Libfocus Link-out for July 2024

Welcome to the July edition of the Libfocus link-out, an assemblage of library-related things we have found informative, educational, thought-provoking and insightful on the Web over the past while.

Images featured in this month's link-out articles

UNT Libraries releases the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Collection.
The University of North Texas Libraries has released the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Collection in the UNT Digital Library, featuring over 120 resources about the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) toward government, legislative, and procedural policy.

2024 Top Trends in Academic Libraries.
This article explores the topics and issues that have been trending in academic libraries over the past two years. It draws on research and initiatives from librarians across the profession, highlighting the constant change libraries face. The launch of ChatGPT sparked discussions about the potential impact of artificial intelligence, open access and open science initiatives continued to gain momentum, and the lingering effects of COVID-19 on library workspaces and student well-being remained significant. Rich citations to the literature provide opportunities for further exploration.

Who’s Next?: What Happens When Longtime Library Leaders Retire.
Hallie Rich speaks to three long-term library directors on the verge of their retirement on how the job has changed, their preparation for transition, and what the next generation of library leadership looks like.

Plants Between Leaves: The Long Lives of Preserved Plants in Library Shelves.
Eve Wolynes, Special Collections Curator at the Kenneth Spencer Research Libraries looks at pressed plants, and preserved wood slices in specialist books.

End of the librarian? Council cuts and new tech push profession to the brink.
In this Guardian article, Jon Ungoed-Thomas examines how library staff in England’s public libraries are under threat of being replaced by automated checkouts. In a bid to cut staffing costs local councils are ignoring the preference from many users for face-to-face services as well as the social services library staff provide.

LISTEN: The End of Libraries as We Know Them?
The future of the Internet Archive, which offers permanent access to internet artefacts in digital form, is under threat by a publishers' lawsuit. In this episode of “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast", Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive’s digital librarian, talks about the future of libraries and what the publishers’ lawsuit means for libraries and their patrons in the digital age.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle and Libraries.
We are experiencing an era where emerging technologies are creating change not only in the business world but in nearly every field, and this transformation is certainly relevant for centers of knowledge and education like libraries. Libraries serve to inform,  educate, and advance society by hosting various resources, and Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, specifically for 2023, helps us understand the future of these resources and how they may be shaped.

18 Life lessons.
18 lessons for life for her godchildren by Charlie Rapple, the cofounder of Kudos and Vice Chair of UKSG.

Beyond the journal: The future of scientific publishing.
Rob Johnson of Research Consulting takes a close look at publishing models that aim to transform or replace academic journals.

The paper mill crisis is a five-alarm fire for science: what can librarians do about it?
Amid ongoing issues with publishing integrity, this paper looks at ways librarians can help address the crisis.

Public-Private partnerships and collaborations in the context of library technology (pilot study).
A joint LIBER and Danish Research Library Association report detailing the results of a study examining the characteristics and impact of relationships between research libraries and library technology providers.