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Reposted by Suzanne Paul

Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 1d

MLGB is back!! Delighted that Medieval Libraries of Great Britain @bodleian.ox.ac.uk is now back online. We are also working had on plans for the next phase of the resource, enhancing & adding data & functionality. HUGE thanks to my colleagues for their hard & clever work mlgb.bodleian.ox.ac.uk

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Lauren Randall @laurenrndll.bsky.social · 5d

CFP: “Shaping the Word: the Form and Use of Biblical Manuscripts in the Early Medieval West” at Durham University in July 2026. We are interested in a wide range of papers exploring ways in which scriptural texts (produced roughly c. 500-1000) were presented and used.

Durham Uni, 2–5 July 2026
From c. 500-1000, Christian scriptures were produced and used in a diverse range of forms and contexts. A manuscript may include a single biblical text (the psalter, a gospel), a collection of texts (the Hexateuch, the gospels), or, rarely, a complete “New Testament” or “Bible” in the modern sense. The distinctiveness of a manuscript is shown by content and textual affiliation, its palaeographical and codicological characteristics, and its paratextual features – from illustrations of biblical narratives, author portraits, and illuminated lettering to canon tables, capitula, prefatory materials, and glosses. Once in circulation, a manuscript’s contexts of use may also vary. Different uses correspond to different users with distinct and perhaps conflicting priorities/goals. Production and use(s) may occur at the same site or at far distant times and places.

This conference aims to explore topics related to both the physical presentation and the use of scriptural manuscripts produced in the Early Medieval period (c. 500–1000 CE). We welcome paper proposals from scholars working in all areas of this field, including PhD students. Whatever the specific topic, priority may be given to papers that also relate it to the wider focus of the conference on both “form” (or “production”) and “use”. We hope to be able to cover presenters’ full conference costs with the exception of travel.
Titles and Abstracts of proposed papers should be submitted to Lauren Randall (lauren.m.randall@durham.ac.uk), copied to Francis Watson (francis.watson@durham.ac.uk), by Monday 17 November. Abstracts should not exceed 150 words. Papers should be 25 minutes, allowing 20 minute discussion. There will be keynote papers/presentations. Please contact us if you have any questions!

This event forms part of our sub-project “Text, Format, and Reader”, focused on Codex Amiatinus and funded by the Glasgow-based “Paratexts Seeking Understanding” project (Templeton Religion Trust)

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Danielle Clarke @rhetorician.bsky.social · 5d

I think it’s a kofta kebab!

Danielle Clarke @rhetorician.bsky.social · 5d

Would anyone like to take a guess at the word before “kebob”? Which predates OED - ms is 1660

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TeTra | Text and Transmission Research Seminar @tetraseminar.bsky.social · 5d

Next Thursday 9 October, Eleanor Baker (@eleanormaybaker.bsky.social) will explore the world of Middle English book curses. All welcome!

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Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 6d

A warmly evocative tribute to Jinty Nelson by Alice Rio:
'Her openness about her family & how much it meant to her turned her into an inspiring role model to generations of younger women...she somehow made you feel that you could be yourself, & that this would not be counted against you.'

Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 6d

Dame Janet L. Nelson (28 March 1942 – 14 October 2024)

by Alice Rio (All Souls College, University of Oxford)

doi.org/10.1093/past...

Dame Janet L. Nelson (28 March 1942 – 14 October 2024)*

Jinty Nelson left a strong mark of her presence in every institution that she was ever a part of, and there is none which does not regard its association w

doi.org

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Suzanne Paul @suzpaul.bsky.social · 6d

Delighted to hear this - hope to see you soon in the reading room!

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Side @sidegallery.bsky.social · 7d

To celebrate UK Black History Month we’re sharing portraits from a lost North Shields studio (1940s–60s), revealing the town’s often forgotten diversity.

👉 See more from this local collection: sidegallery.co.uk/collectio...
✉️ Recognise a face? Email [email protected]

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Cambridge University Library @theul.bsky.social · 7d

Welcome to the new academic year!

We’ve created a guide for new and returning University of Cambridge students, including online resources, top tips, skills training, tours, collections, and what’s new this term.

https://loom.ly/EmsWxrs

Aerial photo of Cambridge University Library

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Dr Izzy Wisher @izzywisher.bsky.social · 9d

Time to update your Palaeolithic palettes... 🔵

Very proud to share our new research on the OLDEST use of blue pigment! We identified traces of azurite - a vibrant blue mineral - on a stone object around 14-13,000 years old. Why is this so exciting? 👇🏺

doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

Close-up image of a sand coloured stone, with a diagonal crack. The sand rock has a textured surface, and small spots of blue can be seen towards the centre of the stone. The background is grey.

Microscopic photo of the blue spots, that are irregular in shape and size and positioned diagonally across the image. The rest of the photo shows the rough sand coloured texture of the stone.

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Robert Gallagher @hwaetspur.bsky.social · 9d

Interested in letter-writing in early medieval Britain? A three-year postdoc on @francescatinti.bsky.social’s and my project is now available. Apps close on 17th Oct. Let me know if you have any questions and please circulate! 🙂 jobs.kent.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

Job Opportunity at the University of Kent: Postdoctoral Research Associate

Are you passionate about early medieval Britain? Do you have advanced knowledge of Medieval Latin and interested in the analysis of Latin letter-writing? If yes, then you may be interested in this f...

jobs.kent.ac.uk

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The Distributed AI Research (DAIR) Institute @dairinstitute.bsky.social · 9d

Our own Kathleen Siminyu writes: "most parallel data [...] was from the religious domain, either translations of the Bible or other religious texts [...] done by religious organizations whose primary aim was evangelization, both in pre-colonial & post-colonial times."
akademie.dw.com/en/mind-the-...

Mind the gap: Building inclusive AI for African languages

Poor quality and domain bias in training data hinders language tool development. That's why language diversity must be a priority, says Kathleen Siminyu from the Distributed Artificial Intelligence Re...

akademie.dw.com

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Reposted by Suzanne Paul

Carin Ruff @carinr.bsky.social · 12d

#Metadata #librarian nerds rejoice! Read all about the @visithmml.bsky.social authority file! Authorities from names and works in all the Christian and Muslim manuscript traditions represented in HMML's collections. Read more:
hmml.org/stories/shar...

Creating Relationships — Sharing the Past to Build Toward Future Scholarship

“HMML Authority File (HAF) is a new open-access database created as part of...”

hmml.org

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Suzanne Paul @suzpaul.bsky.social · 11d

💯% this…

Melinda Haunton @melindahaunton.bsky.social · 12d

I wish the world hadn't lost the phrase "look it up".

"I did some research about-" No, pet. you looked it up. Research requires a decent level of horizon scanning/deep reading or experimental process. What you did was plug it into Google. Or similar. And read a couple of entries. You looked it up.

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irht-cnrs.bsky.social @irht-cnrs.bsky.social · 13d

[Call for papers] FuMaSt – The Future of Manuscript Studies Fifth edition, Firenze, 5-6 February 2026 (no later than 30 October 2025).
www.irht.cnrs.fr/sites/defaul...

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The Price Lab @pricelab.bsky.social · 14d

🚨 Job alert! UPenn Libraries, on behalf of @digitalscriptorium.bsky.social, seeks to appoint an early career library professional or postdoctoral researcher with a background in premodern manuscript studies for an NEH-funded, 22-month Manuscript Data Curation Fellowship 📜

Manuscript Data Curation Fellow

University Overview The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school co...

wd1.myworkdaysite.com

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Helen Williams @helskrw.bsky.social · 15d

Catch up with @lselibrary.bsky.social's latest Wikidata project here journals.cilip.org.uk/catalogue-an... This time we've been focusing on a unique set of oral history interviews about the British Suffrage Movement.

‘We are here not because we are metadata-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become metadata-makers’ | Catalogue and Index

journals.cilip.org.uk

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Heather Froehlich @heatherfro.bsky.social · 16d

The Kluge Fellowship in Digital Studies provides an opportunity for scholars to utilize digital methods, the Library’s large and varied digital collections and resources, curatorial expertise, and an emerging community of digital scholarship practitioners. www.loc.gov/programs/joh...

About the Fellowship The Kluge Fellowship in Digital Studies provides an opportunity for scholars to utilize digital methods, the Library’s large and varied digital collections and resources, curatori...

www.loc.gov

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Renaud ADAM @renaudadam.bsky.social · 17d

Just Published! Opening up our Heritage: Opportunities in Digitising and Promoting Cultural and Research Collections', a collection of 19 chapters on the #digitisation and promotion of cultural and scientific #heritage (ed. by R. Adam, C. Oger and Fr. Renaville) e-publish.uliege.be/opening-up-o...

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Samuel Moore @samuelmoore.org · 20d

“These companies all advertise these tools as knowing your intent,” Taylor told 404 Media. “Understanding what you meant when you put those terms in. They don’t know. They don’t understand. None of those things are true. There is no technical way these tools can do that.”

Librarians Are Being Asked to Find AI-Hallucinated Books

It’s a trippy time to have a library card.

www.404media.co

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Fletcher Durant @fletcherdurant.bsky.social · Aug 12

Digital preservation in action.

michael veale @michae.lv · Aug 12

In a new digital twist to environmental individualisation of responsibility, the UK government is now advising people to “[d]elete old emails and pictures” in data centres to help with the current drought. www.gov.uk/government/n...

HOW TO SAVE WATER AT HOME
Install a rain butt to collect rainwater to use in the garden.

Fix a leaking toilet – leaky loos can waste 200-400 litres a day.

Use water from the kitchen to water your plants.

Avoid watering your lawn – brown grass will grow back healthy.

Turn off the taps when brushing teeth or shaving.

Take shorter showers.

Delete old emails and pictures as data centres require vast amounts of water to cool their systems.

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Dot Porter @leoba.bsky.social · Aug 13

Opening at Penn for a Special Collections Accessions Librarian, responsible for acquiring and accessioning all special collections materials for the Kislak Center. The salary range for this position is $66,000 - $89,039. Come work with meeeee!

wd1.myworkdaysite.com/recruiting/u...

Special Collections Accessions Librarian

University Overview The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school co...

wd1.myworkdaysite.com

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Suzanne Paul @suzpaul.bsky.social · 20d

Totally agree - hanging out with MSS is the best.

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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 22d

Bertrand Russell, at 89 years old, to Sir Oswald Mosley, a man most famous for founding, in 1932, the British Union of Fascists.

I'm all for civil discourse. But everyone can and should draw a line at who they will talk to.

Notice that Russell did not demean himself with incivility, either.

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Royal Society of Literature @rsliterature.bsky.social · 23d

The RSL today marks the 200th anniversary of its incorporation with a Royal Charter ✒️

In celebration, Cambridge University Library @theul.bsky.social has digitised a selection of archive materials which they are making public today for the first time: cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/collections/...

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Katarzyna Anna Kapitan @kakapitan.bsky.social · 22d

Do you have an idea for a #digitalhumanities #hackathon project? Would you like our (@ecoledeschartes.bsky.social @psl-univ.bsky.social) DH students to work on it? Reach out!
www.chartes.psl.eu/gazette-char...

Appel à propositions pour une semaine de hackathons

Le master « Humanités numériques » organise du 5 au 9 janvier 2026 une semaine de hackathons et compétitions en IA et sciences des données pour les SHS, à laquelle prendront part les étudiants du mast...

www.chartes.psl.eu

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