Meet The Team
Nick Poole
Nick Poole is CEO of CILIP, the UK’s library and information association, where he is responsible for working with the Board of Trustees to set strategic direction, develop operational plans, support member engagement and develop a positive working culture for all library and information professionals. Nick originated the Great School Libraries Campaign and remains a strong supporter of school libraries.
Mary-Rose Grieve
acting co-chair
Mary-Rose is a school librarian working in an international school in Dubai. She has overseen the development of the libraries as the school has grown from a small primary school to a large through school teaching children from FS1 - Year 13. She is currently working towards an NPQSL qualification and sits on the national committee of CILIPSLG. She is the governor of a prep school in Scotland and is chair of a grant giving body based in Edinburgh.
She was awarded UAE School Librarian of the Year in 2019.
Alison Tarrant
co-chair
Alison is the Chief Executive of the School Library Association, and a Bookseller Rising Star 2018. Previously, she worked as a school librarian; setting up a library in a brand new school, and consequently overseeing the expansion of the Library. During that time she was on the middle management team and held roles as Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator and a form tutor. She was on the Honour List for the SLA School Librarian of the Year in 2016. Alison was a Trustee for the SLA and Chair of the Youth Libraries Group Eastern before her appointment to the SLA
Valentina Mirabella
Project Manager
Valentina is an Archivist, a Librarian and a Project Manager. She has worked in cultural institutions and NGOs, including Amnesty International, where she was on the project management team for the 50th Anniversary Campaign. She currently holds the role of Curator of Romance Collections at the British Library. Valentina strongly believes in the importance of school libraries and is particularly interested in how school libraries can help develop plurilingual children and early language teaching.