Abigail Goben

Data, OA, Libraries, Knitting, Cats, OA-Tenure. I named Executive Function Theft. The opinions of the Hedgehog Librarian, Professor. Chicago-based

#Data
#DataManagement
#HedgehogLibrarian
#OpenAccess
#OATenure
#Pyewacket #Widge #Boswick 's human
#ExecutiveFunctionTheft

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6520-3648
Blog: https://hedgehoglibrarian.com/
Knitting: https://hedgehogknitting.blogspot.com/
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Public Key

npub10ene5zpe2yehmd6rgc653vaqn6d4yjhwn97s7nf7308kuraadxjsn589j3

NIP-05 Address

hedgielib_at_glammr.us@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8ueu6pqu4zvmakap5vd2gkwsfax6jfthfjlg0f5lghnmwp77knfgprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntv9y3d4

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub10ene5zpe2yehmd6rgc653vaqn6d4yjhwn97s7nf7308kuraadxjsn589j3

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Last Notes

2026-04-20 20:28:31 UTC

TINYCAT SWAG
TinyCat 10th Birthday Hunt | LibraryThing
https://www.librarything.com/hunt/43

2026-02-19 05:58:36 UTC

Deep reading can boost your critical thinking and help you resist misinformation—here's how to build the skill
https://phys.org/news/2026-01-deep-boost-critical-resist-misinformation.html

2025-07-18 18:26:44 UTC

#JobAd University of Illinois Chicago Professor / AssocDean / Associate University Librarian For Information Services https://uic.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/14934?c=uic&sq=1034572
(this is MPOW) We're finally filling this position. I am not on the search and I am not in the reporting line as currently imagined. I'm happy to meet and answer any questions.

2025-07-15 15:43:57 UTC

Library Colleagues -- if you're thinking ahead to August and a book display on AI, here's the worldcat links to 31 books that critically approach the topic, compiled by me and my Squids. Most are written for an advanced consumer audience.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X5hERac1Uf2e07Kg6kpdmp_qVLZ1_2S1Um92M4pZWZg/edit?usp=sharing

2025-05-19 01:24:52 UTC

People who use AI at work are perceived by colleagues as lazier and less competent, study finds https://phys.org/news/2025-05-people-ai-colleagues-lazier.html

2025-05-06 17:00:37 UTC

There was a question about "what AI skills should librarians have" on one of my listservs. My Ideas:
• Knowledge of the IP theft underlying these tools
• Discerning “we just relabeled something and now are pretending it’s AI to charge you more while making the product worse” from vendor pitches
• Understanding the inherent biases, the ecological harms, the underpaid mods
• Addressing loss of critical thinking and reading skills ]
• Demonstrating how this is being used as labor suppression

2025-05-01 02:17:16 UTC

This is.... a dude that I think i can safely say I would not be interested in collaborating with or working with at any point in the future. Dude scraped a librarian listserv without permission "to learn about AI tools"
and then wrote about it.
Notably there are not comments available on the post.
https://www.deweydata.io/blog/unlocking-insights-from-buslib-l-using-ai-to-deep-dive-into-a-popular-business-librarian-forum

2025-02-27 18:39:58 UTC

Thinking about this today: https://bookjockeyalex.com/2021/04/01/blossom-conference-response/
And how I know at least two different colleagues who have faced all sorts of ridiculous backlash for a deliberate and meaningful use of the word fuck in a conference presentation. Both of whom are still owed an apology by the people who then whined about it.

2025-01-08 00:42:23 UTC

"But in the follow-up focus groups we conducted, the data told a different story. Instead of being used to replace old ways of completing tasks, the learning management systems were simply another thing on their plates"
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-technology-decrease-teacher-burnout-worse.html

2025-01-04 23:18:56 UTC

Think of all the real problems we could solve with $80B that isn't "a bad autocomplete"
Microsoft to Spend $80 Billion on AI Data Centers This Year
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-spend-80-billion-ai-191302185.html

2024-12-29 00:03:46 UTC

7 good things humanity did to combat climate change in 2024
https://phys.org/news/2024-12-good-humanity-combat-climate.html

2024-12-26 17:33:24 UTC

AI-Generated Book Grifters Threaten The Future of Lace-Making
https://www.404media.co/bobbin-tatting-lace-ai-generated-books/

2024-12-11 15:34:05 UTC

You don't get to trot out the tired "but I LOVE LIBRARIES" when you have such contempt for them and fire all of the ones you have.
Can a Library Function Without Librarians? Can a College?
https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-luxury-that-we-cant-afford

2024-12-04 03:57:22 UTC

- reply

I'll save the meandering for if I ever write about it in longer than a single post :p
But truly I'm glad it's helpful

2024-12-04 00:41:12 UTC

Executive Function Theft has been making the rounds today on Bluesky and Facebook so if I may offer it up to Mastodon again as well...
May we name the irritation and then try not to commit it
https://hedgehoglibrarian.com/2023/08/14/executive-function-theft/

2024-11-12 05:27:58 UTC

Scientist Calculates Perfect Beer Glass Shape To Keep Liquid Cool https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/scientist-calculates-perfect-beer-glass-shape-to-keep-liquid-cool

2024-10-06 18:30:21 UTC

Energy used to generate an email with AI https://flowingdata.com/2024/09/25/energy-used-to-generate-an-email-with-ai/

2024-09-10 19:44:06 UTC

I'm speaking at the Midwest Data Librarian Symposium in October! I'll be workshopping Mid-Career Data Librarian Thoughts with Megan Sapp Nelson and describing what RDM books are available for researchers -- work I did with @npub15jg…cmpj
https://mwdatalibrariansymposium.wordpress.com/2024-schedule/
There are a few slots left if you want to sign up for this great conference! Meet up in Lawrence!

2024-09-09 00:36:13 UTC

- reply

thanks! Its still in blank spin here, good to know most hamsters seem to be out of the wheel

2024-09-09 00:05:56 UTC

Do y'all have LibraryThing? Is the app down for maintenance or such? It's just spinning over here.

2024-09-02 23:49:28 UTC

FASCINATING how Nature Springer has this WHOLE editorial that fails entirely to mention self-archiving
"just beg your coauthors and institution and editors for money and waivers"
Or put it in a repository. FOR FREE.
How can I publish open access when I can’t afford the fees?
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02849-w

2024-09-02 17:10:46 UTC

Petition to be able to filter the following from all Women's Clothing websites:
Ruffles
Puff Sleeves
Peplum
Dolman
If those are your thing, amazing, I leave it all for you. Just let me FILTER.

2024-09-01 15:57:28 UTC

Oh yippee...
Bacteria able to overcome cost of vancomycin resistance in lab setting
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1055525

2024-08-30 16:50:33 UTC

"they don't care about artisanal grant language" -- @npub1ffa…r8hz to me just now.

2024-08-25 20:56:08 UTC

#LB hey @npub1ffa…r8hz

2024-08-21 20:53:51 UTC

- reply

apparently it's toxic so she's extra not allowed.

2024-08-21 19:46:50 UTC

Could someone who speaks more fluent feline than I do please come explain to the #SmallGrayCat that I'm reasonably certain she doesn't want a bite of grapefruit.

2024-08-21 14:46:07 UTC

After yesterday, thinking about this post-print by @npub1ffa…r8hz which includes some examination of reported (or lack of reported) outcomes of participating in VAL projects.
Data ethics in library learning analytics
https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/85141

2024-08-20 23:13:01 UTC

And here, a Provost who is openly contemptuous of his library faculty.
I would be very interested to see what kind of *legitimate* supports like time and funding is in place to support librarians doing research.
https://lailluminator.com/2024/08/20/lsu-changes-tenure-rules-for-librarians-to-improve-its-research-rankings/

2024-08-20 18:20:22 UTC

Behold the WIU Leadership contempt for their librarians and library staff
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/cost-cutting/2024/08/20/library-faculty-eliminated-western-illinois-university#

2024-08-14 14:02:06 UTC

EFT + 1 Year
It's been a year since I first published the Executive Function Theft blog post. As of 9:30 p.m. on 8/13/24, I'm at 29,925 readers. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I put it out in the world. I was writing as many of us were leaving Twitter, which meant that the mechanism where I was used to getting the most uptake for my blog posts was gone.
http://hedgehoglibrarian.com/2024/08/14/eft-1-year/

2024-08-13 16:27:36 UTC

Funder: "here's a small amount of money to spend on stuff/honoraria for this outreach project"
Awardees: Cool, we will do stuff with the money in the time frame allotted
Funder: "So you're going to continue doing all those things right? "
Awardees: No... we spent the money, we don't have budget or people to repeat/extend/etc that stuff indefinitely without more funding.
What a shock, maintenance costs are a thing.

2024-08-12 18:40:46 UTC

Y'all... This could *reduce* Executive Function Theft.
Amazing.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/08/12/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-launches-new-effort-to-crack-down-on-everyday-headaches-and-hassles-that-waste-americans-time-and-money/?utm_source=link
https://hedgehoglibrarian.com/2023/08/14/executive-function-theft/

2024-08-09 17:34:46 UTC

"So that lines up with the presentation that Jenica Rogers gave in 2018"
Things that live in the back of my head permanently

2024-08-05 14:12:30 UTC

Also it has been 10+ years and we are still trying to do RDM via workshops.
Which tells you how much academic programs value it when they haven't integrated it into the curriculum meaningfully.

2024-08-05 13:41:24 UTC

FAIR is for computers, not people. I wish we'd stop obsessively using the acronym.

2024-08-03 02:22:19 UTC

- reply

NO CAPES

2024-08-01 00:13:29 UTC

I wonder if universities know how shoddy the materials candidates receive from recruiting agencies are.
Because the email I just got was underwhelming at the very best.

2024-07-31 18:19:41 UTC

This is a reminder to academic library employers that not posting a salary range means that *very* qualified candidates aren't even considering the role you posted. And the new trend of "let's post the absolute minimum we might hire any role at" isn't helping.
It's 2024, your HR needs to get over themselves and post the realistic range.

2024-06-22 21:52:58 UTC

"Recently I received an AI-written email from a friend. It wasn’t sent to test AI, or to show it off, as in “ha ha check this out”; ...."
https://mrgan.com/ai-email-from-a-friend/
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww