The Executive Team

Director, Philip Marshall

As Director, Philip is the chief executive officer of the Library, reporting to the Board of Trustees.

Philip began his career as a solicitor before moving into management within arts and culture. He spent 11 years at the British Museum where his roles included Head of Commercial and Director of International Engagement. His other roles have also included Director of Business Development at the Royal Albert Hall and Director of Development at Sadler’s Wells.

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Director of Collections and Library Services, Matthew Brooke

Matthew joined The London Library in 2019 and is focused on developing the Library’s outstanding collection and the library services that it provides, with directorial responsibility for the Member Services, Collection Care, Bibliographic Services and Acquisitions teams

He has been involved in library services for over a decade, most recently as Acting Director of Library Services at Royal Holloway where he was responsible for services including the archives and special collection, and led the development of the £60m Library Student Services Centre.

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Director of Finance & Resources, Chris Gilbert

Chris joined The London Library in 2022 and is responsible for the Library’s Finance, IT, HR and Building Management teams. Chris is a qualified accountant with thirty years of experience in the charity and public sectors.

Chris was previously the Chief Finance Officer for London Transport Museum and spent many years as a Trustee and Treasurer for the Association for Cultural Enterprises. He is an advocate for strong charitable governance and the importance of the heritage, arts and culture sectors.

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Director of Development, Willa Beckett

Willa joined The London Library in 2023 and with the Development team is responsible for generating philanthropic and commercial income to support the Library’s activities and collections. Willa has worked in development and project management roles in arts organisations for over 20 years. Previous employers include the Art Fund, the National Gallery and most recently Sir John Soane’s Museum. She also spent over two years representing the Royal Drawing School in New York, establishing international partnerships with art schools and funders.

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Departmental Teams

“I give daily thanks to The London Library and its peerless staff” - Max Hastings

The London Library is proud of its people and the high quality service they provide. There's information below to help you find out more about the different departments and services within the Library along with a list of key contact addresses where you can get in touch.

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Collections and Library Services 

The Department is headed by Matthew Brooke, Director of Collections and Library Services. Three teams within this Department are focused on maintaining and developing the Library's unique collection and the outstanding library services that provide access to it:

Member Services

The Library takes pride in offering first class support to members and visitors in accessing our collection, study spaces and services across the Library. The Member Services Team, including the Reception, Issue Desk and collection management staff, provide much of the day-to-day service to members and visitors relating to their use of the Library. Services include:

  • Frontline enquiry handling at Reception and the Issue Desk, relating to membership matters and queries about the print and online collections
  • Prospective member tours
  • Inductions for new members
  • Postal loan service
  • Book retrieval service
  • More extensive collection and research enquiries

Key contacts

  • Book Enquiries, loans and renewals: (020) 7766 4743 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Reception: (020) 7766 4700 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Postal loans: (020) 7766  4782 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • New Book suggestions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • For more general feedback about Library services, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Collection Care

The Collection Care team maintains and preserves the Library’s collections, and manages the stack areas. Preventative work focusses on managing the environment in the stacks by managing shelf space and monitoring relative humidity, temperature, light levels and pest activity. Working from a dedicated conservation studio, the team also stabilise and conserve collections for continued use by members.

Acquisitions & Discovery

The Library’s print collection comprising around one million volumes across 17 miles of shelving is at the heart of what makes The London Library so special and unique. The extensive range of online databases and resources, available for use in or away from the Library, further expands the vast amount of publications and literature available to members. The collection management is carried out by the Acquisitions & Discovery Team, which continues to add around 6,000 books and ebooks annually. The selection of titles draws on the expertise of the Acquisitions team pursuing the Library’s Collection Management and Development Principles and takes account wherever possible of recommendations from members for titles that would support their research and strengthen the collection. Suggestions for new books can be made to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Whilst most of the Library’s selections have to be purchased, new title donations that fit the collection are welcomed for our consideration and members are invited to contact the team via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their proposals.

    Development 

    Development plays a vital role in enabling the Library - which receives no regular public funding - to operate and provide its services to members and users. Under the direction of Development Director, Willa Beckett, the team is responsible for creating, maintaining and deepening relationships with the Library’s philanthropic supporters and running a range of programmes through which individuals and charitable trusts can support the Library.

    Key contacts

    • Director of Development: Willa Beckett This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • Fundraising enquiries and donations: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • Founders’ Circle: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • Legacy enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • Filming and Venue Hire: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Finance & Administration Department

    Teams and key contacts

    • Accounts - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • Building & Facilities Management. The BFM Team, headed by Jeremy Cox (jeremy.cox@londonlibrary), is responsible for maintenance and security of the building and the provision of core facilities to ensure the Library is a safe, comfortable and effective working environment for members, staff and visitors. The team provides the first port of call for deliveries and postal services and also operates beyond normal opening hours to allow for cleaning, events or significant maintenance work.
    • HR - HR Manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • IT - Head of IT, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    • Finance - Director of Finance and Resources, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Membership Department

      A thriving membership is vital to the Library and the Membership Department is responsible for raising awareness of the Library, recruiting new members and ensuring that existing members get as much as possible out of their membership beyond use of the collection. The team's activities include:

    • Marketing - recruiting new members and keeping existing and potential audiences informed of the many benefits of Library membership
    • Communication - helping raise the profile of the Library through a range of channels including print, broadcast and social media, The London Library magazine and the website
    • Events - developing a vibrant program of public events
    • Membership administration - ensuring that all our members' subscriptions and new membership applications are efficiently processed and maintained
    • Merchandise and branding - ensuring a consistent and compelling identity for the Library's communications and external profile
        Key contacts:
      • Membership enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      • Press enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      • The London Library magazine: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      • Public events: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      • Marketing enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
      • Membership Director: vacancy
                  If you have any feedback about using the Library and the Library building, we’d love to hear from you at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.