Library Staff Profiles

Have you ever wanted to find out more about the people who work at Avery Hill and Stockwell Street Library? Of course you have! Starting today is the first of our weekly profiles of the various staff you may spot or speak to at our libraries. Find out what they do, both inside and outside of working at the University of Greenwich!

First up, we're profiling one of our academic subject librarians for Business, Ros Francis:

Ros Francis

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED AT THE UNIVERSITY/LIBRARY?

I’ve worked at the University since 2008. I worked in the Avery Hill library as the Health librarian before moving to Stockwell Street in August 2015 to be one of the Business librarians.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE LIBRARY?

I’m a Business librarian which means that I support the students and staff in the Business School. My job is to make sure the resources they need for teaching and learning are in place, and that they know how to make the best use of those resources. I do this in teaching sessions, creating guides and answering email enquiries or seeing students on a one-to-one basis.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE LIBRARY?

I most enjoy the challenge of teaching students to understand our resources and the skills they need to make use of them, it can be difficult but it’s very satisfying when someone gets it.

WHICH BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY DO YOU FIND MOST INTERESTING?

I probably find the novels the most interesting!

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN GREENWICH TO EAT/HAVE LUNCH?

The market is one of my favourite places to eat – there is a big variety of food stalls and always something I like. I especially like the Vegan Garden or the Ethiopian stall.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?

Outside of work, one of my main interests is dance. I do contemporary dance and kathak, a classical Indian dance. Not sure how I ended up learning kathak but I love it! It’s a very beautiful dance form.

FAVOURITE BOOK, MUSIC AND FILM?

The first book I ever bought with my own money is Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, it became one of my favourite books and it still is. It is very funny and the satire feels relevant even though it is nearly 30 years old now. I love all cinema, especially Indian cinema. Satyajit Ray is a real master of Bengali cinema and his Apu trilogy is well worth checking out. I was stunned by Pather Panchali (the first film in the Apu trilogy) when I first saw it. I also love spotting Greenwich on screen in the latest blockbuster films.

WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT?

There are too many places in the world I would like to visit! I would love to see the Alhambra, and I have already planned to visit Canada next summer.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SUPERHUMAN POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Definitely flying – what better way to see the world?

HAVE YOU VISITED THE CUTTY SARK, NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND QUEEN’S HOUSE?

I have visited all of these places – I live locally and they are great places to take family and friends when they come to visit. My top tip for visiting the meridian line is to come to Greenwich after dark and see the green laser light marking the meridian shining out from the observatory.