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.

October 2026: Sarah Maule

Who are you, where are you based and what do you do?

I am Sarah Maule and I am Head of Library Learning, Innovation and Engagement at Queen Mary University of London. I am responsible for our Learning, Support and Engagement team, alongside our Innovation and Planning team who plan and develop service and space improvements and drive digital infrastructure projects.

At present, our main focus is on embedding Alma, after our launch in April. After a whirlwind implementation, we can now utilise all the features available. This is alongside a few more tenders, developing our Academic Skills Centre spaces, contributing to conversations around artificial intelligence in education and understanding more about the needs of our student body.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I love that I have the opportunity to join up the dots between projects, break down silos, and build relationships across the University as a whole. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role is bringing together people, ideas and initiatives that might otherwise operate separately, helping colleagues see the bigger picture and creating opportunities for collaboration.

I enjoy working across different teams and disciplines, whether that’s supporting service development, leading strategic projects, improving the student experience, or engaging with colleagues from across the institution and the wider sector. No two days are the same, and I find real satisfaction in taking complex challenges, connecting the right people, and turning ideas into meaningful outcomes that have a lasting impact on students.

What motivates you in your work?

It is important to me that when we are working to improve something, we do our very best to make use of the momentum, funding and opportunity. I am motivated by quality and building something to last, giving our students and academic colleagues the best possible outcome, and something which will deliver value long after a project has finished.

I am also motivated by seeing people succeed. Much of my work involves enabling others and bringing people together around a shared goal. Knowing our work can help students achieve their potential, I think it’s important to keep this at the forefront and work to ensure staff do not have barriers to making this possible and have the skills to succeed.

How has the M25 Consortium supported you in your career?

From the very beginning, M25 Consortium has been a welcoming group. In my first managerial role I was told during handover that our institution was due to host the M25 Annual Conference in about six months’ time! A baptism of fire by events management standards, but the planning team and all the attendees were so kind I realised I truly was in the right sector.

I was also part of cpd25 Task Group Two for a number of years. I have always felt honoured when asked to speak at a training event, and pay it forward to the sector by sharing knowledge or skills. It was also at the M25 Networking event three years ago that I met my soon–to–be line manager. The networking opportunities are not to be shied away from, even if it feels daunting to attend.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

Whilst I am chatty and an extrovert, my work from home days and alone time keep me going. Having two small children and commuting to London means that when I get to sit in my office in silence, I free up the head space to process and think deeply. And that’s when the best work gets done.

If I wasn’t working in a library…

I’m not sure what I would do. I was quite anxious as a teenager and wanted to do something creative like graphic design or architecture but was petrified at the uncertain job prospects of potentially being freelance. I adore any concrete, brutalist building, or anything mid-century modern, and so working to preserve buildings perceived as ugly or bleak would be a dream. Failing that, my husband thinks librarians would make great detectives, as our thirst for knowledge and finding the answers overlaps quite nicely!

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

June: Amelia Andrews, Graduate Trainee Library Assistant, Hellenic and Roman Library, Institute of Classical Studies, University of London

July: Jessie McLean, Open Research & Publishing Librarian, Buckinghamshire New University

August: Break

September: Joanne Cawkwell, Library Assistant, Library & Learning Services, Kingston University

2025