David Byrne - Interim Chair

David Byrne is a Knowledge Management Consultant and a freelance artist. He has had a long career as an information professional in legal and commercial sector organisations. This has included significant involvement with CILIP as a trustee and registration mentor. He is currently a member of the CILIP Special Interest Group RPG committee which is expanding its remit to include all information professionals with an interest in moving away from traditional, full time work patterns, and is also running workshops in collaboration with other groups.

Alison McNab - Committee Member

Alison McNab accidentally retired in 2020, after almost four decades working with print and electronic resources, mainly in higher education. She was fortunate to work and study in over a dozen universities in Scotland, England, Canada and Australia including the Universities of Loughborough and Nottingham (twice in each case) and De Montfort University.

Alison regularly pioneered the implementation of new technologies and resources, with a focus on their use to enhance service development and delivery, and for much of her career specialised in the marketing and exploitation of e-content. Her final professional roles had a particular focus on supporting researchers at all stages of the research lifecycle.

Her professional interests include accessibility and assistive technologies, current awareness and trend-watching, e-content, information literacy, publishing and scholarly communications, and the effective use of social media by libraries and researchers. She has contributed to the wider profession by writing, editing, speaking, contributing to conferences, and as a member of several professional committees including the UKSG, and CILIP's DTG (formerly MmIT) and UKeiG.

Ann Penn - Local Representative

Ann is Principal Librarian: Resources and Information at Inspire Libraries. She has worked for Inspire (previously Nottinghamshire County Council Libraries) since 2001, and prior to that was Learning Centre Co-ordinator at Harrow (FE) College, and a Graduate Trainee at South Bank University. Ann is passionate about equality and diversity and is keen to promote the fantastic resources and activities available for everyone in public libraries.

Ann is a chartered librarian, with an MA in Information and Library Studies from Loughborough University.

Cassie Hands - Local Representative

Cassie Hands is Creative Learning Services Librarian for the Creative Learning Services at Leicestershire County Council. Creative Learning Services is a subscription service for schools providing resources and sessions from librarians, museum and art specialists which enrich the learning experience.

Chris Martindale - Committee Member

Chris Martindale worked at the University of Nottingham in 2019/20 as a Teaching & Learning Librarian. Since then he has volunteered at his local community library, as well as volunteering for the National Trust at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. Chris has a BA Hons degree in History of Design from Manchester Metropolitan University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Library & Information Studies, from the same University. Chris has a Postgraduate Diploma in Learning & Teaching, a Postgraduate Certificate in Business Coaching and a Certificate in Business & Management. Chris began his career at Manchester and developed his career by working in a wide variety of public, commercial and academic libraries. Chris has a passion for the Library profession. He served as Chair of CILIP ARLG, East Midlands, and also served as Chair of the BBSLG British Business Librarians Group (now BLA). Chris joined the Committee in 2019.

Claire Pike - Treasurer

Claire works as a Library Assistant at the University of Lincoln, as well as volunteering at her local community library. She has a BSc in Zoology and a PhD in Historical Museology, and is currently studying for an MA in Library and Information Services Management at the University of Sheffield. Claire joined the committee in January 2021.

Emily Green - Local Representative

Emily is a Chartered Librarian with over 15 years of experience working in academic and historic libraries. Currently Librarian at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, she's particularly interested in information literacy and historic book production.

Hazel Gahagan - Committee Member

Hazel works as a User Experience Assistant at the University of Derby and has previously worked in school and public libraries. She has a BA (Hons) in Business Enterprise, a PGCert in Psychology, and is currently studying for an MA in Library and Information Services Management at the University of Sheffield. At the age of 32, Hazel discovered she is autistic, and she is passionate about advocating for neuroinclusion and accessibility. She is also a trained Neurodiversity Champion at the University of Derby. Hazel joined the CILIP East Midlands committee in 2024.

Jess O'Dwyer - Committee Member

Jess is a library assistant for Derbyshire County Council Library Service. Her main job is delivering the Home Library Service in the High Peak, but she also works on the library counter and helps with the admin for the mobile library.

Outside of work, Jess is involved with a committee looking to bring a disused village hall back into public use and volunteers with Explorer Scouts and the PTA at two local schools. She is also learning to ring church bells.

Jess is currently working towards CILIP certification and joined the committee in 2024.

Oliver Jenkins - Committee Member

Oliver has run the library of an 11–18 through school for several years. He has Autism and is committed to ensuring people from all walks of life are welcome and catered for in libraries, be they staff or patrons.

Patrick Ajiboye - Network Administrator

Patrick is a dynamic Library and Information Management Specialist with an MSc in Information Science (Data Analytics) from Northumbria University.

He has significant experience in Information Management, Product Development, and Customer Service, demonstrated through roles with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Palmpay Limited, and Bankly in Nigeria.

His work focuses on innovative solutions and user-centric design, enhancing information retrieval processes and optimising user experiences. He is a committed member of CILIP, dedicated to advancing the library and information management field through strategic and user-focused initiatives. He uses he/him pronouns.

Philip Tromans - Local Representative

Phil works as a Special Collections Assistant (Trainee Librarian) at Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham’s special collections library and archive. He has worked in community libraries in Birmingham and Gloucester, the Library of Birmingham, the University of Birmingham’s Main Library, and casually and voluntarily at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s library and archive.

As a trainee, Phil is interested in how to develop and run special collections engagement programmes and instructional skills offers, and thereby build a wider understanding among users of how to find special collections and better understand and appreciate rare books and archives’ meaningful original physical forms, while engaging fully with the accessibility boon of digital surrogates. He is also interested in cataloguing rare books.

Phil has a PhD, which drew on the tenets of book history and analytical and descriptive bibliography. He is working through Aberystwyth’s distance learning Information and Library Studies MA.

Tessa Krumphanzlova - Committee Member

Tessa is a dedicated Information Professional with a strong foundation in education and librarianship. She completed her undergraduate degree in Education Studies, working part-time as a Welcome Library Assistant at the University of Derby. Motivated by her passion for information literacy, she pursued a master's degree in Librarianship at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 2022.

Tessa currently works as an Information Governance Specialist supporting Chesterfield Royal Hospital and utilising the information management skills gained during her master's program. While her current role represents a shift from traditional librarianship, she remains committed to developing as an information professional.

Joining the CILIP East Midlands Member Network committee in May 2024, she is eager to contribute her expertise and advocate for the role of libraries in education.