Governance and management

The Curators of the University Libraries are responsible to the University for ensuring that provision is made for the University's library and information requirements for teaching and research and for ensuring that the University's major research libraries are maintained as a national and international scholarly resource.

Bodley's Librarian, Richard Ovenden, together with the Bodleian Libraries' Round Table, is responsible for managing the Bodleian Libraries on their behalf and, together with the Bodleian Libraries' Executive, provides strategic direction for the development and management of library and information services.

Executive

The Bodleian Libraries' Executive meets monthly to consider the major strategic issues facing the Bodleian Libraries.

The members of the Bodleian Libraries' Executive are:

 

Richard is the 25th Bodley's Librarian to hold office.

Read Richard's biography

 

Laura How joined the University in January 2008, initially as the Bodleian Libraries' Accountant. In August 2010 she became Head of Administration and Finance and since 2017 has been Chief Operating Officer.

Prior to Oxford, her role was as a Management Accountant for the Open University, where she produced the year-end financial statements and looked after the finances of one of the University departments.

 

Amy Warner May joined the University at the start of 2018, when she became the Associate Director of Scholarly Resources. In late 2019, Amy was responsible for the restructuring of Scholarly Resources to enable it to provide enhanced support for Open Access and Open Scholarship, Research Data Management and Digital Collections, as well as to ensure Scholarly Resources will be better placed to respond to and help lead future changes within these areas.

Before Amy joined the University, she was the Associate Director of eStrategy and Technical Services in the Library at Royal Holloway, University of London and previously worked at the National Archives at Kew.

 

Antony Brewerton became the Associate Director for Academic Library Services and Keeper of Collections in March 2022.

Antony’s most recent previous role was as Head of Academic Services in the Library at the University of Warwick. Before this he held posts at Oxford Brookes University and the University of Reading. He has also undertaken professional roles for RLUK, SCONUL and CILIP.

Round Table

Round Table meets monthly to consider, decide and review library policy, strategy and administration.

The members of Bodleian Libraries Round Table are the Executive plus:

  • Andrew Bonnie, Chief of Digital Operations
  • Perry Bushell, Commercial Director
  • Lanisha Butterfield, Head of Communications 
  • Louise Clarke, Head of Social Sciences Libraries and Research and Learning Support
  • Gillian Evison, Keeper of Asian and Middle Eastern Collections
  • Chris Fletcher, Keeper of Special Collections
  • Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hatfield, Head of Office for Strategy and Delivery
  • Paul Layland, Head of Finance
  • James Legg, Head of Humanities Libraries
  • Sarah Lockwood, Head of Facilities Services and Health & Safety Lead
  • Donald Mackay, Head of MSD and MPLS Libraries
  • Eleanor McVey, Head of Collections Management and Transformation
  • Ruth Mallalieu, Head of Open Scholarship Support
  • Linda Pope, Head of Human Resources
  • Madeline Slaven, Head of Public Engagement
  • Caitlin Tebbit, Head of Development
  • Frankie Wilson, Head of Assessment

Current strategy

Previous strategic plans