Mel W. Collier is Chief Librarian at Leuven University and the former Director of Library and Information Services at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. He is also Research Professor at the University of Northumbria and an independent consultant. Formerly he was Director of Strategic and Operational Planning at Dawson Holdings PLC. Prior to that he was Head of Division of Learning Development at De Montfort University, responsible for libraries, information technology and educational development. His previous career was in academic libraries in universities and polytechnics. He has a degree in Arabic, speaks French and Dutch and has a working knowledge of German.

Since the early seventies Collier has been active in research into the applications of information technology to information services. He has directed several major national and European research projects. He has written and collaborated in numerous research reports, edited works and journal articles. He has served on a number of professional, national and international bodies including JISC and the Library and Information Commission. He was chairman of the Library and Information Advisory Committee of the British Council.

Recent consultancy work includes strategy and management reviews in universities and the private sector, digital library consultancies for public and private sector clients, and digital learning development.