a kind, civilised society. Readers don’t support Trump and Farage. publishingperspectives.com/2025/01/spai....
Spain's Publishers Cite Growth in Reading for Pleasure
The FGEE's 2024 'Barometer of Reading and Book Purchasing Habits in Spain' shows reading for pleasure on the rise.
publishingperspectives.com
May 26, 2025 at 4:39 PM
If Spain can do it, why can’t we? We need to do everything in our power to reverse the decline in reading for pleasure in the UK. It’s not a luxury, it’s absolutely essential for a kind, civilised society. Readers don’t support Trump and Farage. publishingperspectives.com/2025/01/spai....
Reposted by Carol Dunlop
That's the really scary thing about people using LLMs as search engines: It's nonsense very cleverly disguised as information. Noise that sounds like a clear signal. It's a parasite that occupies the bit of our brain that has learned to glean knowledge from search results, but it's all empty.
May 20, 2025 at 3:51 PM
That's the really scary thing about people using LLMs as search engines: It's nonsense very cleverly disguised as information. Noise that sounds like a clear signal. It's a parasite that occupies the bit of our brain that has learned to glean knowledge from search results, but it's all empty.