M25 SpeedMeet
Welcome to M25 SpeedMeet and Spotlight. Every month we meet someone working in an M25 member institution or someone involved with an M25 Consortium Group, Network, or Committee. They tell us a little bit about themselves and how the Consortium has benefited them.
This month we hear from Andrew Gray about his role at UAL, his work with cpd25 Task Group One and the professional benefits gained from involvement with the M25 Consortium.
November 2026: Andrew Gray
Who are you, where are you based and what do you do?
I am Andrew Gray and I’m the Copyright Librarian at University of the Arts London. I am based at Elephant and Castle at our site London College of Communication, but I work across all our sites (another six locations across London).
As the role name implies, I provide support to students, academics, library, and admin staff on all aspects of copyright. I also have responsibility for checking e-resource licences to ensure that the resources meet our needs and that we can meet their terms and conditions.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I am lucky in being able to work across various sites and being invited into to deliver copyright and intellectual property related sessions to different cohorts of students. I also work with colleagues in our Intellectual Property Education team and Library teams, and it is great to bounce ideas off them.
What motivates you in your work?
Money…. Though I wish it were more but also engaging with the ideas and research that both students and academics develop across the range of creative practices here at UAL. I am also interested in how copyright and intellectual property help reveal power structures within modern global cultures and how it never sits still! (Hello AI!) Oh, and the copyright community itself is a great motivator as everyone learns together and is always sharing.
What M25 Group are you involved with?
I am in cpd25 Task Group One – Career Development (NUMBER ONE!) I work with other colleagues to identify sessions that can help colleagues new to library work develop. These have included looking at what to consider when applying for more senior roles, what to expect from the Gallery, Library, Archives and Museum (GLAM) sector, Cataloguing tips on how to begin line managing staff and how to apply for more senior roles and investigating what is involved in research support roles. We have also organised a number of visits including to London College of Fashion, BFI, and London Transport Museum.
What upcoming activity is cpd25 Task Group One working on?
We are looking at new events for the new year including what digital skills library workers need, the experiences of those who have undertaken apprenticeships, resources and collections management and new visits to libraries at UCL East and Natural History Museum and more to be explored!
What are the benefits of being involved with an M25 Consortium Group?
It really is about the connections you make with people outside of your immediate role, ability to compare your workplaces, your roles and to find out what else library work can involve. It has also helped in increasing experience in organising events, public speaking, and it is great to be part of another community. Libraries are always about people.
How has the M25 Consortium supported you in your career?
I am fairly new to M25 Consortium, but it has given me great opportunities to make contact with colleagues in new areas and help me develop confidence in my organisational skills.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
I can touch my toes.
If I wasn’t working in a library…
I would be on the run because I am late.
Want your story to fill in the blanks on this page?
If you’d like to be featured as an M25 SpeedMeet or Spotlight send an email to Jill Howard, m25libadmin@london.ac.uk. You can send in your replies to our questions or alternatively video your answers and we’ll show the video here.
Read more SpeedMeet interviews :
2026
January: Steve Briggs Director of Learning, Teaching, and Libraries, University of Bedfordshire
February: Mary Blomley, Open Research Librarian, University of West London
March: Louise Savage, Collections Coordinator, King’s College London
April: Carly-Ramirez-Herelle, Head of Library and Academy Services at the University of Bedfordshire
May: Callum Tilbury, Library Supervisor, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
July: Jessie McLean, Open Research & Publishing Librarian, Buckinghamshire New University
August: Break
September: Joanne Cawkwell, Library Assistant, Library & Learning Services, Kingston University
October: Sarah Maule, Head of Library Learning, Innovation & Engagement, Queen Mary University of London
2025
Lydia Harris, Collections Manager at King’s College London
Alison Mackenzie, Research Support Librarian, RHS Libraries
Natalie Brown, Library Customer Services Team Leader, Anglia Ruskin University
Eloise Carpenter, Collection Services Manager at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Leah Gulley, Academic Liaison Librarian, Buckinghamshire New University
Dr Janice Fernandes former Academic Support Manager, University of West London
Helen Curtis, Director of Learning Resources and University Librarian at Oxford Brookes University
Dan Herbert, Library Buildings Development Manager, Queen Mary, University of London
Polly Mortimer, Library Manager and Learning Support Lead, British Psychotherapy Foundation
Ian Clark, Academic Services Manager, University of East London
2024
Chris Foreman, Associate Director of Library Services at University of the Arts, London
Vicky Robertson, Deputy Librarian, UCL School of Pharmacy Library
Laura Scullion, Administrator (Events & Programmes), M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries
Dave Puplett, Associate Director, Libraries and Academic Enhancement, University of Greenwich
Fiona Ainsworth, Head of Library and Archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Dianne Shepherd, The British Museum, Senior Librarian
Jill Howard, M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries, Operations Manager
Cliff Van Dort, National Archives, Kew, Head of Library
Camilla Churchill, British Medical Association, Library and Archive Lead
Chloe Carson-Ashurst, The National Gallery, Library Assistant
2020-2023
Birgit Fraser, Anglia Ruskin University, Assistant Director – Academic and Content Services
Sarah Pipkin, UCL – Outreach and Exhibitions Coordinator, Special Collections Library
Anna Gillis, Royal Veterinary College – Research Support Librarian
Rachel Geeson, Anglia Ruskin University – Assistant Director, Customer Services
Jennifer Domingo, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine – Library Assistant
Emma Wisher, University of Essex – Assistant Director for User Engagement
Louise Ellis-Barrett, British Museum – Librarian Acquisitions and Projects
Paul Johnson, University of Surrey – Director of Library and Learning Services
Sara Burnett, Kingston University – Information Specialist
Robert Atkinson, Birkbeck, University of London – Director of Library Services
Laura MacCulloch, Royal Holloway, University of London – Curator
Rowan Williamson, UAL – Associate Director of Library Services and Support
Frances Willis, National Art Library at the V&A – Assistant Librarian
Robin Armstrong Viner, Courtauld Institute of Art – Head of Library Services
Adam Edwards, Middlesex University – Library Liaison Manager
Linda Coombs, Buckinghamshire New University – Library and Learning Resources Manager
Liz Pinel, Royal College of Nursing Library and Archive – Customer Services Manager
David Allen, Royal Society of Chemistry – Librarian
Russell Burke, LSHTM – Assistant Librarian
Verity Allison, St George’s, University of London – Journals and E-Resources Librarian