Meet the Library Leadership Team

Director Heather is the Director of Library Services and is responsible for providing vision and leadership for various aspects of Library operations. She plays a key role in strategic planning to meet the evolving needs of the university’s missions and goals. This typically includes developing and implementing policies to support academic research and student learning, enhancing both physical and digital collections, and collaborating with other senior members of the university to deliver services that put students at the heart of everything we do.	Heather Thrift	Contact: h.j.thrift@ljmu.ac.uk
Associate Director Sian supports the Director of Library Services to develop, direct and oversee the implementation of Library strategy. She takes the lead on a range of business planning initiatives and liaises with key stakeholders to foster innovation and positive change. Current interests include the diversification of library collections and planning events in partnership with local cultural organisations.	Sian Downes	Contact: s.m.downes@ljmu.ac.uk
Head of Academic Services Susannah manages the Academic Services group, covering the Academic Engagement, Academic Achievement and Special Collections and Archive teams. Susannah’s group helps support study skills development and promotes the use of library resources within the curriculum. Special Collections and Archives preserves important cultural collections and opens them up to the LJMU and wider research community.	Susannah Waters	Contact: s.waters@ljmu.ac.uk
Head of Digital, Collections and Research Services Richard manages the Digital, Collections and Research Services group, made up of the Researcher Engagement and Collections team and the Technology and Digital Innovation team. Their activities include digital library systems management, resource discovery, front facing IT support, collections management and acquisitions, researcher engagement, Open Access publications and research data.	Richard Davis	Contact: r.m.davis@ljmu.ac.uk
Academic Achievement Manager Casey manages the Academic Achievement Team and provision. She works with students, academics and professional staff to enhance learning and skills development within both the curriculum and the Library.	Casey Beaumont	Contact: c.j.beaumont@ljmu.ac.uk
Academic Engagement Manager Louise manages the Academic Engagement Librarian Team and the Special Collections and Archives Team, and leads on the provision and marketing of services in relation to academic engagement.	Louise Makin	Contact: l.makin@ljmu.ac.uk
Library Engagement Manager Paul provides front facing library services to our customers including a first line enquiry service. He provides leadership and direction in the development of our library spaces and services and ensures that decisions are informed by effective engagement with the LJMU community.	Paul Reece	Contact: p.g.reece@ljmu.ac.uk
Researcher Engagement and Collections Manager Maria manages the Researcher Engagement Team the Digital Content Team and the Acquisitions Team. She is an advocate for Open Access and Open Data and together with her team-members works to ensure seamless access to print and electronic resources for the LJMU community.	Maria Follett	Contact: m.l.follett@ljmu.ac.uk
Technology and Digital Innovation Manager Paula manages the Library IT Support Team and the Digital Systems Team. She provides leadership for and management of the Library’s digital systems including the Library Services Platform, Resource Booking systems, Library IT support services and the Library website. She also manages the Project Management Office.	Paula McGuffie	Contact: p.mcguffie@ljmu.ac.uk