Board member appointments to the Northern Ireland Library Authority
Tuesday, 7 July 2009Culture Minister Nelson McCausland today announced further Member appointments to the Northern Ireland Library Authority, known as Libraries NI.
The following eleven Councillors have been appointed as Members – Ballymena – Hubert Nicholl; Ballymoney – Evelyne Robinson; Belfast – Jim Rodgers and Cathal Mullaghan; Craigavon – Carla Lockhart; Coleraine – Samuel Cole; Lisburn – Allan Ewart; Limavady – Anne Brolly; Newry and Mourne – Charlie Casey; North Down – Roberta Dunlop; Omagh – James Ignatius Sheilds.
The Northern Ireland Library Authority, which will be known as Libraries NI, was created on 1st April 2009 as part of the Reform of public services. Libraries NI assumed responsibility for the public library service which had previously been provided by the five Education and Library Boards.
The new Members will join David Elliott, who was appointed Chairperson in December 2008, in leading the way in delivering high quality public library services.
A new public competition is underway to fill four further places for Members of the public on the Board.
The Members’ annual remuneration will be £3,000 per annum.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Details of the new Board Members are:
Hubert Nicholl - A Ballymena Borough Councillor for 24 years. He chairs ARC 21 Joint Committee (District Council group on waste management procurement). He is vice-chair of the Northern Ireland Drainage Council, and Chair of the Association for Public Service Excellence.
He is a member of the NEELB and an active member of the Library Committee for the last 6 years, during which he was part of the exercise 3 years ago to consult on and implemented major rationalisation of libraries. He has also served as Chair of the Corporate Development Committee.
He is a member of the PEACE IVA Monitoring Committee and is a member of the Review of Public Administration.
He worked as a researcher in the Assembly for 10 years up until 2007.
He has engaged in political activity for the DUP in the last five years
Ms Evelyne Robinson - A Ballymoney Borough Councillor, she has sat on a range of committees and is currently Chair of the Health and Environment committee.
She is a member of Interreg IVA committee on European funding and the Rural Development committee on European funding. She is chair of the North West region waste management group, and is on two NILGA sub-committees.
She is a member of the Women’s Institute where she served on the committee and was President.
She was previously a teacher to A-level standard.
She has engaged in political activity for the DUP in the last five years
Jim Rodgers - A Belfast City Councillor since 1993, where he has been mayor on 2 occasions and currently serves on a number of committees.
He currently is chair of the BELB, which he has been a member of for 15 years, and a member of the library committee for all that time.
He is a Board member of the Events Company and of Sport Northern Ireland where he chairs the audit committee.
He was formerly a manager in a training and employment services body, and prior to that a manager in the private sector.
He has engaged in political activity for the UUP in the last five years
Patrick Cathal Mullaghan - A Belfast City Councillor where he was formerly chair of the Health and Environmental services committee. He now sits on the Development committee and a number of other committees including the Audit committee.
He has been a member of the BELB since 2006 where he sits on the Finance, Youth and ‘Education and Schools’ committees. He was also a member of the Library strategy sub-group that considered library provision in Belfast.
In addition he is a non executive director of the Public Health Agency and a member of the North Belfast Partnership Board. In the context of local government, he is an executive member of NILGA and sits on a number of working groups, notably the RPA working group.
Prior to being a councillor, he was employed as a marketing manager.
He has engaged in political activity for the SDLP in the last five years
Ms Carla Lockhart - A Craigavon Borough Councillor, she is a member of the Leisure Services Committee, Environmental Services Committee and the Development Committee. A member of the Craigavon Community Safety partnership.
She has been a member of the Southern Education and Library Board for one year. She is a member of 3 committees – Education committee, Children and Young Peoples Services Committee, and the Joint Youth Committee.
She is on the Board of Governors of one primary and one secondary school, and is a member of the Craigavon Museum committee.
Apart from her role as Councillor she currently works as a political researcher for an MLA. Previous to that she was a human resource assistant in the private sector.
She has engaged in political activity for the DUP in the last five years.
Samuel Cole - A Coleraine Borough Councillor since 2005, he is a member of a number of committees. He has recently been elected by the Council to the new Transitionary committee which will oversee the new Council structure.
Mr Cole is a director member of Zomba Action Project, a charitable outreach to Malawi. He is also a Director with Sperrin Tourism Ltd, and a member of the Lower Bann Advisory Committee. He is a Director with Coleraine Action Group for Enterprise, a rural outreach service.
He is also a member of the new Rural Development LAG which liaises with DARD on Peace III grant distribution. He serves on Kilrea Town Hall and Garvagh Halls committees. He is Chairman of the Leisure and Environment Committee, Coleraine Borough Council. He is a member of CBC Street Trading Committee and Chairman of Movenis Area Community Association,Garvagh.
He is employed in a managerial role in a private sector company.
He has engaged in political activity for the DUP in the last five years.
Allan Ewart - Mayor of Lisburn City, he formerly chaired the Economic Development Committee and has delivered a number of projects for small to medium sized enterprises. He is also a member of a number of other Council committees.
He is a member of the SEELB (the Board is currently suspended), where he is vice-chair of the Library Committee. He was heavily involved in the formation of the Lagan Canal Restoration Trust.
He is a member of the Board of Governors of two primary schools.
He formerly worked for the Prison Service, but is now Director of Administration and Finance for a political party.
He has engaged in political activity for the DUP in the last five years.
Mrs Anne Brolly - A Limavady Borough Councillor since 2001 and Mayor in 2003-2004, she has been Chairperson of the Education Committee of WELB, of which she is a current member. She has been Chairperson also of the Development Committee of Limavady Borough Council.
She is a member of the Association of Education and Library Boards. She is on the Steering Committee of the Messines Peace School. A primary school vice-principal, she is a long-term supporter of the Schools' Library Service.
Earlier in her life she was involved in amateur dramatics and performed as a singer. She is a voluntary member of the education group on Malawi Zomba Action projects.
She has engaged in political activity for the Sinn Fein in the last five years.
Charlie Casey - A Newry and Mourne District Councillor since 2001, he is currently deputy mayor and is on the budget team, and chair of the Building Control committee. He is actively involved in the local government travellers’ partnership. He is on the Newry and Mourne joint canal committee.
He is a member of the SELB. He is also a member of NILGA, where he sits on the Health and Environment sub-committee. He is co-chair of the Peace III Southern Cluster Partnership. He is also Sinn Fein’s representative on the Peace 111 monitoring committee (SEUPB).
He has engaged in political activity for Sinn Fein in the last five years.
Mrs Roberta Dunlop -A North Down Borough Councillor since 1997, and former Mayor and Deputy Mayor, she chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Policy Committee and Finance Committee.
She is a member of the SEELB since 1997 (the SEELB Board is currently suspended) and has been Vice-Chair. She served on the SEELB Expulsions Committee and the Schools Admissions Tribunals.
She is a Member of 2 Boards of Governors of Schools in Bangor and a member of the NI Events Company for 2 months in 2007.
She was, until recently, a self-employed Guesthouse owner, and has been Treasurer of the Bangor International Choral Festival since 1993.
She has engaged in political activity for the UUP in the last five years.
James Ignatius Shields (Seamus Shields) - As an Omagh District Councillor since 1989, Mr Shields has a wide range of committee experience, and currently sits on the Audit Committee.
A past member of WELB (1993-2005), he was Chair of the Library Committee for two years and Vice Chair for a further two.
He is currently on the Board of Governors of 1 High School and 3 Primary Schools. He is a member of the management committee of Omagh Youth Club since 1993, and was appointed as member of management committee of Armagh Observatory and Planetarium in 2008 (DCAL appointment).
He was previously Chair of Omagh College of Further and Higher Education 1998-2005.
He is a retired primary school principal and a long-term supporter of the Schools’ Library Service. Following retirement, he qualified in 2007 and now practises as a solicitor. He is interested in local history and has published articles.
He has engaged in political activity for the SDLP in the last five years.
Background information
The Northern Ireland Library Authority: Libraries NI is a statutory body set up under the Libraries Act (NI) 2008. It became responsible for the management and delivery of the public library service from 1 April 2009.
The Library Authority will be managed by a Board of up to 19 members. The Board Members were appointed by Gregory Campbell, the former Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure. The Councillor board member appointments will take effect on 1 August 2009 for a period up to the date of the next Council elections in 2011.
The appointments process was carried out in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice. A selection panel, which included an independent assessor as required under the Commissioner’s Code, considered the suitability of all candidates. The final decision on the appointment rests with the Minister.
All appointments are made on merit.
Media enquiries to DCAL Press Office on 028 90 515047 or email: press.office@dcalni.gov.uk
Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
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