Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

scott b. weingart @scottbot.bsky.social · 8d

The next Historical Network Research conference will be held in Turin, Italy in July 2026, and submissions are now open.

Proposals due December 1. Bursaries available for early career scholars.

This year's theme is "Networks and their Sources." See you there!

hnr2026.sciencesconf.org

HNR2026: The Historical Network Research Conference 2026 (Turin, Italy) - Sciencesconf.org

Call for Papers – Historical Network Research Conference 2026

hnr2026.sciencesconf.org

2 17 22

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · Jul 30

- 400 jobs to go at Lancaster University

- 1 in 4 people will be made redundant

But where's the financial evidence for this extreme action?

Please read 👇

Sign the petition 👇

chng.it/7F52bThYqn

Sign the Petition

Stop Mass Redundancies at Lancaster University – Hold Senior Management Accountable

chng.it

3 93 93

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 16d

Petition update

3700 signatories to date

Thankyou

Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · Jul 30

- 400 jobs to go at Lancaster University

- 1 in 4 people will be made redundant

But where's the financial evidence for this extreme action?

Please read 👇

Sign the petition 👇

chng.it/7F52bThYqn

Sign the Petition

Stop Mass Redundancies at Lancaster University – Hold Senior Management Accountable

chng.it

1

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Samuel Moore @samuelmoore.org · 16d

We're going to be hosting a one-day event in Cambridge on Dec 3rd focusing on the Publish Review Curate model. More info very soon but save the date!

2 7 22

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · 17d

WTF

2

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

mia @miaout.bsky.social · 23d

The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organisations @adho-org.bsky.social has a number of positions open - help out with ADHO Awards, Communications or with a Fellowship aimed at improving the website

adho.org/jobs/

It's a great way to help the field and support your local DH organisation too

Jobs – Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations

adho.org

2

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

mia @miaout.bsky.social · 23d

More manuscripts are coming to the British Library's online site www.bl.uk/collection/d...

And, erm, how can I say this nicely? If you have a cheeky script that downloads images from the site, please build in some delays so that you don't kill the servers. Play nice, innit!

Digitised manuscripts and archives - British Library

View more than 2,000 of our digitised manuscripts and archival documents, including the Sherborne Missal and Octateuch, Four Gospels and Synodicon.

www.bl.uk

3 43 110

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 13

I’m sorry Liz. Xxx

1

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Felicity Callard @felicitycallard.bsky.social · Sep 12

With the phrase “unfunded hobbyist research” the new Universities UK President continues a much longer history of contempt that UUK has shown towards the labour of all those who work in universities

Research Professional News @handle.invalid · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ - Research Professional News

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

3 25 58

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 12

Apologies for all the rage-reposting this morning.

1

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Sep 12

'"You can’t have hobbyist research that’s unfunded going on in institutions. We can’t afford it.”'

Such a badly formulated phrasing of the issues, so open to so many misinterpretations. If this is the level of thinking about research among sector leaders and policy-makers, be very afraid.

Research Professional News @handle.invalid · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ - Research Professional News

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

18 89 240

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · Sep 12

One of the things that really grinds at the “elite” is that RAE/REF has shown for 30 years that research excellence really IS spread far beyond their narrow vision. They absolutely HATE it.

Leonie V. Hicks @lvhicks.bsky.social · Sep 12

You what now? Who gets to define 'hobbyist'? The REF 'funds' research.

Anti-intellectual, utilitarian, ignorant approach from the UUK president.

Research Professional News @handle.invalid · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

3 21 94

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Rosalynd Southern @rosalynd.bsky.social · Sep 12

The people who are supposedly 'the voice' of research intensive universities don't understand research funding or even research. A truly embarrassing organisation

Research Professional News @handle.invalid · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ - Research Professional News

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

1 4 13

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Will Tattersdill @tattersdill.bsky.social · Sep 12

The last REF found that 98% of UK research was either "internationally recognised", "internationally excellent", or "world-leading". If you think low-quality research is the noteworthy challenge in UK higher ed right now, you are wilfully looking in the wrong direction

Research Professional News @handle.invalid · Sep 12

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ .

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Ministers ‘want to shift funds away from low-quality research’ - Research Professional News

Universities UK president says institutions cannot afford “unfunded hobbyist research”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

8 53 140

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 11

Important new article form my colleague Paula Westenberger on Artificial intelligence for cultural heritage research, and the challenges in UK copyright law and policy. www.frontierspartnerships.org/journals/eur...

Frontiers Publishing Partnerships | Artificial intelligence for cultural heritage research: the challenges in UK copyright law and policy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising our relationship with cultural heritage, enhancing access to, engagement with and preservation of collections...

www.frontierspartnerships.org

5 10

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Samuel Moore @samuelmoore.org · Sep 11

I have an op-ed out today in @resprofnews.bsky.social introducing my new book on the commercialisation of open access publishing.

Make academic publishing a commons, not a market - Research Professional News

Commercialisation has thwarted the promise of openness—it’s time for new priorities, says Samuel Moore

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

26 57

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Liverpool University Press @livunipress.bsky.social · Sep 10

We are delighted to announce that libraries can now request an early access free trial of Oxford University Voltaire, a new digital scholarly edition from the Voltaire Foundation.

Find out more > bit.ly/oxunivoltaire

@voltaire.ox.ac.uk

3 6

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 8

Oof. This.

Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · Sep 8

"The academic career is framed as a privileged but high-risk venture that ppl knowingly choose to embark on so they must endure the consequences or find a way to cope, thus obscuring deliberate adoption of biz models that [deprioritize] investment in staff + render large sections of the workforce 🗑️"

‘You just have to learn to play the game’: survival, resentment and resignation in women academics’ narratives of precarity

This paper discusses precarious academic labour and its implications for gender and interrelated inequalities, drawing on narrative interviews with temporarily employed UK women academics. It ident...

www.tandfonline.com

1 5

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 8

This cool event is now online, due to tube strikes, but it does open it up to DH/AI/Hums people from all over!

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 3

This conference on Artificial Intelligence in Arts and Industry (AI2) might be of interest to some of the DH crowd. I'm speaking about some ongoing work with language models, and how we can use their failures productively: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ai2-artifi...

AI² - Artificial Intelligence in Arts and Industry

An Albertopolis collaboration on the future of creativity and innovation

www.eventbrite.co.uk

1 2 5

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

James Loxley @oldnorthroad.bsky.social · Sep 5

This is entirely of a piece with the now accepted view that research activity is best directed from above by non-experts who provide funding only in line with strategic objectives they cook up amongst themselves. Of course, this view is entirely wrong - it’s a managerialist fantasy and it sucks.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Sep 4

'The new chief executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has warned university leaders that their institutions might need to start doing “fewer things but doing them really well”, stating he is wary of a “crumbs for everyone” approach to funding.' 1/2

UKRI chief: ‘Do fewer things in research but do them really well’

Ian Chapman backs ministers’ calls for more research specialisation by universities in first public comments since taking over at £9 billion-a-year research funder

www.timeshighereducation.com

3 2 21

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 4

Yes indeed. Hardest for those still working there.
Good luck with your new project!

2

Ruth Ahnert @ruthahnert.bsky.social · Sep 4

It feels like 5 years of doing exciting humanities research there never happened.

1 2

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Melissa Terras @melissaterras.bsky.social · Sep 4

So @theturing.bsky.social has decided they no longer need Humanities (!) - so the The Alan Turing Institute’s Humanities and Data Science Interest Group are having one final event: "Network power: the humanities and data science in collaboration" In person and online, Oxford, 25th Sept. Pls share!

Network power: the humanities and data science in collaboration

digitalscholarship.web.ox.ac.uk

10 71 77

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Melissa Terras @melissaterras.bsky.social · Sep 4

There's lots I could say about the wrongheaded banishment of humanities projects, people and groups from @theturing.bsky.social - what is AI if you don't think about its deployment and how it affects society, eh? Interdisciplinarity is key to building a better future. Pfffft to yer defence silos.

3 10 57

Reposted by Ruth Ahnert

Dr Laura Smith-Khan @lauraskh.bsky.social · Sep 4

We all needed this right now 👇🏽
Alt text and info about the author are in the replies

Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · Sep 3

Timeline cleanse

1 29 82