Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Aaron. Given me more to think on, too, and I can relate to the constraints/incentives you describe. To me, structural type constraints (E.g., 'problems' from higher up) are the most likely to reveal the need for problematisation, but also make it more challenging.
Glad to see this thinking out in the world, happy to not be alone in noodling around this cjal.ca/index.php/ca...
[Read] www.emiliabell.com/2026/03/23/w... and the linked pieces by Hugh Rundle. Always good to read critical thinking pieces to counter my overly technologist, positive tendencies
📑 Where's the problem? Problematisation in libraries and leadership
Something I've brought from research to my work in libraries and leadership is problematisation, which can mean questioning framings and assumptions before reaching for solutions.
www.emiliabell.com/2026/03/23/w...
Title page of an academic journal article in Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (2026, volume 21, issue 1). The article is labelled “Research Article” and titled “Developing an OPEN Framework for Asking EBLIP Questions in Open Education.” Authors listed are Emilia C. Bell (Murdoch University Library, Perth, Western Australia) and Adrian Stagg (University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland), with institutional affiliations and email addresses shown. The page includes received and accepted dates (12 August 2025; 11 December 2025), an Open Access Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 licence statement, and a DOI.
New article! Co-authored with one of my fave library people, Adrian Stagg. We share an OPEN framework for asking evidence based questions in libraries, using open education as a case study. doi.org/10.18438/ebl...
#EBLIP #LIS #OEP #OER
Blog post 📑 Open access politics of vulnerability, symbolic capital, and care www.emiliabell.com/2026/02/27/o...
"Openness was being tied to the participation of those affected ... not just in name, but in who might be included and how knowledge production would be governed."
A light calcio cat lying on a person who is wearing a tan shirt and sitting on a couch. The cat has green eyes and her head is resting softly on the person's arm.
A light calcio cat lying on a person who is wearing a tan shirt and sitting on a couch. The cat has green eyes and is sitting up with head staring up at her human.
Snuggly Sundays with Missy keeping me company while I work on grants and PhD things.
A screenshot from a blog post with the text: "i imagine I'll continue to find and experience joy in complex and unexpected ways in 2026. And I love that I'm not the only one thinking about it." An embedded screenshot of a message is below this and reads: “absolutely! and i immediately thought of you when i read ‘joy’ as well”.
Last week, a colleague messaged me to share a study about Autistic joy. Alongside feeling very seen, it also gave me a theme for 2026.
So, I've written about what that means for me: www.emiliabell.com/2026/01/13/t...
(shared with permission)
'Building and governing for access in disruption: Open publishing, disability culture, and library leadership'
An end of year exploration and reflection on the parallels between the values in disability culture, OA / scholarly publishing, and leadership. www.emiliabell.com/2025/12/30/b...
A white person wearing large over-ear headphones and a light-colored, vertically striped button-up shirt, standing outdoors on a sunny day. The background features lush green foliage and a tree with twisted branches, creating a natural, shaded setting. They have short dark hair and are grinning.
It's day 1260 of part-time PhD-ing! I'm finishing the year with a 'writing-to-think' type blog post that bridges several concepts, touching on institutional trust, access brokering, and knowledge diffusion - in the context of libraries.
www.emiliabell.com/2025/12/11/l...
A tiny bird's nest with three tiny white eggs in it. The nest is attached to a thin branch on a bush with oval shaped green leaves.
WFH discovery today.
Slide titled "Research Assessment: from narrow to inclusive evaluation" - in two parts, one has a narrow lamp only illuminating the word 'citations' the other has an 'inclusive lens' with other words, like pedagogy career preparation, sponsorship etc
DIVERSITY of assessment and reforming evaluation being discussed at @unesco.org "Open Science: From the UNESCO Recommendation to Reality in Asia and the Pacific - Session 1” An excellent slide
"What does it mean to be values-based? On process and visibility." www.emiliabell.com/2025/10/24/w...
"When relational conditions exist, my disabilities and neurodivergence become visible. That visibility isn't a failure, but is evidence of the processes at work around me."
📝Jumping back into writing: 'What happens when strengths-based leadership becomes strategic neglect?' Some reflections on how strengths-based approaches can become avoidance mechanisms cloaked in progressive language if they don't acknowledge barriers.
www.emiliabell.com/2025/09/07/w...
A fluffy calico cat lies on its back on a dark grey couch, eyes closed in contentment. A person's hand gently sits on top of the cat's head. The cat’s fur is slightly tousled, with patches of orange and black on its body and tail.
Research and reviews for me. Naps and zero cares for Missy.
I had the pleasure of giving a keynote for the ANZREG conference earlier this week titled 'Beyond provocation: Reimagining systems through care, critique, and community.'
🔗 Talk and slides: www.emiliabell.com/2025/06/13/b...
Call for papers!
RAILS, the main gathering in Australasia for researchers, practitioners and educators in information studies and related disciplines, will be face to face in Sydney this year and you have until 18 May to get your submission in railsconference.wordpress.com/submission-i...
Passionate about library research support? Come join Murdoch University Library as a Research Support Librarian! This role works closely with our Research Support Coordinator as part of a wonderfully inclusive and impactful team.
🔗 www.seek.com.au/job/84016436
Applications close 5 June 2025.
A calico cat is peering around a laptop to look at the checklist on a whiteboard.
Missy a calico cat is daintily lying on the carpet near a window in the sun. There is white lacy curtains flowing around her.
I've once again resorted to a checklist over my usual 'everything is fine; things stick in my brain easily' approach. Missy (our second cat) is jumping between monitoring my checklist for compliance and taking naps in the sun ☀️
#PhDSky #PhDLife #CatsofBlueSky
Book cover for Publishing beyond the market: open access, care, and the commons
The nice people at University of Michigan Press have sent over a code you can use to pre-order my new book with 30% off. Out in September.
press.umich.edu/content/down...
Are you, or do you know, someone new to the library sector? If so - submissions are open to NLS XI! while anyone can submit, there’s a strong focus on people newer to the sector looking for an early (or first) conference presentation in supportive environment - www.alia.org.au/Web/Web/Even...
@dannykay68.bsky.social, Kay Steel (Federation University), Richard White (University of Otago) and I did some investigative work on #OER usage. Danny presented at #LARK2024 and #OEGlobal24, and the final piece is here - katinamagazine.org/content/arti...
In Sydney 3-5 November 2025. Abstract submissions close 18 May. Full paper for peer review to be considered for publication in a special issue of the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA) in 2026. railsconference.wordpress.com/call-for-con...
A tabby cat named Ciabatta sitting on a grey couch. Her green eyes are alert, paws together, and there is a window behind her. Ciabatta has a soft look on her face, looking at something beyond the camera.
Weekend research company (Ciabatta, our cat). I started with papers on libraries and schol comm, landed on museums and trust, and I've ended with reading on trustworthiness and institutional theory and a mild headache. Ciabatta has spent most of her time napping...
#PhDSky #PhDLife
And good luck with your piece, too!
I found it a really positive experience. Great editorial support along the way to ensure the writing was accessible to this audience. And there were plenty of check ins during the editing process to discuss changes/edits before publishing.
Thanks, Clare!
Some academic publishers have been accused by scientists of being “too greedy” and prioritising profit over research integrity.
I have my first piece in The Conversation today, co-authored with Lucy Montgomery and Karl Huang. We look at the increasing frequency of editorial board resignations and the tension between for-profit publishing and research integrity.
theconversation.com/academic-pub...
@drmichaellevin.bsky.social looks at the metaphors we use to distinguish b/w organic and non-organic beings and challenges assumptions around what we consider to be machines and/or living things.
#cybernetics #systems #StrangeLoop #ConsequentialCategories
www.noemamag.com/living-thing...