Libraries Connected Annual Seminar 2026 “Building Belonging: The Values that Shape Our Libraries" 9 & 10 June 2026

This year our seminar programme will explore the topic of ‘values’ thinking about how we measure and articulate the value of libraries and how the ethical values of public libraries can aid decisions and developments.

Here is some additional information about this year's speakers - more to be added as speakers are confirmed.

Lucy Carlton‑Walker is Creative Director at Warwickshire Libraries, leading the first West Midlands library service to become an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. A strategic, values‑driven leader, Lucy champions place‑based cultural learning, co‑creation and cross‑sector partnerships that position libraries as powerful cultural assets.

Richard Carroll is a key figure at Durham County Council, serving as Chief Procurement Officer, recognised for leading their innovative Social Value initiatives, including the "County Durham Pound" project, focusing on local economic benefit and sustainability through anchor-based organisations and supporters.  Richard frequently speaks at conferences on Durham’s procurement activity and its social impact. He is known for driving local supply chains and embedding social value into DCC's practices, making them sector leaders in public procurement as well as holding positions on a number of Regional and National groups to help influence procurement practice and national policy making.

Sarah Cockburn is a Community Development Librarian with North Yorkshire Council, based at Scarborough Library. After more than 25 years working in community development in the voluntary sector, she now brings that experience to supporting local residents through inclusive, community‑focused library services. She also contributes to the Library Service’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy Group, helping shape programmes that strengthen wellbeing across North Yorkshire. She believes it’s a privilege to serve the community in her hometown library.

Sharon Elliott is an experienced Communications and Marketing Manager with 30 years’ experience across charitable and commercial sectors. Her career spans roles in the arts, retail, and finance industries, where she has led on  PR, internal and customer communications, and retail marketing.

Since joining Inspire at its inception in 2016, Sharon has played a pivotal role in shaping the organisation’s voice and impact. Over the past decade, she has built the Communications and Marketing team from the ground up, developing a strong, strategic function that supports Inspire’s mission and growth. She works closely with colleagues across the organisation, as well as with funders and key stakeholders, to ensure clear, consistent, and compelling communication at every level.

Known for her collaborative approach, Sharon brings strategic leadership and hands‑on expertise to deliver communications that resonate and drive engagement.

Jessica Gardner is Cambridge University Librarian and Director of Library Services. She provides leadership for the University’s library and archive services, working in coordination with the College library community and with partners across the University’s museums and gardens. She is responsible for advising and representing the University of Cambridge on the future of library and archive matters, including the changing scholarly communication landscape and the UK and Ireland Legal Deposit partnership. Jessica was previously director of library services at the universities of Bristol and Exeter. She is a member of the Legal Deposit Librarians Committee for UK & Ireland, a Trustee of the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries and the Sir Winston Churchill Archives Trust, and a member of the advisory group that is working together to launch the Libraries Alliance.

Molly Grundy is a Library Assistant at Revoe Library. She has worked in Blackpool libraries for three years and is very passionate about her job and her community. Molly will be talking about the EVOLS (Economic Value of Library Services) project and how Revoe Library is a fundamental part of their neighbourhood. This project allowed them to continue their good work by proving their importance to the community through their staggering economic and social value. 

Melissa Guest spent over 20 years in the Black Country voluntary sector developing and co-creating empowering community projects. Two years ago, she joined Sandwell Libraries to deliver a government-funded initiative, focused on increasing community participation and supporting volunteering. With 20 vibrant libraries across Sandwell, Melissa thrives on growing innovative projects that connect local people with their community libraries and with each other.

Isobel Hunter is the first Chief Executive of Libraries Connected. She established and grew the organisation from a small team of six to one that now has a dedicated programmes and regional team, with a high profile in national media and with government.

She believes that libraries are central to people’s lives and communities across the country and is committed to working with members to help develop and advocate for the public library sector.

Ed Jewell is President of Libraries Connected and Chief Librarian for Jersey Libraries. He has led Jersey’s library service since 2014 and has worked in libraries across the Channel Islands for 25 years. In 2020, Ed was given the Jersey Bailiff’s Award for services to the community during the pandemic. Ed is the first Libraries Connected President from outside England.

As President, Ed advocates for libraries as essential public services within wider policy and funding frameworks, contributing to national goals including literacy, lifelong learning, community wellbeing and digital transformation. 

A passionate believer in intellectual freedom, Ed emphasises the importance of libraries as open, inclusive spaces that reflect and serve their whole communities.

Amanda Jones is a 25 year educator, a school librarian, and a grassroots organizer in Louisiana on the frontlines fighting against censorship in libraries. She is the 2021 Librarian of the Year as presented by School Library Journal , a 2021 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and the 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year.  She is the Louisiana Chapter Councillor to the American Library Association and is a founding member of Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. She is the author of  “That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America, which was recently optioned for a film, and is featured in the award-winning documentary The Librarians by Academy Award Nominated director Kim A Snyder. Amanda was recently recognized as one of the world’s most influential rising stars on the Time100 Next list.

John Pateman comes from a Romany Gypsy background and worked in public libraries for over 40 years, at all levels from Library Assistant to Chief Librarian. He was Head of Libraries in Hackney, Merton, Lincolnshire and Thunder Bay, Canada. He pioneered the development of community-led and needs-based libraries in the UK and Canada. He received the UK Libraries Change Lives Award, the Canada 150 Award and the Cuban National Culture Award for services to public libraries. His recent books include Public Libraries and Marxism (2021), Understanding Public Libraries (2024) and Reimaging Public Libraries (2025).
John is currently a PhD researcher with the British Library / University of Leicester. He is researching the value that cultural programming adds to the relationship between the UK public library and the communities it serves. He is using a Marxist-Leninist lens to explore the social relations, power dynamics and contradictions between the public library as an ideological space and as a cultural space, with a focus on working class library users and non-users.
 

James Pearson started working with Kent Libraries in 2002 and has held a number of operational and Service Development roles before becoming Head of Service in 2016. In the time since he’s developed a service wide strategy and seen Kent through library opening hour reviews, seen the service successfully join the Arts Council NPO network with Playground and led for the service on the current co-location work taking place across the Council. For Libraries Connected he is chair of the South East group, worked as part of the team on the SE impact study ‘Power of prevention’, is a Member of the Libraries Connected Advisory group and recently worked with DCMS to successfully review the library Byelaws.

Dr. Reem Talhouk is a Lebanese design researcher and Associate Professor at Northumbria University’s School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries. Her work is at the intersection of Design, Humanitarianism, and Human-Computer Interaction– engaging with feminist, decolonial, and participatory design theories and practices. Reem has conducted research across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Australia, working with refugee communities to explore their use and re-design aspirations of mobile health applications, digital re-settlement processes and food aid technologies. More recently, Reem has been advising humanitarian and volunteer organisations in the use of AI technologies and conducting research on building refugee Media.

Brett Terry is Director of People at the NSPCC. 

He joined the NSPCC in January 2018, with 20 years in senior strategic and operational HR roles. Passionate about people and volunteering, he hopes to help create a workforce of active, authentic ambassadors who inspire and compel others to play their part in our vision.

Baroness Twycross is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Museums, Heritage and Gambling at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She was appointed as a Minister in DCMS in July 2024, and has been a member of the House of Lords since November 2022. She was formerly a Member of the London Assembly and a Deputy Mayor, and held senior roles within the charity sector. She has a PhD in Scandinavian Literature