BSc

Information and Library Studies

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You are viewing this course for April start 2024

This Information and Library Studies degree at Aberystwyth University is offered by Distance Learning and acknowledges the value of work-based experience of library and information staff who are working in ‘para-professional’ posts. It was designed specifically to enable these staff to progress towards a professional qualification. The programme is structured to encourage ‘non-traditional’ students into higher education and to give them the academic and pastoral support they need in order to succeed.

You can combine your wealth of practical experience with the latest theoretical knowledge across a broad spectrum of related subject areas. The programme equips you with the skills and knowledge to organise, handle, and retrieve information within the context of today's society, and prepares you for managing information sources and services.

The objectives of the degree scheme are twofold:

  • to provide access to a professional qualification for those with an appropriate level of work-based experience who face barriers to entering traditional education, such as work or family commitments and geographical location
  • to allow for flexible progression, enabling you to work in your own time, at your own pace and place, and to relate your learning to the workplace.

This course boasts an accreditation by CILIP the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

Course Overview

This programme is divided into Part 1 (120 credits, equivalent to the first year of full time study) and Part 2 (240 credits, equivalent to the second and third years of full time study). Diploma students will exit on completion of 120 Part 2 credits.

By virtue of being accepted onto this programme, all students are awarded the 120 credits equivalent to Part 1. This award is known as Accredited Prior Learning (APL) and Accredited Prior Experiential Learning (APEL), and gives recognition for your previous qualifications and experience.

To complete the Diploma you need to:

  • successfully complete 120 credits, including designated modules, and attend two compulsory study schools.

To complete the Degree you need to:

  • successfully complete 240 credits, including designated modules, and attend three compulsory study schools.

Approximately 80% of the degree course is composed of designated (i.e. compulsory or core) modules, including a 30 credit dissertation. The remainder of the course is composed of your choice of option modules. You are able to progress at your own pace, taking between 2 to 5 years to complete 120 credits for the Diploma, or 3 to 5 years to complete the total of 240 credits required for the Degree. This means that you will need to spend an average of 8 to 15 hours a week studying, depending on how quickly you plan to complete your course.

Study schools

Study schools are a compulsory part of this programme. They provide an opportunity to meet with staff and other students, and introduce practical elements of the course, such as ICT, study skills, seminars and tutorials. Academic staff introduce students to the modules that they will study when away from Aberystwyth. Examinations are also held during study schools. The study schools normally take place at Aberystwyth every spring(March or April), at the beginning of the first, second and third years of study.

Entry Requirements

The admissions requirements for this programme are as follows:

  • You are currently employed in an information or library environment
  • You are able to demonstrate your academic capability to undertake the course
  • You have access to a computer with CD-ROM and Internet facilities, and have basic ICT skills

Non-native English speakers are required to take a University recognised test of academic English language proficiency. Requirements of which can be found on the English Language Requirements page.

Applicants who have successfully undertaken a Bachelors degree in a UK University are exempt from this requirement.

Admissions tutors base the criteria for admission on a combination of relevant work experience and academic capability, sufficient for direct entry to Part 2 (year 2) of the programme.

Research Excellence

The university has a proud tradition of research excellence, as demonstrated in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (2021) assessment, where 98% of the university's research was judged to be of an internationally recognised standard or higher. In addition more than three quarters of our research was categorised as either world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*).

If you are unsure whether you fulfil the admissions criteria, please contact the Department’s Admissions Team (dis-dept@aber.ac.uk), where staff will be able to offer you further advice.

Our Staff

Department of Information Studies lecturers are either qualified to PhD level or work in areas of the subject where professional practices are the focus. Many of the staff engage in research relevant to the theoretical and practical development of the discipline and the associated professions. To find out more about our staff, please visit our departmental staff page.

Modules April start - 2025

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Collection Management DS31020 20
Developing Academic and Reflective Skills DS24310 10
Dissertation DS31530 30
Human Communication DS24110 10
Information Literacy DS34020 20
Information Retrieval DS31620 20
Information Sources DS30210 10
Information and Society DS36020 20
Management of Organisations DS36520 20
Marketing of Services DS32620 20
Research Methodology DS33320 20

Options

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Archive Management: Principles and Techniques DS34520 20
Digital Information: Discovery to Delivery DS35010 10
Digital Presence and Social Media DS35620 20
Focus on the Child:Reading and Libraries DS30810 10
Introduction to Rare Book Librarianship DS36210 10
Knowledge and Information Architecture DS35720 20

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff

A Levels

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):

BTEC National Diploma:

International Baccalaureate:

European Baccalaureate:

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

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