Library Science  MSc / MA

Course Content

The MA/MSc Library Science is a part of the Information Studies Scheme (ISS) and has several modules in common with MSc Information Science and MA/MSc Information Management in the Cultural Sector. Students may be able to transfer between these courses during their first term.

Key features of all ISS courses include:

• balance between academic rigour and professional relevance
• focus on conceptual, philosophical and historical aspects, as a basis for reflective practice and life-long learning
• research-based teaching, emphasising the relevance of
research and critical evaluation for professional success
• use of practitioner lecturers to complement academic staff
• balance between face-to-face teaching, taking advantage of
our central London location, and e-learning support
• international outlook, with a possibility of study abroad
• collaboration with the main information-sector recruitment
agencies, to ensure course relevance and assist in
graduate employment.

Please see the ISS FAQs for further details.

Course Structure

The course involves study of 7 core modules and 1 elective module, plus a dissertation.

The core modules are:

• Library and information science foundation
Gives a thorough introduction to the principles and concepts of the information sciences, and shows that these foundations underpin the practice of information science, librarianship, and other information disciplines. Emphasis is places on a historical perspective, and on current and future developments, showing how basic principles can be used to make sense of complicated and changing issues.

• Information resources and organization
Gives an understanding of the principles and practice of the organization of information and knowledge. Topics covered include metadata, cataloguing and resource description, classification and taxonomy, subject headings and thesauri, indexing and abstracting, and construction of controlled vocabularies.

• Information management and policy
Introduces the principles of the management of information resources of diverse kinds in a variety of environments, and the strategies and policies which make this possible. Emphasis is on the specific issues of the disciplines which manage information and documents: information resource management, knowledge management, records management and archiving, collection management, etc.

• Digital information technologies and architecture
Provides the technical background required to store, structure, manage and share information effectively. Topics include: introduction to computing, internet and web, database systems and searching, Web 2.0 technologies (blogs, wikis, etc.), semantic web, information architecture

• Research, evaluation and communication skills
Provides knowledge and skills which are relevant in the academic environment, in the workplace and for lifelong learning. Topics covered include: nature of research and evaluation; research methods, including surveys, system and service evaluation, system design, and desk research; data analysis; literature analysis; written and oral communication; ethical issues; project management.

• Digital libraries
Introduces and exemplifies the principles of digital libraries, in terms of functions, services and characteristics, creation and management, digitization and preservation, access and interfaces, search, and evaluation.

• Libraries and publishing in the information society
Gives a broad understanding of the ways in which the publication of recorded information is changing, and the impact which this will have on publishers, libraries, other information providers and society in general. These issues are related within a framework of forces for changes: technical, economic, social and political.

The elective module is chosen from a range which typically includes:

• Information domains
Provides an understanding of information provision in a variety of domains, including academic subjects, professional disciplines and everyday and leisure topics; gives an insight into subject-specific information work. Topics include information in law, business, healthcare, and the arts, in academic subject areas such as history, mathematics, chemistry and languages, for everyday and general reference.

• Information law and policy

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• Independent study
Allows students to undertake individual in-depth study of a topic which is not fully covered by other modules, and which is appropriate for independent literature-based research. Topics are chosen by agreement between student and supervisor.

• Web applications development

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• Digital cultures
In this module you will explore the claims being made for so-called 'new' media in culture. Do they represent a shift toward more democratic and participatory engagement? What happens to the when and where of this engagement? How is policy changing in order to reflect this paradigm shift? What are the implications for cultural managers? You will explore these questions using practical examples.

• Audiences and marketing
This module introduces you to the knowledge and skills needed to consider the function of marketing in a creative and cultural organisation from a strategic perspective. In this module we explore the factors that influence arts/cultural consumption in its diverse forms and examine appropriate ways in which cultural and creative organisations market themselves effectively and productively.

• Education and training in the cultural sector
This module will help you to understand debates about access and participation as instruments of cultural policy. You will explore why education has moved from the periphery to being a central activity in the cultural sphere.

• Programming and its management
this module you will use a wide variety of case studies to explore current programming across a range of different types of organisation and cultural activity. This will cover everything from large international festivals to the work of single artists, or the content of an evening's entertainment through to year-long series of events.

• Evaluation, politics and advocacy
In this module you will critically examine the context within which impact, evaluation and monitoring form different perspectives. You will also explore the design and specification of impact assessments and evaluation and any relevant methodological issues, as well as how to make constructive use of evaluative results.

(The latter five electives are run by the Department of Cultural Policy and
Management.)

Read the full programme specification.