John Pateman worked in public libraries for 44 years in a number of different roles ranging from Library Assistant to Chief Librarian. He was Chief Librarian and Chief Executive Officer at Thunder Bay Public Library. John was part of the UK Government Policy Group at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport that produced Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries and he was part of the research team which produced Open to All? The Public Library and Social Exclusion. He is on the editorial board of Open Shelf, the Ontario Library Association online journal. He is the Director of the Cuban Libraries Solidarity Campaign and received the National Culture Award from the Cuban government for his work in support of Cuban libraries. John is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. He has authored numerous books on the topic of public libraries.