kay slater
@kslater.bsky.social
Chicago-based information worker (critical technology + libraries, community archives), DJ
blog: https://online-roleplay.ghost.io
scholarship: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2026-8669
blog: https://online-roleplay.ghost.io
scholarship: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2026-8669
Pinned
kay slater
@kslater.bsky.social
· Aug 27
Project MUSE - Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library
doi.org
In “Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library,” I examine LIS as in need of a values-realignment, asking readers to refuse the technosolutionism we are so often offered in place of human-centered possibilities, like taking racism, climate change, and labor rights seriously
doi.org/10.1353/lib....
doi.org/10.1353/lib....
Reposted by kay slater
early career scholar and their first publication
November 9, 2025 at 9:41 AM
early career scholar and their first publication
oh, so we have $5 million for ShotSpotter, but the public library’s collections budget is suddenly facing a $5 million cut?
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposal once again includes a hefty sum set aside for a ShotSpotter replacement, administration officials told aldermen Thursday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget includes money for ShotSpotter replacement
Officials identified a $5 million line item in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2026 spending plan as money for a “gunshot detection system” when pressed by aldermen during budget hearings.
trib.al
November 7, 2025 at 12:04 AM
oh, so we have $5 million for ShotSpotter, but the public library’s collections budget is suddenly facing a $5 million cut?
read this!
a companion: @librarypunk.bsky.social (Justin’s quoted in this article)’s recent episode on AI refusal with yours truly 😎 www.librarypunk.gay/e/155-ai-ref...
a companion: @librarypunk.bsky.social (Justin’s quoted in this article)’s recent episode on AI refusal with yours truly 😎 www.librarypunk.gay/e/155-ai-ref...
November 6, 2025 at 4:42 PM
read this!
a companion: @librarypunk.bsky.social (Justin’s quoted in this article)’s recent episode on AI refusal with yours truly 😎 www.librarypunk.gay/e/155-ai-ref...
a companion: @librarypunk.bsky.social (Justin’s quoted in this article)’s recent episode on AI refusal with yours truly 😎 www.librarypunk.gay/e/155-ai-ref...
city is claiming they need $5 million to keep CPL’s collections budget in tact, not enough $ to fill vacant positions
for context: city paid $266 million this year in CPD misconduct settlements, proposed that CPD will get $17 million more in funding next year
blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/l...
for context: city paid $266 million this year in CPD misconduct settlements, proposed that CPD will get $17 million more in funding next year
blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/l...
Librarians, Aldermen Push Back Against Proposed Library Cuts
Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed 2026 budget calls for eliminating some vacant library positions and halving the agency's collections budget from $10 million to $5 million.
blockclubchicago.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:41 AM
city is claiming they need $5 million to keep CPL’s collections budget in tact, not enough $ to fill vacant positions
for context: city paid $266 million this year in CPD misconduct settlements, proposed that CPD will get $17 million more in funding next year
blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/l...
for context: city paid $266 million this year in CPD misconduct settlements, proposed that CPD will get $17 million more in funding next year
blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/05/l...
Reposted by kay slater
Teaching about AI? Here's a new zine from the AI + Planetary Justice Alliance "meant to help readers move from thinking about AI as a purely digital, cloud-based technology to understanding it as something rooted in physical elements."
New Zine: Raw Materials for AI — AI + Planetary Justice Alliance
Raw Materials for AI is a visual introduction to the physical foundations of artificial intelligence, tracing seven key minerals – like cobalt, silicon, and lithium – used to build and power AI ...
aiplanetaryjustice.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Teaching about AI? Here's a new zine from the AI + Planetary Justice Alliance "meant to help readers move from thinking about AI as a purely digital, cloud-based technology to understanding it as something rooted in physical elements."
congratulations New York!
living in Chicago watching the New York mayoral primary election results
November 5, 2025 at 2:38 AM
congratulations New York!
good news for Physical Media!
this is very cool: Kodak quietly relisted Kodak Gold and Ultramax on its website and confirmed to me it is selling the films directly to photography stores again. this is a big deal because for the last decade, Kodak has not controlled distribution of its own film
www.404media.co/kodak-quietl...
www.404media.co/kodak-quietl...
Kodak Quietly Begins Directly Selling Kodak Gold and Ultramax Film Again
Kodak appears to be taking back control over the distribution of its film.
www.404media.co
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
good news for Physical Media!
hey! friendly reminder that your local public library is funded by taxes that you pay. access to books, resources, & technology thru a library is contingent on an ecosystem of labor—it’s not “free.”
bc of collectively distributed wealth & organization of labor, that access is just w/ less friction.
bc of collectively distributed wealth & organization of labor, that access is just w/ less friction.
November 3, 2025 at 3:22 AM
hey! friendly reminder that your local public library is funded by taxes that you pay. access to books, resources, & technology thru a library is contingent on an ecosystem of labor—it’s not “free.”
bc of collectively distributed wealth & organization of labor, that access is just w/ less friction.
bc of collectively distributed wealth & organization of labor, that access is just w/ less friction.
i just signed up—you should, too!
Happy Sunday! Why not sign up to be a member of The Flytrap and spent the next few hours reading our back catalogue? the-flytrap.ghost.io/chomp
The Flytrap
Feminist cultural criticism against the algorithm
the-flytrap.ghost.io
November 2, 2025 at 9:44 PM
i just signed up—you should, too!
i cannot remember a time that the Bears scored this much in one game
November 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
i cannot remember a time that the Bears scored this much in one game
Reposted by kay slater
This is a great resource in precarious times.
Tried it for my city and it pulled up all the things I know about + more I didn’t. It finds food pantries, but also stuff like legal help and housing assistance.
For those of us more fortunate, great way to find volunteer and donation opportunities.
Tried it for my city and it pulled up all the things I know about + more I didn’t. It finds food pantries, but also stuff like legal help and housing assistance.
For those of us more fortunate, great way to find volunteer and donation opportunities.
findhelp.org by findhelp - Search and Connect to Social Care
Search and connect to support. Find financial assistance, food pantries, medical care, and other free or reduced-cost help in your area, anywhere in the US.
findhelp.org
November 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM
This is a great resource in precarious times.
Tried it for my city and it pulled up all the things I know about + more I didn’t. It finds food pantries, but also stuff like legal help and housing assistance.
For those of us more fortunate, great way to find volunteer and donation opportunities.
Tried it for my city and it pulled up all the things I know about + more I didn’t. It finds food pantries, but also stuff like legal help and housing assistance.
For those of us more fortunate, great way to find volunteer and donation opportunities.
Reposted by kay slater
I don’t understand the Baseball Posting but I respect it 🫡
November 2, 2025 at 3:40 AM
I don’t understand the Baseball Posting but I respect it 🫡
Reposted by kay slater
RIP Alison Knowles. Damn. hyperallergic.com/1054017/alis...
Alison Knowles, the First Woman of Fluxus, Dies at 92
“People don’t touch art,” she once said. “That’s one of the problems.”
hyperallergic.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:17 AM
RIP Alison Knowles. Damn. hyperallergic.com/1054017/alis...
Reposted by kay slater
"The AI Con reminds us that the fight over AI is not only about technology. It’s also about language, labor, and the stories we choose to tell about the future, which we can humanize rather than surrender to the myriad ways mass automation dehumanizes."
lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-...
lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-...
The Return of the Luddites | Los Angeles Review of Books
Erik J. Larson considers “The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want” by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna.
lareviewofbooks.org
October 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM
"The AI Con reminds us that the fight over AI is not only about technology. It’s also about language, labor, and the stories we choose to tell about the future, which we can humanize rather than surrender to the myriad ways mass automation dehumanizes."
lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-...
lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-...
happy halloween. appreciating everyone in chicago maintaining their whimsy and love in spite of our city being terrorized!
October 31, 2025 at 2:16 PM
happy halloween. appreciating everyone in chicago maintaining their whimsy and love in spite of our city being terrorized!
Reposted by kay slater
Interested in data centers? In critical data center studies?
Here's an open biblio -- anyone can add or borrow from it. Please do add anything that's missing. Enjoy!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Here's an open biblio -- anyone can add or borrow from it. Please do add anything that's missing. Enjoy!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Critical Data Center Studies
Critical Data Center Studies Books Amoore, Louise. 2020. Ethics Algorithms and the Attributes of Ourselves and Others Duke https://www.dukeupress.edu/cloud-ethics Bedir, M; Groen. L; Kuijpers. M; Sa...
docs.google.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Interested in data centers? In critical data center studies?
Here's an open biblio -- anyone can add or borrow from it. Please do add anything that's missing. Enjoy!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Here's an open biblio -- anyone can add or borrow from it. Please do add anything that's missing. Enjoy!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by kay slater
October 30, 2025 at 8:37 PM
registration ends tomorrow — sign up! bit.ly/snapmganz
#Archives #MLIS students & early-career professionals: @saa-snap.bsky.social is hosting a job market materials workshop with @michelle42.bsky.social on Saturday, November 1st!
SAA membership not required to attend. we’d love to see you there! bit.ly/snapmganz
SAA membership not required to attend. we’d love to see you there! bit.ly/snapmganz
October 30, 2025 at 3:50 PM
registration ends tomorrow — sign up! bit.ly/snapmganz
Reposted by kay slater
"create “public media centers”—publicly-owned hubs in every community federally guaranteed but locally governed+democratically operated. establish new anchor institutions universally available to everyone—not unlike the ideal version of public schools+libraries."
publici.ucimc.org/2025/10/the-...
publici.ucimc.org/2025/10/the-...
The Media We Need Requires Structural Transformation | Public i Contact
publici.ucimc.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"create “public media centers”—publicly-owned hubs in every community federally guaranteed but locally governed+democratically operated. establish new anchor institutions universally available to everyone—not unlike the ideal version of public schools+libraries."
publici.ucimc.org/2025/10/the-...
publici.ucimc.org/2025/10/the-...
honored to be on this stacked lineup of panelists for Library Trends.
i’ll be presenting on “Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library” & developing research on media / information infrastructures! join us!
i’ll be presenting on “Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library” & developing research on media / information infrastructures! join us!
Join Library Trends for a webinar with authors from our two-part series “Generative AI and Libraries: Applications and Ethics.” Authors will share highlights of their work discussing how librarians are grappling with the effects of genAI on the field. Register at go.illinois.edu/GenAIandLibr...
October 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
honored to be on this stacked lineup of panelists for Library Trends.
i’ll be presenting on “Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library” & developing research on media / information infrastructures! join us!
i’ll be presenting on “Against AI: Critical Refusal in the Library” & developing research on media / information infrastructures! join us!
Reposted by kay slater
I wrote about public libraries as spaces of civic solidarity, common knowledge, and public infrastructure — all endangered by commercial and federal saboteurs
Extralibrary Loan: Making the Civic Infrastructure We Need
Amid a war on public knowledge, libraries are pushing outward, enlarging the commons through new configurations of civic and creative life.
placesjournal.org
October 28, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I wrote about public libraries as spaces of civic solidarity, common knowledge, and public infrastructure — all endangered by commercial and federal saboteurs
horrible that i have to suspect that a weird smell & eyes burning on my drive into work today could be tear gas
October 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
horrible that i have to suspect that a weird smell & eyes burning on my drive into work today could be tear gas
the kiddos get it!!! (they think AI is weird) www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvKx...
Could AI Replace Children?! | Recess Therapy
YouTube video by Recess Therapy
www.youtube.com
October 25, 2025 at 2:58 AM
the kiddos get it!!! (they think AI is weird) www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvKx...
“I think this movie endures because there really are a lot of nerds who love raves and reading.” 🙋🏼♀️
ALSO TODAY: @jawnita.bsky.social and @littlewow.online chat about PARTY GIRL, “the greatest movie ever” flaminghydra.com/yakkin-about...
Yakkin’ About ‘Party Girl’
In the 1995 film Party Girl, director Daisy Von Scherler Mayer tells a colorful fable about Mary (Parker Posey), an irresponsible young woman who, after encountering the New York Public Library (and a...
flaminghydra.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:33 PM
“I think this movie endures because there really are a lot of nerds who love raves and reading.” 🙋🏼♀️