Dr Jayne Finlay (she/her)

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

School of Information, Journalism and Communication

Lecturer in Librarianship

jayne.finlay@sheffield.ac.uk

Room C226, The Wave

Full contact details

Dr Jayne Finlay
School of Information, Journalism and Communication
Room C226
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH

Profile

I joined the school as a Lecturer in Librarianship in October 2022, having previously taught on Ulster University’s Library and Information Management programme. I am the Programme Leader of our distance learning Library and Information Services Management (LISM) programme and also teach on our on-campus MA Librarianship programme.

My research focuses on the provision of library services for communities impacted by incarceration. I completed a PhD in Education at Ulster University in 2020 which explored user engagement with prison library services. I work closely with CILIP’s Prison Libraries Group to support prison library research and professional development of prison library staff. I have led a national review of prison libraries in Ireland and consulted on an Arts Council England project about raising the profile of prison libraries. I am also interested in prison-based family literacy programmes and have begun to deliver and research multilingual digital storytelling projects in prisons.

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

University Responsibilities

Programme Leader, MA Library and Information Services Management
Module Leader, Public, School and Prison Library Services

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 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 libraries.

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 engaged communities of distance learners. This study used an Appreciative Inquiry approach to learn from and build on good practice in distance learning programmes across departments.

Publications

Journal articles

Camp C & Finlay DJ (2025) The experiences of neurodivergent Library and Information Science [LIS] professionals working in academic libraries – a case study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 51(5), 103115-103115.
Bates J, Finlay J & Hanlon S (2025) Setting out a methodological framework for undertaking effective reviews of national prison library services: Design of an inclusive methodology for the Irish Prison Library Review. Library & Information Science Research, 47(2), 101358-101358.
Finlay J (2024) An evidence-based approach to prison library provision: aligning policy and practice. Journal of Prison Education Research, 8(1).
O’Connor U, Hasson F, McKeever C & Finlay J (2021) It is changed beyond all recognition: exploring the evolving habitus of assistants in special schools. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 21(2), 146-155.
Finlay J & Bates J (2019) What is the role of the prison library? The development of a theoretical framework.. Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, 5(2), 120-139.
Finlay J (2018) Rethinking the dichotomy between libraries and prisons: Reflections from research in Northern Ireland.. Journal of New Librarianship, 3(1), 115-119.
Asiri A & Finlay J () Digital competencies of public library professionals in England. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 1-23.
Finlay J () Staff perspectives of providing prison library services in the United Kingdom. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 096100062211338-096100062211338.
Bates J, Finlay J & O’Connor Bones U () “Education cannot cease”: the experiences of parents of primary age children (age 4-11) in Northern Ireland during school closures due to COVID-19. Educational Review, 1-23.
O’Connor Bones U, Bates J, Finlay J & Campbell A () Parental involvement during COVID-19: experiences from the special school. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 1-14.

Chapters

Finlay J & Bates J (2021) Prison Librarianship and Prisoner Education: A Case Study from Northern Ireland, Advances in Librarianship (pp. 135-155). Emerald Publishing Limited

Reports

Finlay J & Neri G (2025) Prison library provision in England and Wales: Findings from a national survey of prison library staff
Finlay J (2020) Ulster University Northern Ireland parent surveys: Experiences of supporting children's home learning during Covid-19.

Theses / Dissertations

Finlay J Exploring the role of the library in the learning experiences of people in prison : Insights from Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Teaching activities

IJC442: Public, School and Prison Library Services
IJC443: Public, School and Prison Library Services (distance learning)
IJC440: Libraries, Information and Society
IJC439: Libraries, Information and Society (distance learning)
IJC441: Personal and Professional Development Portfolio (distance learning)

Professional activities and memberships

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 British Educational Research Association (BERA).
Member of the European Prison Education Association (EPEA). I am currently the Liaison Officer on the Irish Prison Education Association (IPEA) committee.