Alison Tarrant joins Peters as Head of Library Services

December 9th 2024

Alison Tarrant, former CEO of the School Library Association, joins Peters as our new Head of Library Services. We caught up with Alison to find out a bit more about her background and experience, and what she's looking forward to in her new role!

Q: What are you looking forward to about working at Peters? 

A: I’m really excited about getting started at Peters. It’s a rare opportunity to support both public and school libraries, and to help Peters customers’ ensure the best provision for their users. There’s a great team atmosphere at Peters and everyone seems really supportive of each other – I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone.  

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your career so far? 

A: I did an English Literature degree at Reading University, and then had to find something to do with it!

A bit of research led me to CILIP, and libraries seemed like they’d be a good fit for my interests and strengths. I followed this up with a Graduate Traineeship at Emmanuel College, Cambridge before doing my Masters in Library and Information Management at Aberystwyth. I lived right on the seafront and had a great time!

I then started working in school libraries as a Library Assistant and then Librarian. Most recently I’ve held the post of CEO of the School Library Association, including being Co-Chair of the Great School Libraries campaign and working closely with organisations such as World Book Day, CILIP, The Reading Agency and BookTrust.  

Q: Why do you think reading for pleasure is so important?

A: Reading is the key to so much of life, and having the opportunity to read for pleasure is vital to having an ongoing relationship with reading. It’s important to me that reading is accessible to everyone – regardless of interests or additional needs. Reading for pleasure is naturally inclusive, and built on respect and choice – it’s the adult's job to make reading so appealing that a child can’t turn it down. Sometimes reading can be presented as a punishment, or just work, and I think we need to shift the focus to the joy and fun that can be found in reading and help children to find it themselves.  

Q: Why are libraries so important?

A: School and public libraries are both vital – though for different reasons. As an active public library user I use the public library for two main reasons – the space and the resources. The space is re-assuring and comforting; nothing is asked of me and I can explore, read, play games at my leisure without expecting a bill or being asked to leave. That’s rare these days. The resources are exciting, appealing, useful and free! To me at least. I use the public library to challenge my reading tastes and explore more than I would do if I was buying a book; and like many public library users I then pop to my local bookshop and add to my reading shelves from there as well!  

In schools, libraries are important not just because they offer the resources and opportunity to read to those children who wouldn’t naturally visit their public library, but because they support teaching colleagues with their book knowledge, deliver media and information literacy skills, and extend the curriculum through additional reading and learning opportunities – such as research. 

Q: What’s an interesting/unexpected fact about you? 

I worked backstage in theatres when I was younger, and was the Dame’s Dresser for a pantomime production of Aladdin for a season – we used to change an entire outfit in 30 seconds flat!