Alison
@alisonburnis.bsky.social
Occasional writer, intermittent artist. Red lipstick enthusiast. Likes cake. Current academic librarian, former hospital librarian. Atlantic Canada. She/her/elle.
Pinned
Alison
@alisonburnis.bsky.social
· Sep 10
Hello! It’s time to update my introduction post (at least, in my mind).
I’m Alison. I’m a writer, artist, reader, and now a knitter. I’m also the cataloguing and metadata librarian at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
This is my cat, Mallow. She’s the best cat.
I’m Alison. I’m a writer, artist, reader, and now a knitter. I’m also the cataloguing and metadata librarian at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
This is my cat, Mallow. She’s the best cat.
Reposted by Alison
All of us
So how many of you, when you saw a picture of the newly discovered cat, went, "I must have one of these small, wild animals to live in my house and destroy everything and bite me."?
September 18, 2026 at 4:36 AM
All of us
Reposted by Alison
It is truly wild to see a software company do press releases about their software being shitty, unpredictable, and unreliable like that's a good thing.
We have a word for this, and it's malware.
We have a word for this, and it's malware.
September 17, 2026 at 4:16 PM
It is truly wild to see a software company do press releases about their software being shitty, unpredictable, and unreliable like that's a good thing.
We have a word for this, and it's malware.
We have a word for this, and it's malware.
Reposted by Alison
I wish my public university was just publicly funded instead of this mandate to 'grow revenue.'
September 17, 2026 at 7:58 PM
I wish my public university was just publicly funded instead of this mandate to 'grow revenue.'
Reposted by Alison
the dual purpose of "our AI is getting too powerful!" is firstly to generate hype & secondly to provide a reason to scale it down that isn't uh oh, this nonsense is very expensive and we can't figure out a way to make a profit with it
September 17, 2026 at 3:15 PM
the dual purpose of "our AI is getting too powerful!" is firstly to generate hype & secondly to provide a reason to scale it down that isn't uh oh, this nonsense is very expensive and we can't figure out a way to make a profit with it
An older community member just asked me to read a clock across the library from me. This is probably a crime against me, personally (a person with visual impairment and permanent and uncorrectable vision loss).
September 17, 2026 at 1:26 PM
An older community member just asked me to read a clock across the library from me. This is probably a crime against me, personally (a person with visual impairment and permanent and uncorrectable vision loss).
Reposted by Alison
Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of receiving verification codes via text message and not sharing them with anyone
September 16, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of receiving verification codes via text message and not sharing them with anyone
Reposted by Alison
"people need to know who Jesus is!!" No they don't!!!
They already heard and decided it wasn't for them!
They already heard and decided it wasn't for them!
September 16, 2026 at 5:59 PM
"people need to know who Jesus is!!" No they don't!!!
They already heard and decided it wasn't for them!
They already heard and decided it wasn't for them!
Reposted by Alison
![@thatdutchperson
[starbucks barista] how can I help you today?
[my therapist, shouting from a distance] nobody can help him](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:w4mumltio4x5yohskj2mo64c/bafkreif3fjxlgrmmoxgqeuhkbnv4qqid6b6ityru63fgob4xmaryastc6y)
Reposted by Alison
have you considered that it is not your company's private road built for the purpose of getting people into the office and other ppl can use it for whatever they want too?
September 16, 2026 at 12:16 PM
have you considered that it is not your company's private road built for the purpose of getting people into the office and other ppl can use it for whatever they want too?
Reposted by Alison
"should I drive slower to avoid killing ppl on the way to work" is a question you should probably have figured out before you started driving tbf
Once again, drivers interpret "Share the Road" signs as meaning bikes should get the hell out of their way. Riding a bike legally on a road is not "disrespecting" anyone! Does this person feel disrespected by tractors or slow-moving trucks?
September 16, 2026 at 12:15 PM
"should I drive slower to avoid killing ppl on the way to work" is a question you should probably have figured out before you started driving tbf
Reposted by Alison
She was Rachel, weeping for her children, because they were not.
September 16, 2026 at 4:47 AM
She was Rachel, weeping for her children, because they were not.
Reposted by Alison
an englishmen expecting his irish vassals to just go along with whatever he thinks and then being astonished at their free will and moral clarity is hilariously par for the course
September 15, 2026 at 9:31 PM
an englishmen expecting his irish vassals to just go along with whatever he thinks and then being astonished at their free will and moral clarity is hilariously par for the course
Reposted by Alison
Literacy crisis: everyone is mad at Ed Sheeran, but if you actually read his statement he specifically said he’s not complicit
September 15, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Literacy crisis: everyone is mad at Ed Sheeran, but if you actually read his statement he specifically said he’s not complicit
I'm going to dropkick my laptop out the window, unilaterally re-implement card catalogues, and discontinue all ebooks.
It's so cool that the internet is so overrun with bots and scrapers that I have to verify that I'm human multiple times a day to access basic websites. Very awesome thing we've got going on here.
September 15, 2026 at 2:45 PM
I'm going to dropkick my laptop out the window, unilaterally re-implement card catalogues, and discontinue all ebooks.
It's so cool that the internet is so overrun with bots and scrapers that I have to verify that I'm human multiple times a day to access basic websites. Very awesome thing we've got going on here.
September 15, 2026 at 12:44 PM
It's so cool that the internet is so overrun with bots and scrapers that I have to verify that I'm human multiple times a day to access basic websites. Very awesome thing we've got going on here.
Reposted by Alison
also
"fuck the systems that want you to harm yourself for their approval"
is a blanket statement that's not just about gender, and not just about physical appearance of course -
FUCK EVERY SYSTEM THAT WANTS YOU TO HARM YOURSELF IN ANY WAY TO GET THEIR APPROVAL
all of em
"fuck the systems that want you to harm yourself for their approval"
is a blanket statement that's not just about gender, and not just about physical appearance of course -
FUCK EVERY SYSTEM THAT WANTS YOU TO HARM YOURSELF IN ANY WAY TO GET THEIR APPROVAL
all of em
September 15, 2026 at 4:46 AM
also
"fuck the systems that want you to harm yourself for their approval"
is a blanket statement that's not just about gender, and not just about physical appearance of course -
FUCK EVERY SYSTEM THAT WANTS YOU TO HARM YOURSELF IN ANY WAY TO GET THEIR APPROVAL
all of em
"fuck the systems that want you to harm yourself for their approval"
is a blanket statement that's not just about gender, and not just about physical appearance of course -
FUCK EVERY SYSTEM THAT WANTS YOU TO HARM YOURSELF IN ANY WAY TO GET THEIR APPROVAL
all of em
Is your partner watching baseball very loudly while you're trying to do relaxing yoga? Do his full-body reactions and yells remind you that you're stressed about the Jays? You may be entitled to compensation.
September 14, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Is your partner watching baseball very loudly while you're trying to do relaxing yoga? Do his full-body reactions and yells remind you that you're stressed about the Jays? You may be entitled to compensation.
Reposted by Alison
I have a cousin who was constantly putting me on game with ways that I could get out of my J-O-B and not do all that “smart shit cuz.”
I finally explained to them that I LIKE all the smart shit, did in fact choose to do it for a living, and I am very good at it.
They never really believed me.
I finally explained to them that I LIKE all the smart shit, did in fact choose to do it for a living, and I am very good at it.
They never really believed me.
September 14, 2026 at 4:10 PM
I have a cousin who was constantly putting me on game with ways that I could get out of my J-O-B and not do all that “smart shit cuz.”
I finally explained to them that I LIKE all the smart shit, did in fact choose to do it for a living, and I am very good at it.
They never really believed me.
I finally explained to them that I LIKE all the smart shit, did in fact choose to do it for a living, and I am very good at it.
They never really believed me.
My house is old and doesn’t have a lot of outlets and they’re all in weird places so we use rechargeable IKEA lamps as bedside lamps but mine needs to be recharged just as I’m getting into bed to read and suddenly I miss the brand-new apartment that had an outlet every six feet.
September 14, 2026 at 1:43 AM
My house is old and doesn’t have a lot of outlets and they’re all in weird places so we use rechargeable IKEA lamps as bedside lamps but mine needs to be recharged just as I’m getting into bed to read and suddenly I miss the brand-new apartment that had an outlet every six feet.
Reposted by Alison
"In 2022, Wiley removed over 1,300 ebooks from academic library collections; [they said] perpetual access is not an option for subscribed content. In 2025, Clarivate,... announced they would stop offering libraries perpetual access licenses for ebooks and primary-source digital collections."
Consumers Are Worried About the Loss of Physical Media Ownership. Libraries Are Leading the Conversation. — Association of Research Libraries
Sally Sax is head, Collection Strategy and Partnerships, MacOdrum Library, Carleton University. In a recent Atlantic Monthly article about Sony’s plan to end physical sales of PlayStation console game...
www.arl.org
August 6, 2026 at 2:15 AM
"In 2022, Wiley removed over 1,300 ebooks from academic library collections; [they said] perpetual access is not an option for subscribed content. In 2025, Clarivate,... announced they would stop offering libraries perpetual access licenses for ebooks and primary-source digital collections."
Reposted by Alison
just a reminder that your local library has more than just books! many also have dvds, cds, video games, internet hot spots, grindr hookup spots, chupacabras, streaming services, ebooks, audio books, skibidi toilets, gateways to the shadow realm, and so much more! maybe it's time for a visit! ❤️📚❤️📚❤️📚
December 31, 2024 at 3:10 AM
just a reminder that your local library has more than just books! many also have dvds, cds, video games, internet hot spots, grindr hookup spots, chupacabras, streaming services, ebooks, audio books, skibidi toilets, gateways to the shadow realm, and so much more! maybe it's time for a visit! ❤️📚❤️📚❤️📚
I drove all the way out to the darkest corner of Spryfield (or just the one without cell reception) for @gormicons.bsky.social and their cat Puzzles. I’m putting it here publicly so everyone knows that I’m going to do this twice tomorrow, too.
Puzzles would claim he was starving either way.
Puzzles would claim he was starving either way.
September 11, 2026 at 11:04 PM
I drove all the way out to the darkest corner of Spryfield (or just the one without cell reception) for @gormicons.bsky.social and their cat Puzzles. I’m putting it here publicly so everyone knows that I’m going to do this twice tomorrow, too.
Puzzles would claim he was starving either way.
Puzzles would claim he was starving either way.
Reposted by Alison
A fellow graphic designer said that AI posters look like how customers typically ask for their posters to look, before graphic designers show them that posters don't actually need all that text or those graphics and it's stuck with me.
September 11, 2026 at 5:16 AM
A fellow graphic designer said that AI posters look like how customers typically ask for their posters to look, before graphic designers show them that posters don't actually need all that text or those graphics and it's stuck with me.
I showed my nephew how to clean his paintbrushes properly and kids are just really fun. I love having nephews. Then he showed me all the books he was reading (currently Goosebumps #23 Return of the Mummy, and the Dragon Masters series).
September 11, 2026 at 12:55 AM
I showed my nephew how to clean his paintbrushes properly and kids are just really fun. I love having nephews. Then he showed me all the books he was reading (currently Goosebumps #23 Return of the Mummy, and the Dragon Masters series).
Reposted by Alison
Are you tired of greasy pots and pans? Stubborn kitchen stains? Messy sponges and sprays? Me too. I wish the sun would devour the earth.
November 20, 2024 at 4:01 AM
Are you tired of greasy pots and pans? Stubborn kitchen stains? Messy sponges and sprays? Me too. I wish the sun would devour the earth.