The Libraries Taskforce has met 4 times so far this year, the most recent meeting being in the British Library. Formal notes of the Taskforce meeting are available on GOV.UK:
- 10 March 2015 - DCMS offices
- 19 May 2015 - LGA offices
- 29 July 2015 - Exeter Library, Devon
- 10 September 2015 - British Library
but I’d also like to introduce the members here:
Taskforce members
- Dr Paul Blantern, Chief Executive of Northamptonshire County Council.
- Kathy Settle Chief Executive of the Libraries Taskforce
- Ciara Eastell, President of the Society of Chief Librarians (and Head of Libraries, Culture and Heritage for Devon County Council)
- Nick Poole Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals
- Rebecca Cox, Principle Policy Advisor, Local Government Association
- Iain Varah, Chief Executive of Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Trust, and Immediate Past Chair of the Chief Cultural And Leisure Officers Association
- Mike Cooke, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Camden
- Pat Ritchie, Chief Executive of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council
- Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library
- Brian Ashley, Director, Libraries, Arts Council England
- Sue Wilkinson, Chief Executive of the Reading Agency
- Felix Greaves, Deputy Director - Science and Strategic Information, Public Health England
- Jane Ellison, Head of Creative Partnerships, BBC
- And finally 2 representatives from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport: Dominic Lake is Deputy Director of Arts, Libraries and Cultural Property, and Simon Richardson is Head of Libraries.
We’ll be inviting all panel members to share their thoughts and priorities in relation to libraries through guest posts on this blog over the next couple of months.
Other members of the Taskforce team
The Library Taskforce team at DCMS has formed during the summer. Joining Anna Wadsworth who worked with William Sieghart during the consultations which led to the Independent Library Report are Julia Chandler, to work on communications and Charlotte Lane as a programme manager.
We also welcome 2 secondees from public libraries: Sue Wills (Library Service Manager, Borough of Poole) and Sharon Kirkpatrick (Senior Manager , Dorset County Council Library Service). They’ll say more about what they will be doing in future posts.
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