Barber, Jill (1953 - ), née Barbara Jill Smith, was born into a Methodist family in Croydon and grew up in Petts Wood, Kent. After education at local schools she studied English and librarianship at Aberystwyth University, 1971-74, gaining the BA degree. In 1978 she gained a distinction in secondary history in the PGCE at Homerton College, Cambridge, and in 1994 a PhD in information studies and archives at Aberystwyth University. She married Peter E Barber (e. m. 1977) in 1975; they have two children. She became a local preacher in 2015. In her professional career she has held positions in librarianship and related services in London, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Aberystwyth, and since 2011 has been Director of Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum of Primitive Methodism. She has been a member of various professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Committee and the University of Hertfordshire Board of the School of Humanities. She has served on a number of Methodist Committees and is currently chair of the One Mission Forum, a Fernley-Hartley Trustee and a member of the Archives and Records Advisory Group. She was elected Vice-President of the Conference in 2015.
Publications include articles in The Ranter's Digest, Hertfordshire Past and Present, and other journals.