Elizabeth Selby, Dean of the Learning and Information Service
I was born and brought up in Wales and after leaving school I attended Loughborough University, gaining a BA (Hons) in Library and Information Studies. After graduating I qualified as a Chartered Librarian and my first job was working in London as a librarian for children and young people's services.
Having served my time running storytime for toddlers, I then moved to Southampton to work for Vickers Ltd as Technical Librarian at the offices where the Spitfire had been designed. I later became Head of Marketing for Brown and Root Vickers, a major engineering design and contracting company that was involved in a wide variety of industries. That role provided me with a great opportunity to travel and to lead a very active marketing team.
I joined Southampton Institute in 1992 as the Information Librarian for Technology. Moving into Higher Education after many years working in the engineering industry was a big career change but I enjoy working with students in the lively atmosphere of a University. I developed a better first-hand understanding of the challenges that face students through combining part-time study on the MBA with the demands of full-time work and family life.
I was appointed as User Services Librarian in the new Mountbatten Library in 1994 and then held a variety of management roles within the Library until 2004, when I was appointed Head of Learning Support within the Learning and Information Service (LIS). That role provided me with an opportunity to draw together the expertise of staff working in teams across LIS to develop learning systems, resources and support services to enhance the learning experience of students.
In March 2009 I was appointed as Dean of the Learning and Information Service.