Critical reflections and collaborative approaches to the University of Lincoln’s decolonising projects: A library perspective

Decolonisation is high on the agenda in many universities and library staff are increasingly contributors to the discussions of how these issues affect our collections and our work with students. In this article, University of Lincoln (UoL) Academic Subject Librarians Oonagh Monaghan and Hope Williard outline their backgrounds and interest in initiatives to decolonise the curriculum and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) from an intersectional perspective. They reflect on how the lessons of library and heritage conferences and events held between 2019 and 2021 influenced their planning and practice at UoL. Potential approaches to decolonisation and EDI within the library setting and plans for future collaborative projects are presented and shared

Ink Magazine: Issue 2

INK magazine – a showcase for the work of students and staff at the University of Lincoln. Our first issue focuses on the College of Arts, with contributions from courses across the School of Design

Ink Magazine (Issue One)

A Limited Edition Risographed magazine promoting work produced by students and staff within the School of Desig

Horizon scan of invasive alien species for the island of Ireland

Ireland, being an island situated on Europe’s western seaboard, has a fewer number of native species than mainland European Union Member States (MS). Increased numbers of vectors and pathways have reduced the island’s biotic isolation, increasing the risk of new introductions and their associated impacts on native biodiversity. It is likely that these risks are greater here than they are in continental Member States, where the native biodiversity is richer. A horizon scanning approach was used to identify the most likely IAS (with the potential to impact biodiversity) to arrive on the island of Ireland within the next ten years. To achieve this, we used a consensus-based approach, whereby expert opinion and discussion groups were utilised to establish and rank a list of 40 species of the most likely terrestrial, freshwater and marine IAS to arrive on the island of Ireland within the decade 2017–2027. The list of 40 included 18 freshwater invaders, 15 terrestrial IAS and seven marine species. Crustacean species (freshwater and marine) were taxonomically dominant (11 out of 40); this reflects their multiple pathways of introduction, their ability to act as ecosystem engineers and their resulting high impacts on biodiversity. Freshwater species dominated the top ten IAS (seven species out of ten), with the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) highlighted as the most likely species to arrive and establish in freshwaters, while roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) (second) and the warm-water barnacle (Hesperibalanus fallax) (fifth), were the most likely terrestrial and marine invaders. This evidence-based list provides important information to the relevant statutory agencies in both jurisdictions in Ireland to prioritise the prevention of the most likely invaders and aid in compliance with legislation, in particular the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species (EU 1143/2014). Targeted biosecurity in both jurisdictions is urgently required in order to manage the pathways and vectors of arrival, and is vital to maintaining native biodiversity on the island of Ireland