There has been an enormous outpouring of grief and love after the sudden death of Elaine Sykes
Elaine Sykes with her six-year-old twins Florence and Lily
The sudden death of a much-loved Liverpool mum-of-two and and pioneering library research leader has led to an enormous outpouring of shock, grief and love from the huge number of people whose lives she touched. Elaine Sykes was described as ‘witty, clever, passionate and a force of nature’ by friends who are still trying to come to terms with her passing.
Elaine, who came from and lived in Dingle, was the head of open research at Lancaster University, having previously worked at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Since her unexpected death at the age of just 40, tributes have poured in from the vast number of people who knew and loved her.
Elaine lived with her husband Jack, a minister at the Toxteth Tabernacle Baptist Church, and her beloved six-year-old twins Florence and Lily. Friends said her family was the ‘centre of her universe’ who she would do absolutely anything for.
Following her passing, and with the blessing of Elaine’s family, the ECHO has spoken to her close friend and colleague Andrew Barker, the director of Lancaster University Library about the incredible person she was and the huge legacy she created through her work, her relationships and her captivating personality.
Andrew and Elaine first worked together at LJMU in 2016, before later reconnecting at Lancaster. Andrew says having met and worked with Elaine in Liverpool – he knew he ‘wouldn’t want to work a day of his life without her’.
“I remember when I was joining LJMU and we were on an away day and there was quite a challenging meeting,” he said. “Elaine just said ‘good luck, are you sure you want to join us?’ which just set out her character straight away. She completely disarmed me.
“When I started working there Elaine would often be in the room taking notes and very quickly I realised how solid her judgement was. Whenever there was a challenge, I would just go straight to Elaine and talk things through. She was really clever. She had a maths degree from Durham University.
“But she was also really funny,” added Andrew. “She had a wit that was sharpened by living and growing up and spending most of her life in the Dingle. She was really fast in terms of that wit, but she just had the best character, so I could see right from the start when I met her that this was someone I loved working with.”
When Andrew left LJMU for Lancaster in 2019, Elaine was on maternity leave having given birth to her twins Florence and Lily earlier that year. “I remember saying to her then boss that I was going to find a way to get her to come there with me,” said Andrew. “I knew I needed a character like Elaine in my library. The way she would lighten any mood, the way people warmed to her – we needed that.
“I don’t think anybody who has worked even briefly with Elaine would ever want that to stop. I told her I never wanted to work a day in my life without her.”
Elaine arrived at Lancaster University in 2022 in the role of head of open research and in three short years established herself as a national leader and innovator in this area. Andrew says this success was down to her determination and also her passion for social justice and fairness within the sector.
Elaine Sykes, from Dingle, was just 40-years-old when she suddenly and unexpectedly died
“She was passionate about social justice,” he said. “Universities get public money to carry out research and that research is then written up by academics, given for free to a publisher and then traditionally the publisher doesn’t make it freely available to the public.
“Well Elaine was passionate about making research more open and visible to the public who funded it. She was passionate about the inequity of the massive profits that publishers make out of that publicly funded research – and she was determined to provide leadership to find a way through it.”
Andrew said his final conversation with Elaine saw her frustrated that librarians were not providing leadership on these matters, adding: “She was planning on putting her money where her mouth was and taking on a leadership role on this. She never just talked the talk, she always walked the walk.”
At this point in the conversation, Andrew leaps up and grabs a notebook from the next room of his house in south Liverpool. “I’ve got to show you this,” he adds, pointing to a logo on the front of the notebook. The name of the academic publisher had been scribbled out and written over with the word ‘scum’.
He claimed the company involved ‘behaved badly’ in library negotiations and this clearly didn’t sit well with Elaine. After she died he found the notebook. “There is so much of Elaine in that. The humour in writing it, the sense of justice and the theatrical gesture of it. It really captures who she was.”
Speaking of her work at Lancaster, Andrew added: “She went in just three years from being an excellent team leader of a business administration team to being one of the most thoughtful, clever, innovative heads of open research in the whole sector. I know people who had never met Elaine but had heard of her because of the work she was doing. She was determined to bring about change.”
And its certainly not just Andrew who Elaine left an indelible mark on through their time working together. Following her death, Lancaster University has opened an online book of condolence. To say the page has been overwhelmed with personal and loving tributes from former colleagues and friends would be a massive understatement.
“Elaine, someone recently said to me you were sunshine”, writes Phil Cheeseman. “If there could be just one word to sum up all you were, that would be it – Sunshine.
“You brought light, colour and warmth to any room you were in. You were always at the centre of laughter and fun. You cared deeply about and for all those around you, always there to lend a hand, offer encouragement or just joke around. I loved your cutting wit.
“Elaine you are a huge part of me and always will be and your happy smiling face will never leave me.,” added Diane Scholey. “Elaine you were such a positive, kind, helpful, inspiring person, and I will cherish the memories I have of knowing and working with you.”
Denise Minde wrote: “When God made Elaine he definitely broke the mold – she was so unique. She was such a valued member of our team – clever, kind, witty, stylish, modest, and so much more. I hope her family and friends take comfort in seeing the positive impact she has had on so many, and how universally she was loved and respected.”
It is difficult to only pick out a few of the avalanche of tributes posted on the site. The many others can be read here.
As well as those who worked with her at the universities, there are also tributes posted from those who worked with Elaine in her role as an organiser of the biennial International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries of which she was a driving force.
Just before her passing, Elaine had been hugely influential in bringing the conference to her home city of Liverpool with events taking place at The Spine building across two days in early June.
It was through that event I had the privilege of meeting Elaine after she asked me to deliver a keynote speech to the conference in Liverpool. Having interacted with her for the best part of a year over emails and finally getting to meet her in person at the conference – I was left in no doubt that this was a very special person indeed and I can entirely understand why her loss has left such a hole in so many lives.
Elaine Sykes pictured with husband Jack and their twin daughters Florence and Lily
Speaking about Elaine’s unique character – which made her so incredibly popular – Andrew said: “She had this amazing combination. She had a maths degree and a huge sense of logic and the ability to use data – but her emotional intelligence was sky high and that is a very powerful combination that not many people have. This is what made her so special. She could use intelligence and use charm. I think people are drawn to those who are very sharp and very witty.
“She was a force of nature. I wasn’t remotely surprised to see the huge outpouring of tributes for her, I expected nothing less – and it was international. She was the type of person that would make your heart swell with excitement when you knew you were working with her.
“Elaine taught me that you can be yourself and have fun in your job and there are other people who feel exactly the same and you can trust them and do good things together.”
Speaking about the day he found out the terrible news of Elaine’s sudden and unexpected passing, Andrew said he had a call from her father confirming the news after which he had to spend an awful day informing as many as 50 colleagues.
“I had to break everybody’s hearts – because Elaine was so loved. I remember one person I called, they just went ‘oh no, not Elaine’. Some people I called on video calls, they just looked back at me like I had gone mad, like I was telling them lies.”
Andrew believes there are two things that were most important in forging the character of a woman who was so widely adored – her family and her city.
“Elaine’s family, Jack and the girls were the absolute centre of her universe. I vividly remember the day she came in to tell me she was pregnant and that she was having twins and I remember them being born. I remember her wanting to leave work so she could say goodnight to the girls. Jack and the girls were absolutely everything to her, they were such a tight, family unit.
“Another thing that was so important to her was her background and the city she was from. She was a passionate Scouser and a Liverpool fan. I feel very strongly that a lot of what we all got from Elaine was formed through her life in the Dingle and through the Toxteth Tabernacle Church which meant so much to her.
“Liverpool was central to who Elaine was. You can’t talk about Liverpool without talking about social justice and she always brought that into her work.”
For Andrew, like for so many who knew and loved Elaine, there is a refusal to accept she is no longer part of their lives.
“I just refuse to accept that she isn’t here anymore,” he said. “None of us will accept it. As long as the last colleague from her team remains, she will always remain in our library. We can’t let her go. I can’t simply accept that she is not with us anymore. She will always be on my shoulder.”
Asked to capture Elaine and her legacy in a few words, he says this is an impossible task, adding: “I wish I could try and find the words. I will say that she was really clever and she was really funny but she didn’t have the arrogance of someone who knew she was really clever or the cruelty of some people who know they are faster and wittier than others.
“She used both of those talents to ensure that people felt safe and seen and she did fantastic things with them. They were like her superpowers. But it is impossible to find a way to capture Elaine in a way that does her justice. I just adored her and I was absolutely blessed to have met her.”
A funeral service for Elaine Sykes will be held on Monday July 7, 12pm, at Toxteth Tabernacle Baptist Church, Liverpool, L8 8AN. A reception will follow, all welcome. RSVP to toxtethtabernacle@outlook.com.
Elaine’s family would also like to collect memories of Elaine, to capture a portrait of her life and character, particularly for her daughters.
Anyone who knew her is encouraged to send through pictures, short anecdotes, a screenshot of a last text exchange with Elaine, or other fond memories which can be compiled. Small and big, silly and profound welcome. Please include an indication of dates and/or places. Send to memories.of.elaine@hotmail.com.