Andy McDonald

Biography

Andy McDonald graduated from Lancaster University in 1998, with a BA in Medieval History. He went on to complete postgraduate work at the University of Northumbria, before embarking on a career in librarianship that saw him working in many local authorities and universities across England and Wales.

He has spoken at several academic and local government conferences, on topics ranging from project management and presentational skills, to research data and information security. He has had articles published the Bookseller and for Information Professional, the in-house magazine of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals) and has represented his employers in local and national media.

As a Project Manager, he oversaw refurbishments of libraries in Gloucester and Monmouth, helped prepare Cheshire councils for GDPR, restructured Warwickshire's mobile and rural library network, and managed major software installations at Leicester De Montfort and Liverpool John Moores universities. He has managed and mentored colleagues through training from NVQ to degree level.

Andy joined the University of Cumbria in 2023 as a tutor for Degree Apprentices in Project Management. His main areas of professional interest include lean management, Kaizen culture, data security, and Agile project management. Outside of work, he enjoys country walking, Mediterranean cooking, quizzes, and Tabletop and Live Roleplaying. He lives in Lancaster.  

Qualifications and memberships

BA Hons History (Lancaster, 1998)

MA Information & Library Management (Northumbria, 2000)

Certification in Personnel Management (Coleg Gwent, 2009)

Certification in Managing Public Consultations (The Consultation Institute, 2013)

Academic and research interests

Kaizen

Agile project management

Lean management

Data security

Recent external roles

Cumbria County Council - Library Development Manager, Digital Services

Northumbria University - Research Data Librarian

Halton Borough Council - Area Library Manager

Cheshire Councils Shared Services - Project Manager, ICT Installations & Upgrades

Liverpool John Moores University - Research Data Librarian

Leicester De Montfort University - Reading Lists Librarian

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