Library executive team
Anna Clements
Director of Library Services & University Librarian
The University of Sheffield Library is at the centre of the student learning experience and is consistently recognised nationally for its outstanding library services.
The University’s research has a global reputation which a world-class research library strengthens.
The Director of Library Services & University Librarian provides strategic leadership, a compelling vision and effective management of the University Library to advance the University’s strategic agenda for learning and teaching and research.
She provides high-level advice to the Executive Director of Academic Services and the University’s Executive Board in relation to library and information services and wider information policy and scholarly communication issues. The Library Executive Committee advises the Director.
The Director builds effective partnerships with the University’s academic and professional communities to ensure that library and information services contribute to delivering academic strategy and resources.
The Library values its external-facing partnerships with professional, business and cultural groups, pursuing mutually beneficial collaborations in the city, regionally, nationally, and in the international arena.
The Director seeks initiatives to advance the reputation of the University and the Library, benefit our students and researchers, and influence policy.
The Director leads the University’s sector-wide engagement with transitioning to sustainable open access and works in partnership with Vice-President for research, the University’s research practice lead, faculties and other professional services.
The University’s vision is to create an open research culture that values a range of contributions and delivers the highest standards and best practices in research integrity and ethics, adhering to the FAIR principle for the benefit of society (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable.)
Anna is a member of the University’s Senate, the Learning and Teaching Committee and the Research and Innovation Committee reporting to the Senate. She is also a member of the Professional Services Executive.
Anna works nationally and internationally advocating the use of open standards to improve data quality and workflow efficiencies across the sector.
She serves on the White Rose libraries executive board, OCLC Research Library Partnership and is a member of the UUK/Jisc Expert Group for journal negotiations.
Before joining the University of Sheffield in January 2020, Anna held positions at the University of St Andrews in IT Services, Research, Partnerships and Innovation and the Library.
Pre academia, Anna built up 20+ years’ experience as a consultant, software developer and project manager designing and building systems for UK/US educational/academic publishers.
Alison Little
Associate Director, Learning Strategy & Student Engagement
The Associate Director, Learning Strategy and Student Engagement leads the strategic development and delivery of the Library’s advisory and educative services for students and oversees the quality of the student learning experience.
The strategic oversight of the communication of Library services and facilities and leadership of the procurement and management of information resources for the Library’s digital and print collections are also part of her portfolio as the Chair of the Library’s collections advisory group.
The Library Information Advisory Team (LIAT) and Library Learning & Teaching Services (LLATS) provide the key interface with our students, offering services across five sites and through the Library’s digital presence.
The Library’s Educative and Advisory Services extend to: information and digital literacy; advisory and help services offered in physical spaces and through digital channels; learning space development, evaluation and review, and lending services.
Services for Alumni, partner institutions and visitors are important elements of the Library’s contribution to the University and the broader community.
Alison represents the Library on the Learning and Teaching Committee and working groups reporting to the Committee and is a key contact for the Students' Union.
Alison and the teams work closely with Student Support Services on student support and wellbeing, including disability and dyslexia support, recruitment and admissions through open day events, outreach activities and student development, including 301 Academic Skills Centre.
The White Rose Libraries consortium is a key strategic partnership for the Library and Alison is a member of the Innovation Board.
She also represents the University on the Northern Collaboration Directors Group and is a member of the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) Associate Director Network and Collections Strategy Network.
Anna Grigson
Associate Director, Digital Strategies, Research and Engagement
The Associate Director, Digital Strategies, Research and Engagement leads the strategic development and delivery of the Library’s digital and open scholarship services to the University community.
The Faculty Engagement team engages with Faculties and Departments to understand the needs of academic staff, researchers and students in different disciplines, identifying how to best align the library services to meet expectations.
The Library Digital Services team provides and develops solutions to enable the discovery, access and preservation of the Library’s content, and support digital innovation in the delivery of Library services. As part of her role, Anna chairs the Library’s Discovery Advisory Group.
The Scholarly Communications team supports the University’s commitment to research excellence, making the University's scholarship openly accessible and discoverable. They support development of open research practices, and provide services and expertise relating to scholarly communications including open access deposit and publishing, copyright and licensing, and research data management.
Anna and the teams work closely with IT, Research, Partnerships and Innovation, and the University’s Open Research community, and Anna represents the Library on the University’s Research Culture Steering Group.
Supporting open publishing and accelerating the move to more sustainable scholarly communications is a key element of the Library’s role, and within the White Rose Libraries consortium, Anna is a member of the White Rose University Press management board.
She also represents the Library on the Research Libraries UK (RLUK) Associate Director Network, and is a member of the SCONUL Technology and Markets Strategy Group.
To contact the Library Executive Team, please email Francesca Baker.