Dr Jayne Finlay (she/her)

BTh (Queen's, Belfast), MTh (Queen's, Belfast), MA (Sheffield), PhD (Ulster)

Information School

Lecturer in Librarianship

Jayne Finlay
Profile picture of Jayne Finlay
jayne.finlay@sheffield.ac.uk

Full contact details

Dr Jayne Finlay
Information School
Room C226
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
Profile

I joined the Information School as a Lecturer in Librarianship in October 2022, where I teach across the MA Librarianship and MA Library and Information Services Management (distance learning) programmes. Prior to joining the Information School, I taught on Ulster University’s distance learning Library and Information Management programme.

I completed a PhD in Education at Ulster University in 2020 which explored user engagement with prison library services during incarceration. Access to information and education in prisons has remained the focus of my research. I have held research positions in the School of Education at Ulster University, the School of Law at Trinity College Dublin, and Pivotal - a public policy think tank in Northern Ireland.

In 2021 I was part of a research team commissioned by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) to undertake a national review of prison libraries in Ireland and to propose recommendations for change in prison library policy and practice. Most recently I have been liaising with prison library staff across the UK and Ireland to improve opportunities for staff networking and professional development in this sector.

I am a past graduate of the Information School, having completed my MA Librarianship in 2014. I have professional experience of working in academic libraries at Oxford University, the University College of Football Business (UCFB) in London and Ulster University.

University Responsibilities

  • Programme Co-ordinator MA Library and Information Services Management
Research interests

My research interests lie broadly in the field of prison librarianship and prison education, and library services and social justice. I am interested in access to and engagement with library services for people impacted by incarceration, including families of prisoners, as well as the information needs and behaviours of people in prison.

I have also conducted research with prison library staff members about their experiences of managing and providing library services, opportunities for networking and professional development and collaboration with public and other library sectors.

I also engage with pedagogic research related to library and information science (LIS) education. I recently conducted a research project with students and staff members in the Information School and School of Education at the University of Sheffield which focused on building communities of practice among distance learning students. This study used an Appreciative Inquiry approach to learn from and build on good practice in distance learning programmes across departments.

Publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Reports

  • Finlay J (2020) Ulster University Northern Ireland parent surveys: Experiences of supporting children's home learning during Covid-19. RIS download Bibtex download

Theses / Dissertations

  • Finlay J Exploring the role of the library in the learning experiences of people in prison : Insights from Northern Ireland and Scotland. RIS download Bibtex download
Teaching activities

Module Co-ordinator for:

  • INF6031: Public and School Library Services
  • INF6531: Public and School Library Services (Distance learning)
  • INF6501: Personal and Professional Development (Distance learning)

I also teach on:

  • INF6180/INF6580: Libraries, Information and Society
Professional activities and memberships
  • Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Member of CILIP, the UK’s Library and Information Association. From 2016 to 2018 I served as the New Professionals and Student Liaison Officer for CILIP Ireland.
  • Member of the European Prison Education Association (EPEA). I am currently the Liaison Officer on the Irish Prison Education Association (IPEA) committee.