Ellen Forsyth PhD (@ellenforsyth)

Yes, this is an opportunity...

24.02.2026 00:17 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

That is very exciting news

24.02.2026 00:13 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Plus you could talk with your local public library staff for research tips and local resources.

01.02.2026 21:47 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Via Chicago Tribune-- Chicagoan of the Year in Books: If you’re into horror, thank the librarian Becky Spratford I mean, knew this was coming, but it still feels odd. I am the person behind the curtain always, but at the same time, all of us who hep rea...

Via @chicagotribune.com Tribune-- Chicagoan of the Year in Books: If you’re into horror, thank the librarian Becky Spratford:

raforall.blogspot.com/2025/12/via-...

17.12.2025 14:04 👍 33 🔁 8 💬 5 📌 5

Congratulations.

15.01.2026 22:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

The perfect way to switch off from work: the secret to a daily de-stress routine The boundaries between work and leisure are being blurred, but it’s vital for your health to learn how to turn off. Whether you do your job from home or not, here’s how to reset and reclaim your private time

The perfect way to switch off from work: the secret to a daily de-stress routine

05.01.2026 18:06 👍 34 🔁 6 💬 3 📌 0

Outskirts of Australian cities at risk of catastrophic fires on scale of deadly LA blazes, study finds At least 6.9 million residents on Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart fringes exposed as dry summer follows years of vegetation growth

Outskirts of Australian cities at risk of catastrophic fires on scale of deadly LA blazes, study finds

05.01.2026 14:00 👍 5 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0

A few thoughts on Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia's Regional Chinese Restaurants by Jennifer Wong, Lin Jie Kong Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia's Regional Chinese Restaurants by Jennifer Wong My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved t...

A few thoughts on Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia's Regional Chinese Restaurants by Jennifer Wong, Lin Jie Kong readplayparticipate.blogspot.com/2026/01/a-fe...

03.01.2026 00:15 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Family unearths story of Australian cricket's 'girl Bradman' Hazel Pritchard There was no central catalogue for the scattered histories of women's cricket. That may be about to change.

Family unearths story of Australian cricket's 'girl Bradman' Hazel Pritchard www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12... and I suggest reading The Bodyline Fix: How Women Saved Cricket by Marion Stella www.goodreads.com/book/show/62... important history to remember

26.12.2025 18:51 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Four species, 160 days, 50,000 images: meet the photographer dedicated to showing the lovable side of flying foxes Doug Gimsey’s extreme close-ups of ‘sky puppies’ are designed to trigger an emotional response that endears people to the ‘wrongly vilified’ mammals

Four species, 160 days, 50,000 images: meet the photographer dedicated to showing the lovable side of flying foxes

26.12.2025 14:01 👍 2 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0

The information literacy of Christmas Puddings It's that time of year, and I was searching for my mother's Christmas Pudding recipe (which I archived on this blog in 2015): googling information literacy christmas pudding. Seeking the link I wanted, my eye was caught by the "AI overview", which, to my surprise, had attempted to cobble together something about information literacy as applied to Christmas Puddings. Can I do better than Google Gemini? I rather think I can! Christmas puddings: through the lens of the ACRL Information Literacy Framework All quotations in blue are from the Framework Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Here we have to consider both the pudding itself and the recipe. So, who is an authority for recipes? There are several candidates: celebrity chefs (high citation counts), recipes from the earliest days of festive puddings (historical accuracy), the first hit you get when searching christmas pudding recipes (algorithmic calculation), your mother's recipe (she's your mother). Now, ACRL tells us that we must "view authority with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought." Therefore we ought to look at other people's mothers' recipes, recipes that have none of the ingredients you'd expect to find in a pudding, dubious-looking recipes from the 1960s, and the last recipe to be posted on tiktok. However, at the end of the day, "the information need may help to determine the level of authority required." I want a recipe that will deliver a pudding I know I like to eat, so my mother's recipe it is. It will be a similar process in deciding "who is the authority who decides that this is the best pudding?" If they are a jury member at the International Taste Institute they must know a thing or two about good food, as must the head buyer responsible for seasonal desserts at a leading supermarket chain. The Consumers' Association is bound to have conducted tests, with proper criteria and everything and with my expert googling powers I can identify the "Christmas puddings: ranked" articles in all media outlets and see which is consistently top. Once again, though, information literates "recognize that unlikely voices can be authoritative, depending on need." Thus, deficient though I am in any cookery qualification, I determine that the ultimate authority for judging "is this pudding nice?" is - me. Research as Inquiry Information literate learners "appreciate that a question may appear to be simple but still disruptive and important to research". Therefore they will find the question "What is a Christmas pudding, anyway?" meaningful and worthy of inquiry. In pursuing this, they will "maintain an open mind and a critical stance" (is it even a pudding?), "demonstrate intellectual humility" (admit they know nothing of the history of cooking) and "seek appropriate help when needed" (what does Wikipedia say about puddings?) Information Has Value As we all know, information has "several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world." The information contained in my mother's Christmas Pudding recipe can educate you about what a woman born in the 1920s thought should go into a Christmas Pudding (it is not, for example, vegetarian). It could be valuable if you use the recipe to produce the expensive commodity of Fortnum & Mason's' luxury pudding for non-vegetarians and make a tidy profit. You may think there is social capital in proving that your mother could cook. Also, "Experts understand that value may be wielded by powerful interests in ways that marginalize certain voices": so they will know that Elon Musk's (2025) Super-duper seasonal recipes book is not value for money, ignoring, as it does, the Christmas Pudding recipes of ordinary working people. Scholarship as Conversation "Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations." Indeed, debates about what should go in a Christmas pudding, what recipes are used in different countries, how you cook it (steamed, boiled or microwaved?), what it symbolises etc. etc. rage, in humble kitchens and in the ivory towers of academe. See, for example, Brieger et al. (2014), Chevalier (2018), Williams (1897), or Young (2005). Should one even be eating this embodiment of one's colonial past? Discuss. Information Creation as a Process It certainly is! You can't just think up a successful recipe without going through a process. You have to "look to the underlying processes of creation as well as the final product to critically evaluate the usefulness of the information." Critical questions are "Did this cook actually taste the pudding?" and "Is this pudding recipe just a random collection of ingredients suggested by AI?" You would expect the recipe creator to "value the process of matching an information need with an appropriate product", for example, it needs some spice and they select (say) cinnamon, rather than jalapeno pepper. They would also be able to "articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes" and thus rank a recipe developed through thoughtful addition of ingredients and judicious tasting of the end products higher than a vaguely-worded recipe that now and then produced something edible. You also need to "look beyond format when selecting resources to use": yes, usually you always use videos for recipe guides, but perhaps you could, after all, benefit from my mother's Christmas Pudding recipe, even though it's just written down. Searching as Strategic Exploration Information literate people will "determine the initial scope of the task required to meet their information needs." The recipe they use will be determined like questions like: What size of pudding do I want? Will I be serving it to vegan friends? How far am I prepared to go in terms of exotic ingredients? Can I be bothered with steaming? They will "identify interested parties, such as scholars, organizations, governments, and industries, who might produce information about a topic" (see above) and then "determine how to access that information" (shall I buy a cookery book? shall I go straight to a trusted source like this or this? what about Youtube?). Using "different types of searching language" (Christmas, Xmas, Figgy) one will "recognize the value of browsing and other serendipitous methods of information gathering" (scroll through all the photos of puddings to spot the yummiest). However, you also need to "know when [you] have enough information to complete the information task". Perhaps I'll just follow my mother's Christmas pudding recipe, after all. Good information literate eating! If you found this even vaguely amusing you might like the SCONUL 7 Pillars of chocolate literacy which is shorter and probably wittier. Images Photo of Christmas puddings potted up ready for steaming by Sheila Webber, taken November 2025. Holly image by Ted Balmer on Unsplash References Brieger, D. G., Amir, A. B., Punch, G. J., Lim, C. S. H., & Toh, J. (2014). What proof is in your Christmas pudding? Is caring under the influence possible? Medical Journal of Australia, 201(11), 702-704. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja14.01478 Chevalier, N. (2018). Iconic dishes, culture and identity: The Christmas pudding and its hundred years’ journey in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and India. Food, Culture & Society, 21(3), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2018.1451042 Musk, E. (2025). Super-duper seasonal recipes. [This is misinformation, but I think you knew that.] Williams, E.E. (1897, December). Our Christmas plum puddings. Windor Magazine, 7, 64-68. https://www.victorianvoices.net/ARTICLES/Windsor/Windsor1898A/W1898-PlumPudding.pdf Young, P. (2005). Economy, Empire, Extermination: The Christmas Pudding, the Crystal Palace and the Narrative of Capitalist Progress. Literature & History, 14(1), 14-30. https://doi.org/10.7227/LH.14.1.2 [It is about Dicken's story, but includes a pudding recipe, I think that counts.]

05.12.2025 15:08 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1

In defence of boredom – Why the social sciences need time to “waste” - Impact of Social Sciences Why has boredom, or simply the opportunity to linger over research, become a key issue in shaping the kinds of knowledge academics produce?

💥New: In defence of boredom – Why the social sciences need time to “waste”

✍️ Madiha Tariq

#AcademicSky #SocialScience #SlowScholarship

13.11.2025 11:15 👍 8 🔁 7 💬 0 📌 1

The ABC’s Top 100 books poll lacks diversity. Here are my 10 First Nations ‘books of the 21st century’

Just three Aboriginal writers appeared in Radio National’s poll. There was little sense of the breadth and creativity of our First Nations writing scene.

22.10.2025 05:59 👍 10 🔁 8 💬 1 📌 1

And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct The tally of Australian mammals extinct since 1788 is now 39 species – far more than for any other country It’s official: the only Australian shrew is no more. The latest edition of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List, the world’s most comprehensive global inventory on extinction risk, has declared the Christmas Island shrew is extinct. This little animal is extremely common all over the island, and at night its shrill shriek, like the cry of a bat, can be heard on all sides. Continue reading...

And then there were none: Australia’s only shrew declared extinct

11.10.2025 06:03 👍 94 🔁 68 💬 9 📌 11

Make sure you read this thread for great horror suggestions for libraries

02.10.2025 05:12 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Getting Ready for the Spookiest Month With Me in People Magazine Online 31 Days of Horror will begin this week, I would like to get us ready here with some baby steps today by sharing the conversation between Alm...

Today on the blog: Getting Ready for the Spookiest Month With Me and @almakatsu.bsky.social in People Magazine Online and how to use this conversation to get your displays ready for the busiest month for Horror:

raforall.blogspot.com/2025/09/gett...

29.09.2025 16:12 👍 9 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Australian parents embrace the power of play 2025 Australia Plays study finds parents believe video games help children create opportunities for learning, connection and creativity

Nine out of ten Australian households are playing video games in 2025.

Our #AustraliaPlays25 study with Bond University shows families are play games together for fun, learning, and connection, plus the broader benefits of education and mental health:
igea.net/2025/09/aust...

07.09.2025 23:00 👍 6 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1

Warsaw opens metro station ‘express’ library to get commuters off their phones Metroteka aims to encourage people to read more in country that lost majority of libraries in second world war

Oh, this is cool 📚 🚇
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

08.09.2025 18:16 👍 18 🔁 12 💬 0 📌 1

Dana’s Edit: Perfect Pairings – Modern Daily Knitting

Dana's edit: perfect pairings from Modern daily knitting www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/da... this brings reading suggestions and knitting together, audio books which are a match for specific patterns. I like this idea from @callmedwj.bsky.social #ReadAdv

04.06.2025 22:46 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Some lovely examples

10.05.2025 03:49 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Launching today - our biggest ever project! Sonic Heritage explores the sounds of the world’s most famous sights, with 270 UNESCO World Heritage sites and items of intangible heritage, all reimagined by artists to create a new way to experience these incredible spaces 🏛️🎧 citiesandmemory.com/heritage

18.04.2025 07:32 👍 84 🔁 35 💬 0 📌 10

Alien structures and a sea monster: Dive into the Barrier Reef's enduring mystery Striking historic drawings of the Great Barrier Reef found in an old, waterlogged book capture the spell this underwater world has put on people for centuries.

Hooked on the Great Barrier Reef www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04... from the ABC - lovely illustrations

18.04.2025 01:36 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Dobell prize 2025: Australia’s leading prize for drawing – in pictures The $30,000 biennial Dobell drawing prize is known for pushing the boundaries among Australian artists. Rosemary Lee’s 24-1 – an ‘exploration of the urban landscape and gentrification of the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Summer Hill’ – was selected winner from 56 finalists and 965 entries • The finalists of the 2025 Dobell drawing prize will be showing at the National Art School Gallery, Sydney, until 21 May Continue reading...

Dobell prize 2025: Australia’s leading prize for drawing – in pictures

12.04.2025 00:03 👍 26 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 0

Cataloguing the V&A Wedgwood Collection Archive • V&A Blog I joined the V&A Wedgwood Collection in November 2021 as an Archives Assistant with the main aim of cataloguing the archive collection and making these records available online. The Archives Assistant...

Cataloguing the V&A Wedgwood Collection Archive www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-... great to read about this cataloguing project (findability matters)

12.04.2025 22:17 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

Massive swarms of bogong moths once resembled rain clouds – then their numbers crashed to earth

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

09.04.2025 06:23 👍 41 🔁 12 💬 1 📌 1

National Library of Australia Fellowships | National Library of Australia (NLA) Financial and research support for experienced researchers in various fields and disciplines.

Applications are now open for the 2026 National Library of Australia Fellowships and Creative Arts Fellowships—closing 5 May 2025.
via @humanitiesau.bsky.social #AcademicSky

05.04.2025 23:11 👍 13 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0

bsky.app/profile/pomo... for heritage illustrations of fruit

29.03.2025 20:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets

The first-of-its kind report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics looks beyond GDP to a broader measurement of what nature is really worth.

27.02.2025 05:59 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

The Process is the Point An irregular newsletter about library metadata and the forces that shape it.

I just subscribed to The Process is the Point! buttondown.com/lissertations because I want to read more about library metadata

25.02.2025 19:59 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Jane’s world – fans and admirers pick their favourite Austen characters Helen Fielding, David Baddiel, Nicola Sturgeon and other cultural figures celebrate the great writer’s 250th birthday

Jane’s world – fans and admirers pick their favourite Austen characters

16.02.2025 08:06 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Ellen Forsyth PhD

Latest posts by Ellen Forsyth PhD @ellenforsyth