The aim of this post is just to give a very quick overview of a joint project between the Library and the Data-Intensive Science Centre at the University of Sussex (DISCUS). This began with a successful proposal to the 2024…
AI is Coming! (but only for the boring stuff)
Talk delivered by Tim Graves, write up by Sally Hendergate Tim delivered an engaging and informative workshop on using chat bots and Large Language Models (LLMs) – and how we can integrate these into our work to make our lives…
Tagged with: AI, Bias, ChatGPT, Claude, Data Files, GDPR, Google Gemini, LLM, Staff Conference
Posted in The Library
Posted in The Library
AI at Sussex: Library Conference Workshop
By Sean Goddard and Daisy Phipps This was a well-paced and interesting led workshop. Using a mixture of presentation styles, including small table group work and discussions, PowerPoint presentations, and longer q and a’s with the workshop leads (George Robinson…
Tagged with: Adobe firefly, AI, ChatGPT, Energy, Ethic, Microsoft Copilot, Padlet, Staff Conference
Posted in The Library
Posted in The Library
Wild Wellbeing: Reflections from a non-stop musical mind
By Helena MacCormack Wild Wellbeing is an organisation that describes its field of practice as “ecotherapy”. I describe myself, as I’m sure many higher education professionals would, as an overthinker. Caroline White runs this project and hosted us for a mindful…
Tagged with: Autism, Mindfullness, Nature, Staff Conference, Wellbeing, Wild Wellbeing
Posted in The Library
Posted in The Library
‘How Sussex Supported the Miners’
Earlier this week on the 18th June 2024, the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (OTJC) delivered a new report to the Home Office and every major party on the events of what has been dubbed the ‘Battle of Orgeave’. Earlier this year Matt Foot, from OTJC, joined the Library, UCU and Unite the Union at an event that marked the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, to talk about the campaigns fight for an independent enquiry. Elsa van Helfteren has put together a blog post of the highlights from the evening looking at Sussex’s involvement in the strike.
Tagged with: History, Industrial Action, Left wing, Political movements and parties, Politics, Social history, Strikes, Trade Unions
Posted in Collections
Posted in Collections
Using Archives to Explore the Ethics of Writing Fiction Around Trauma
By Karina Evans When I was told I would need to undertake a placement on my Creative Writing MA, I was flummoxed. I knew I wanted every module to push me to my creative limits, but how to find a…
Posted in Uncategorised
Using AI to Explore Collections at the University of Sussex
We’re excited to share some groundbreaking work our systems librarian Tim Graves has been doing in collaboration with Danny Millum from our Collections team and DISCUS, the Data Intensive Science Center on campus. His focus has been on leveraging the…
Theatre and Academia: How the Library Enhances Your Performing Arts Education
The heart of theatre lies in storytelling, and our Library is a treasure trove of playtexts waiting to be explored. From timeless classics to contemporary works, the Library facilitates access to an extensive collection that spans genres, eras, and cultures. These scripts not only serve as material for productions but also provide a window into diverse narratives and styles, broadening your horizons and igniting your creativity.
“I am not Interested in the Coronation”: Similarities and Dissimilarities in Mass Observation’s 12th May Diaries from 1937 and 2023.
Reposted from the Mass Observation website By Emily Calcraft Introduction On 12th May 1937 a Day Survey Respondent from Oldham stated: ‘I am not interested in the Coronation and regard all the fuss as artificial and irrational’. In May 2023,…
What’s going on in the Library Wellbeing Area? – Connector Programme
Exciting changes are happening! The Library Wellbeing Area is currently under redevelopment with the help of four Student Connectors, Katie, Elena, Mariola and Chloe. Established two years ago, the Wellbeing Area has been a great addition to the library and…
Speed Conservation
Rosey Pool and the case of the damaged Equiano; or a book made safe and a treasure revealed.
The Power of AI and Image Generation
With new software becoming available all the time, could AI text-to-image tools redefine how we create and use images at work? Join our Systems Librarian, Tim, as he uses software that is freely available to staff to explore creating AI-generated…
The Jeremy Hutchinson QC archive: Britain’s foremost criminal barrister
By Alexander Taylor Hello, it’s Alexander with the second in a series of three blog posts on the Jeremy Hutchinson QC archive. This one will highlight Jeremy’s illustrious career at the Bar as one of Britain’s most formidable advocates. The…
Apply the skill of critical thinking: how to identify deepfake videos
“Facts matter: we need to know that the information we are using is credible (or, more accurately, we should be aware when it is not).”
Rosey Pool (1905-71) exhibition
Our exhibition of Rosey Pool’s personal book collection is now open on the ground floor of the library (at the bottom of the main staircase), created by Assistant Library Officer, Elsa van Helfteren.
Unleash The Power Of Ai: The Future Of Video Creation
From translating videos into multiple languages effortlessly to creating lifelike avatars and cloning voices, AI is reshaping the way we communicate through videos. Join our Systems Librarian, Tim, on a journey through the cutting-edge technology that’s shaping the future of…
Weetabix Trifle and beyond…
By Rose Lock Women’s magazines. Trivial, eh? Just a collection of inconsequential articles on how to keep your man happy, patterns for knitted shorts, vile make-do-type recipes, and adverts for lipsticks and washing powder. Well, yes, all of these things…
Tagged with: Libraries, The Keep, Woman's Own
Posted in Special Collections, The Keep, The Library, Uncategorised
Posted in Special Collections, The Keep, The Library, Uncategorised
AI productivity tips from a librarian who prefers words over spreadsheets
By Tim Graves Spreadsheets. Comma separated files. Databases. Endless columns of data scrolling away vertically and horizontally. I bet you love them, eh? In my last blog post I talked about how Artificial Intelligence has been saving me time with…
Introduction to the University of Sussex Rare Book collections
We are lucky at the University of Sussex Special Collections to have a number of fabulous and varied rare book collections, which are now part of the wonderful collections held at The Keep. As well as individual researchers ordering in our reading room, academics from Sussex and other universities use the books to teach their courses, running seminars in our education rooms where the students can get first-hand experience of handling rare volumes.
Posted in Uncategorised
Theatre and Academia Series: How the Library Enhances Your Performing Arts Education
by Helena MacCormack
As someone who has studied performing arts for years, I understand the unique journey that drama students embark upon. Theatre is a vibrant, living art form where practice and creativity take centre stage. However, there is a misconception that theatre students exist in opposition to academia due to the practical nature of their degrees. While practical work is at the core of theatre studies, academic research plays a crucial role in shaping your perspective as a theatre practitioner. This post marks the first of a series which will detail 5 ways in which the Library’s resources can provide academic grounding to your theatre studies, with plenty of recommendations.
AI productivity tips from a librarian with too much to read – part 1
By Tim Graves ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity I’ll be talking about free versions of three tools I’ve found most useful over the last year when it comes to handling long emails and documents. ChatGPT Claude Perplexity.ai AI document tactics To illustrate how…
#1Lib1Ref
Most of us use Wikipedia every day to find out about the music of Ennio Morricone, the United States voting system or Extreme ironing (yes, extreme ironing). As much as students are dissuaded from using it, Wikipedia is one of the first places used when researching a new topic. A surprising number of people use Wikipedia healthcare information. In fact, a US study found that a large number of medical students used Wikipedia (67%), however, 65% did not know how to correct mistakes. [citation needed] When so much misinformation has become the fabric of public discourse, the need for accurate, up to date information with high quality sources is more important than ever. And you, dear librarians and library assistants, can help.
Posted in Uncategorised
The Papers of St John and Mary Hutchinson from The Jeremy Hutchinson QC Archive
My name is Alexander Taylor, and I am the Project Archivist working on cataloguing, preserving, and making available the Jeremy Hutchinson QC archive. The collection comprises records from Jeremy and his family’s personal and professional lives. This article will comprise the first in a series of 3 blog posts examining the collection in its entirety, with the first focusing on the uncatalogued personal papers of Jeremy’s parents, St John Hutchinson, a prominent defence barrister, and Mary Hutchinson (née Barnes), a short-story writer and model.
Archiving and administering the Library and AFRAS at Sussex: guest blog post
Reposted from the Decolonial Maps of Library Learning blog By Alice Corble and Rhiann Tester This overdue blog post features a guest contributor, Rhiann Tester, Assistant Library Administrator at Sussex. I’ll briefly introduce the context of our collaboration before handing…
Posted in The Library
100 years of Radio Times: Celebrating a century of Christmas covers
By Lindsay Crook There aren’t many magazine publications that can claim they are 100 years old, but the Radio Times achieved this incredible milestone in 2023. The Keep holds an extensive collection of the periodical – the world’s first ever…
Unboxing and Mapping Black History in Sussex Library Legacy Collections
Reposted from Decolonial Maps blog by Alice Corble. This summer the Library was blessed to host its first Junior Research Associate (JRA): Myisha Box (History and International Relations BA student, now in her final year). The project was supervised by Gavin Mensah Coker…
The Power of Poetry and Living Libraries for Decolonial Dialogue
Reposted on from Decolonial Maps of Library Learning blog 31 October 2023 by Alice Corble. As Black History Month draws to a close (yet Black History must continue to be shared) and I adjust to the turn of the season and new positions, I…
Oil Crisis or Oil Revolution? Using the Sussex Library collections to explore contrasting contemporary Global South and Global North views of the October 1973 OPEC embargo
by Beth Collard and Danny Millum Before we start – a confession. This title and thesis (such as it is!) of this month’s post has been almost completely plagiarised from The Dig podcast episode ‘The Rise of OPEC’. In it Giuliano…
Exploring different approaches to using Tricontinental and Mujeres in your research from a library perspective
Reposted from the BLDS Legacy Collection Blog By Danny Millum A little belatedly we wanted to write up the details of the ‘Exploring different approaches to using Tricontinental and Mujeres in your research from a library perspective’ workshop, which took place on Monday 22…
Posted in Uncategorised