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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 9h

It mainly just looks like a funny screenshot?

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 13d

Absolutely weird that it's repeatedly called a sweet cider. The Guinness is more annoying these days - copying the kids.

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 15d

Date of birth is an ethnicity. This is why, for example, the American Census asks for date of birth.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 15d

And helps to post the link

activity.librarydata.uk

Library activity dashboard

Browse public library activity data for England

activity.librarydata.uk

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 15d

The library activity dashboard is a new project visualising library activity data, as reported by library services across England. It includes Loans, Users, Visits, Events, Computer usage, and WiFi sessions.

Currently in development so feedback particularly welcome!

An illustrative set of dashboard cards showing high level library usage figures such as 126 million loans, with insights like 3 loans per resident per year.

A line graph of physical books loans per month, separated by lines for each age group content type. The line is generally consistent with spikes in the summer for childrens books.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 16d

Have had some amazing ones recently. Including at internal review.

This one was just to library visit counts which they absolutely held, but refused to send over until they'd put some high level summaries in their annual report.

A quote saying "I have clarified the position with Library Services. In fact, at the date
of your request the data was still being compiled and needed to be checked
and validated before it is finalised. Until the validation process is
complete, the data is not final and therefore not suitable for sharing.
Therefore, we did not hold the data you requested at the time of your
request.

Therefore, my decision is that the Council’s reliance on the future
publication exemption may have been misplaced because at the time of your
request the Council did not hold the requested information, and did not
intend to publish the information at some future date in the format you
had requested."

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 18d

Never quite seen such an article full of straw men. The one on the 'two camps' is possibly the most ludicrous. Why bother writing such a thing?

Grown ups, eat your greens, big choices. Is it a speech or a deep dive blog?

In the face of 15 years of serious problems, we are polarising between two camps.

One says: There is an answer. Eat your greens, brush your teeth, get your ten thousand steps in. Hard work and patience will fix this.

The other says: That’s boring. Too slow. Too much effort. Let’s try something ‘radical’. Drink bleach, why not?

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · 19d

In Edinburgh for #odcamp. Mega stoked.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 17

It seems to be fine. It's understandably very small impact to look at individual digital usage, but that's like the argument against household recycling. The benefits are eclipsed by bigger problems, but personal awareness is not a bad thing.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 13

Did people know this? Is this the next round of cuts? From losing libraries we slowly lose functions. Renewals, PCs? Removing reservations isolates each individual library.

Worth knowing @librariesconnected.bsky.social @cilip.bsky.social @dcmsgovuk.bsky.social

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 13

Collect a set of core data. Loans, reservations, members, visits. Everyone will be able to send their data in, and it's a reasonable proof of concept in getting it all together.

Wigan libraries:

Wigan Borough Libraries no longer offer a reservation service. Result per library branch ‘0’. Recorded on attached spreadsheet.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 13

Thanks! And yep, doing so. Fingers crossed they don't double down as far as it needing to go to the ICO.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 13

Guidance already being used by authorities to just convert any data to PDF

"Please note that further to the [1]Information Commissioner's guidance regarding spreadsheets, Northumberland County Council has taken the decision not to share spreadsheets as part of FOI or EIR responses going forward."

Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · Jul 31

New guidance on disclosing documents to the public ico.org.uk/about-the-ic... from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Includes lots of advice to help you avoid a big embarrassing data breach with your Excel workbooks.

#FOI #opendata #subjectaccess #dataprotection

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Reposted by Libraries Hacked

Elen Caldecott @elencaldecott.bsky.social · Aug 11

UK readers, if you can't afford to buy any of these books, order them from your local library. The authors will see your support through loan figures and PLR. You don't even have to finish reading them if you don't want!

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · Aug 11

14 of 24 authors have now withdrawn.

First Book:
Curtis Garner, Jason Okundaye, Sacha Coward, Sanah Ahsan, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Eleanor Medhurst, Ciara Maguire, June Thomas

Main:
Olumide Popoola, Robert Hamberger, Andrew McMillan, Rhian Elizabeth, Jane Traies

Judges:
Nicola Dinan, Bob Hughes

The Polari first prize Longlist with books by Curtis Garner, Jason Okundaye, Sacha Coward, Sanah Ahsan, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Eleanor Medhurst, Ciara Maguire, June Thomas crossed out to show they've withdrawn

The Polari Prize Longlist with books by Olumide Popoola, Robert Hamberger, Andrew McMillan, Rhian Elizabeth, Jane Traies crossed out to show they've withdrawn

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 11

The tale of 2 giraffes is very familiar. Currently requesting basic data from library services. One replied quickly, said it cost them £14 (presumably an hour).

Another refused saying cos I asked for it in a data format they'd need to retype it all into Excel and it'd take more than the 18 hours.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Aug 1

A new library data post! Get it while it's hot because they're rare these days.

blog.librarydata.uk/requesting-d...

A small bit on FOI requests to get hold of public library data. Not ideal but it can benefit libraries, especially if followed up with open data publishing.

#OpenData #LibraryData

Requesting library data via Freedom of Information

Using Freedom of Information to get bulk datasets of library data

blog.librarydata.uk

Reposted by Libraries Hacked

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Jul 31

Interesting new paper on the challenge increasing numbers of SUVs pose to climate efforts.

“The current trend runs the risk of undoing climate achievements and solidifying unsustainable mobility habits unless there is a structural change in both urban design and consumer norms.”

Climate Change Efforts vs. the Growing Popularity of Larger Private Vehicles: A Contradiction in Motion

The sharp increase in the global popularity of large private automobiles, especially sport utility vehicles (SUVs), is a significant and frequently di…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 26

You know that tool you're using to protect your privacy? Well everyone should have to go through a verification process before using one of those.

Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · Jul 26

For individual users, a VPN is the most straightforward method to overcome censorship effects of the Online Safety Act. But there's no guarantee the UK Government won't legislate further.

Respondents to Ofcom consultations had plenty of ideas about dealing with VPNs www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
3.157 A large number of respondents cited VPNs as a threat to the robustness of age assurance methods. Some respondents felt that the use of VPNs will render the approach to highly effective age assurance ineffective overall and that it is not possible to mitigate against the circumvention risk that they pose.
3.158 Many respondents suggested that Ofcom could mandate that service providers block traffic from VPNs. Internet Matters called for Ofcom to strengthen its stance on VPNs, setting a higher bar for service providers to mitigate against people using VPNs to circumvent age assurance.
…

Reposted by Libraries Hacked

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · Jul 24

Sad, moving piece on the death of a sibling out of the blue by @hannahsbee.bsky.social www.newstatesman.com/comment/pers...

My brother was taken from us. I don’t know what to do

Life will never be the same again.

www.newstatesman.com

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 24

Glad to see the challenge on the poor public interest test here.

Have seen too many recently where the public interest test is going through the motions. It should be a strict test where there is significant weight in the reasons for not providing information if that is the route taken.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 18

Then beyond that, even if very broadly adopting the term racism, it's possible to discuss how lived experiences can differ (not be better or worse) depending on the type.

All of this could be easily established by talking reasonably to people.

Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 18

Yes it's discussion, and when conducted in good faith it's mainly semantic. Even a quick Google search will show authorities that differ on defining racism - not sure it matters whether someone calls it racism or prejudice.

In the case of antisemitism, that's a term which in itself can be used.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 18

No, 'senile dementia' is not a thing, and is incidentally far more clunky terminology.

But, to give you the benefit of the doubt, rather than being ageist, she seems perfectly able to still discuss racism.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 18

Probably because for close to 4 decades she has spoken on all forms of racism and does so in her own terms and life experience.

That's probably clunky, certainly in modern politics and crafted statements.

But her words are certainly worth doing the justice of good faith engagement.

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Libraries Hacked @librarieshacked.bsky.social · Jul 18

No, just today's politics looks at generating scandals by intentionally misreading intentions and not seeing the reality of who people really are.

Of course Diane Abbott does not believe the holocaust was minor prejudice. If you're in doubt about that go to a surgery in her constituency.

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