Linda Tomos

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(''née'' Williams; born 1 April 1952), is a Welsh librarian. She was the first woman to be appointed Librarian and Chief Executive of the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales ( cy, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru), Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million boo ...

, a post she held until 2019. She worked for more than forty years in the field of librarianship and information science. Tomos was born in

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

; her parents were Arthur Horatio Williams and Mary Eileen Williams. She was brought up in the Oxford area, and attended Didcot Girls' Grammar School. She graduated from

Aberystwyth University , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

with a degree in History and Librarianship, and In 1974 she married Merfyn Wyn Tomos. Prior to her appointment at the NLW, Tomos worked for the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

, where she was responsible for library, archive and museum policy and was involved in the implementation of the UK People's Network and the first Library Strategy for Wales in 2005. She has been Chair of the Library and Information Services Council for Wales (LISC Wales) which advised Ministers prior to 2004, Chair of the BBC Educational Broadcasting Council Wales, and Chair of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

Advisory Council for Wales. In 2019 Tomos was nominated by the Women's Equality Network as one of the year's "100 Welsh Women". Shortly afterwards, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the

University of Wales Trinity Saint David , image = Crest of TSD.png , image_size = 200px , caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David , established = 2010 ( Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828) ...

. In

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

she was awarded the

in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomos, Linda 1952 births People from Llanelli Welsh librarians Welsh-speaking academics Living people British women librarians Welsh women curators 20th-century Welsh educators 20th-century Welsh women educators 21st-century Welsh educators 21st-century Welsh women educators