Library and Information Services Management (Distance Learning) Master of Arts - MArt (Hons)

This course is for library and information professionals at any stage of their career who are seeking to enhance their professional skills and knowledge. You’ll critically reflect on and develop your own professional practice, while engaging with the latest research and practice in the field.

Course description

We welcome students from all over the world who have diverse experiences and disciplinary backgrounds, and who share different perspectives and ideas that enrich peer discussions and enhance the learning experience on the programme.  We’re the number one university in the world for library and information management (QS World University Rankings by subject 2026), which is a reflection of the quality of content on the course, the research expertise you will benefit from, and the links to professional practice that will help you with your future career goals. 

The course provides a professionally oriented curriculum to develop the core competencies of the library and information profession, as defined in the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) Professional Knowledge and Skills Base, including how information is managed, organised, governed and made available to users.

You will also gain key skills in leadership, management and strategic service design, and understand how to be a reflective practitioner and the ethical principles and values that underpin the library and information profession.

Through engagement with research-active academic staff and current practitioners, you will learn about cutting-edge developments in library research and practice, including scholarly communication, information behaviour, information and knowledge management, the role of artificial intelligence in library services and the provision of inclusive library services to diverse communities.

You will learn how to apply current practices in library and information services management, for example how to apply the principles of cataloguing, classification, metadata and controlled vocabularies, how to teach information literacy, and how to design inclusive and sustainable library spaces.

Accreditation

The MA and PG Diploma awards are accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), the UK's professional association for library, information, and knowledge management professionals. CILIP has reciprocal agreements with other national professional bodies including American Library Association (ALA), the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Library Association of Ireland (LAI).