Amina Shah (librarian)

Amina Shah FRSE is a Scottish librarian who is National Librarian and Chief Executive of the National Library of Scotland.[1][2]

Early life and education

Shah was born in Pakistan to Patricia and Umeed Ali Shah. Her parents met in Glasgow and moved to Pakistan after their marriage. The family returned to Glasgow after Shah's birth.[3]

Shah studied English literature at the University of Dundee, graduating in 1996 with an MA Hons. In 1997, she gained a postgraduate diploma in librarianship and information science from the University of Strathclyde.[4]

Career

From 2001 to 2014, Shah was Deputy Head of Dundee City Libraries.[4] She was the Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) from 2014 to 2016 where she led on the development of Scotland's first national strategy for public libraries.[5] From 2016 to 2018, she held the position of Director of Programming at the Scottish Book Trust.[4][6]

Prior to her appointment at the National Library of Scotland Shah was Assistant Director of Libraries and Museums at University of St Andrews from 2018 to 2021.[4][7]

On 4 October 2021, Shah took up the position of National Librarian and Chief Executive at the National Library of Scotland. She is the first woman and the first person of mixed race to hold the post.[3] Prior to becoming National Librarian Shah was a member of the Board of the National Library of Scotland (2015-2021).[4]

Since 2015 Shah has been a Visiting Professor at Robert Gordon University.

She was President of CILIPS in 2022.

Shah is a trustee of the StAnza Poetry Festival, Friends of National Libraries, and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh.[4]

Honours and awards

In March 2023, Shah was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[8]

Personal life

Shah is mother to four children.[9] She lives in Fife, Scotland.[3]

References
  1. "National Library announces new Chief Executive". National Library of Scotland. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  2. "The National Library of Scotland has appointed its first ever female Chief Executive". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  3. McDonald, Sally. "Scotland's new national librarian Amina Shah on starting new chapter as first female leader". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  4. "Shah, Amina Tasleem, National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer, National Library of Scotland, since 2021 (Trustee, 2015–21)", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2022, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u296376, ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4, retrieved 26 March 2023
  5. "National Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland". Carnegie UK Trust. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  6. "National Library of Scotland appoint new national librarian". History Scotland. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  7. "Directors' Team - Library - University of St Andrews". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. Telford, Sam (21 March 2023). "Leading thinkers and practitioners elected as RSE Fellows". Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  9. "National library boss Amina Shah on 10 things that changed her life". The National. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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