Ed Jewell is the new President Elect of Libraries Connected, the independent charity representing public libraries.

Ed ,Chief Librarian at Jersey Public Library Service, was elected by the Libraries Connected membership this week and will serve as President Elect from January 2023 until June 2024, President from June 2024 until June 2026 and Past President from June 2026 until June 2027.

Ed is the first Libraries Connected President from outside England. He has led Jersey’s library service since 2014 and has worked in libraries across the Channel Islands for 25 years. He is currently Vice Chair of the Libraries Connected South East Regional Group and serves on Jersey’s Arts Strategy Leadership Board. In 2020, Ed was given the Jersey Bailiff’s Award for services to the community during the pandemic.

As President, Ed has pledged to strengthen the charity’s local support networks, develop its leadership programmes and promote the health and wellbeing benefits of public libraries.

Ed Jewell commented:

“I’m honoured that Libraries Connected members have given me the opportunity to represent them in this way. Now, more than ever, we must be vocal about the transformative impact of our profession and the institutions we lead. Throughout my career I have championed the role of libraries in bringing people together and tackling some of society’s biggest challenges - I look forward to working with the Libraries Connected team to do that at a national level.”

Ayub Khan MBE, President of Libraries Connected, said:

“I’m thrilled to welcome Ed as our new President Elect and look forward to working alongside him over the coming years. Ed has had a huge impact on the Channel Islands’ libraries and the lives of those who use them. His expertise, experience and vision will be invaluable as we pursue our new strategic plan and libraries respond to the challenges ahead.”