Advance reading lists
If you want to get a head start before you begin studying with us, our academic staff have put together a preliminary resource list for each course which you can download below.
- MSc Data Science reading list
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Here is a list of texts that it may be useful for you to familiarise yourself with before you begin your course with us. If you would like to request a more comprehensive reading list, please get in touch with us.
- Donoho, D. (2017). 50 years of data science. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 26(4), 745-766.
- Kitchin, R. (2014) The Data Revolution, SAGE Publications Ltd
- Noble, S. (2018) Algorithms of Oppression. NYU Press: New York
- O’Neil, C. & Schutt, R. (2013) Doing Data Science. O’Reilly.
- Shah, C., Anderson, T., Hagen, L., & Zhang, Y. (2021). An iSchool approach to data science: Human‐centered, socially responsible, and context‐driven. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 72(6), 793-796.
- Donoho, D. (2017). 50 years of data science. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 26(4), 745-766.
- MSc Information Management reading list
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Core readings
- Bystrom, K., Heinstrom, J. and Ruthven, I. (2019). Information at Work: Information Management in the Workplace. London: Facet.
- Choo, C-W. (2002). Information Management for the Intelligent Organisation: The Art of Scanning the Environment, Third Edition. Medford (NJ): Libraries Unlimited.
- Ford, N. (2015). Introduction to Information Behaviour. London: Facet.
- Ruthven, I. (2011). Interactive Information Seeking, Behaviour and Retrieval. London: Facet.
- Smallwood, R-F. (2019). Information Governance: Concepts, Strategies and Best Practices, Second Edition, Second Edition. Hoboken (NJ): John Wiley.
- White, M. (2020). Managing Enterprise Information: A Guide to Good Practice. Available at http://intranetfocus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Managing-EnterpriseInformation.pdf
Supplementary Readings
- Cadle, J. (2017). Project Management for Information Systems. London: Prentice-Hall.
- Kendall, K.E. (2020). Systems Analysis and Design, Tenth Edition. Harlow: Pearson.
- Monge, A. Database Design with UML and SQL, Fourth Edition. Available at: https://web.csulb.edu/colleges/coe/cecs/dbdesign/dbdesign.php
- Osterwalder, A. (2020). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers. Hoboken (NJ): John Wiley.
- https://www.calormen.com/jslogo/
- MSc Information Systems reading list
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Core readings
- Bednar, P. M., & Welch, C. (2020). Socio-technical perspectives on smart working: Creating meaningful and sustainable systems. Information Systems Frontiers, 22(2), 281-298.
- Beynon-Davies, P. (2020). Business Information Systems. Basingstoke (3rd edition), Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
- Oates, B. J., Griffiths, M., & McLean, R. (2021). Researching information systems and computing (Second edition). SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Sarker, S., Chatterjee, S., Xiao, X., & Elbanna, A. (2019). The sociotechnical axis of cohesion for the IS discipline: Its historical legacy and its continued relevance. MIS quarterly, 43(3), 695-720.
- Special Edition of First Monday (2020) "Digital inequalities" 25 (7) https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/issue/view/672
- Thamhain, H. J. (2014). Managing technology-based projects: Tools, techniques, people and business processes. John Wiley & Sons.
- Valacich, J. S., & George, J. F. (2021). Modern systems analysis and design (Ninth edition, global edition). Pearson.
Additional readings
- Avison, D., & Fitzgerald, G. (2006). Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools (4th – 6th ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Education / Europe, Middle East & Africa
- Chaffey, D., Edmundson-Bird, D., & Hemphill, T. (2019). Digital business and e-commerce management. Pearson UK. Chapters 3-6 and 10.
- Checkland, P., & Scholes, J. (1999). Soft systems methodology in action. John Wiley & Sons.
- Dwivedi, Y. K., Wastell, D., Laumer, S., Henriksen, H. Z., Myers, M. D., Bunker, D., ... & Srivastava, S. C. (2015). Research on information systems failures and successes: Status update and future directions. Information systems frontiers, 17, 143-157.
- Galliers, R. D. and Currie, W. L. (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Management Information Systems: Critical Perspectives and New Directions. Oxford: Oxford Handbooks Online.
- Heeks, R. (2018). Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). Routledge. Chapter 1: Understanding ICT4D. Horstmann, C. S. (2016). Core Java (10th edition). Boston: Prentice Hall.
- Jones, G. R. (2013). Organizational Theory, Design, and Change (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
- Kendall, E. & Kendall, J. E. (2019) Systems Analysis and Design (10th Edition). Pearson.
- Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2022). Management information systems: Managing the digital firm (Seventeenth Edition, Global Edition). Pearson.
- Lessig, L. (2006). Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace (Version 2.0). New York: Basic Books.
- Morabito, V. (2016). The Future of Digital Business Innovation (1st ed.) Springer International Publishing.
- Ndulu, B., Stuart, E., Dercon, S., & Knaack, P. (2023). Driving Digital Transformation: Lessons from Seven Developing Countries (p. 241). Oxford University Press. Chapters 5-8.
- Toyama, K. (2015). Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology (First Edition). PublicAffairs. - Chapter 2: The Law of Amplification.
- W3Schools. (2019). Python Tutorial Retrieved June 27, 2019 from https://www.w3schools.com/python/
- Bednar, P. M., & Welch, C. (2020). Socio-technical perspectives on smart working: Creating meaningful and sustainable systems. Information Systems Frontiers, 22(2), 281-298.
- MSc Information Systems Management reading list
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Core readings
- Valacich, J., & George, J. (2020). Modern Systems Analysis and Design (9th ed.). Pearson.
- Beynon-Davies, P. (2020). Business Information Systems. Basingstoke (3rd edition), Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
- Thamhain, H. J. (2014). Managing technology-based projects: Tools, techniques, people and business processes. John Wiley & Sons.
- Oates, B. (2006). Researching information systems and computing. London, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Additional readings
- Galliers, R. D. and Currie, W. L. (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Management Information Systems: Critical Perspectives and New Directions. Oxford: Oxford Handbooks Online.
- Horstmann, C. S. (2016). Core Java (10th edition). Boston: Prentice Hall.
- Jones, G. R. (2013). Organizational Theory, Design, and Change (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
- Lessig, L. (2006). Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace (Version 2.0). New York: Basic Books.
- Morabito, V. (2016). The Future of Digital Business Innovation (1st ed.) Springer International Publishing.
- W3Schools. (2019). Python Tutorial Retrieved June 27, 2019 from https://www.w3schools.com/python/
- Laudon, K. C., & Laudon, J. P. (2020). Management information systems: managing the digital firm (16th ed.). New York NY: Pearson.
- Avison, D., & Fitzgerald, G. (2006). Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools (4th – 6th ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Education / Europe, Middle East & Africa.
- Special Edition of First Monday (2020) "Digital inequalities" 25 (7) https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/issue/view/672
- Kendall, E. & Kendall, J. E. (2019) Systems Analysis and Design (10th Edition). Pearson.
Readings for Management School modules
- Arnold, J. et al. (2016) Work Psychology: Understanding Human Behaviour in the Workplace. Sixth Edition, Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education.
- Buckley, P., Enderwick, P, & Cross, A. International Business. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
- Cavusgil, S., Knight, G, A., & Riesenberger, J.R. International Business: The new realities (Fifth edition, global ed.). Boston: Pearson, 2020.
- Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. and Pitsis, T. (2011) Managing & organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. London: Sage.
- Collier, D. A. and Evans, J. R. (2013) “Operations Management: OM6” Student Edition (Book only) South Western Cengage Learning, USA (or latest version available).
- Collinson, S., Narula, R. & Rugman, A. International Business (Eighth ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson 2020
- Lynch, R. L. (2018). Strategic Management. 8th Edition. Harlow: Pearson. ISBN 9781292211404.
- Redman, T. and Wilkinson, A. (2013) Contemporary Human Resource Management, (Fourth Edition), Harlow: Pearson Education. Electronic version available via StarPlus.
- Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R. (2013) “Operations Management”, 7th Edition, Pearson education, Harlow, England. ISBN: 978-0-273-77620-8 (or latest version available).
- Whittington, R., Regnér, P., Angwin, D., Johnson, G. & Scholes, K. (2019). Exploring Strategy Text and Cases, Twelfth edition. Harlow: Pearson, ISBN: 1292282452.
- MA Library & Information Services Management reading list
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Welcome to the preliminary reading/ resources list for the MA Library and Information Services Management programme. This list is for those of you who want to start preparing for the programme, and have asked us for recommendations for reading.
We emphasise that you do not have to do any reading before the programme starts, and you certainly do not have to read everything on the list. If you are not sure where to start, browse through and see what captures your interest: it might be something on a topic you are familiar with, or something new to you. We have included links to a couple of regular Twitter chats, in case you want to engage in discussion with other professionals.
Engaging with the Library and Information profession
CILIP: The Library and Information Association is the UK professional body that accredits our courses. They have a programme of professional development including formal routes to Chartership, and support for careers. It is well worth exploring their website to understand the breadth of the profession and see how CILIP can support your career development.
You might also find it useful to browse the websites of other specialist professional associations:
Special Library Association: https://sla.org/
British and Irish Association of Law Librarians: https://biall.org.uk
School Library Association: https://www.sla.org.uk
SCONUL - the professional association for academic and research libraries in the UK and Ireland: https://www.sconul.ac.uk
NHS Library and Information services: https://library.hee.nhs.uk/knowledge-staff
IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is an international advocate for the library and information profession. Their website is vast, but of particular interest is the Development and Access to Information (DA2I) report which connects the library profession with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): https://da2i.ifla.org/; You might also be interested in the IFLA New Professionals group: http://npsig.wordpress.com/Library-themed podcasts
These are podcasts recommended by staff and current students:
Chatting infolit podcast aimed at new professionals run by the CILIP Information Literacy new professionals sub-commitee https://soundcloud.com/chatting-info-lit-podcast
Hey YA podcast for recommendations of Young Adult books: https://bookriot.com/listen/shows/heyya/
Anything but Silent from the British Library https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/anything-but-silent/id1542803893Information literacy and information behaviour
The two main strands in the Information Literacy module are Information Literacy (IL) and teaching IL. We also introduce research from the Information Behaviour (IB) research field. These are some starting points that you will find useful for the module.
Giving a perspective on the development and breadth of IL:
Webber, S. & Johnston, B. (2017). Information literacy: conceptions, context and the formation of a discipline. Journal of Information Literacy, 11(1), 156-183. https://doi.org/10.11645/11.1.2205The most used framework for IL, which we we look at later in semester 1:
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframeworkOn the topic of teaching information literacy:
We will be using a number of chapters from this open-access textbook. You don't have to read it all! We suggest reading the first 2 chapters and then selecting what interests you most.
Saunders, L. & Wong, M. (2020). Instruction in libraries and information centers: An introduction. Windsor & Downs Press. https://doi.org/10.21900/wd.12At the start of the semester we will be drawing on a process for teaching information literacy (Guided Inquiry Learning) that was developed by an Information Behaviour researcher, Carol Kuhlthau, based on her own IB model.
She describes it herself here:
Kuhlthau, C. (n.d.). Guided Inquiry design. https://wp.comminfo.rutgers.edu/ckuhlthau/guided-inquiry-design/IB research is carried out all over the world. As an example, this was part of a special issue (in Spanish and English) looking at IB in different regions/countries:
Fourie, I. (2023). Information behavior research in Africa: past, potential and a “cry” for impactful research. Information, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.35643/info.28.1.6 The English language pdf is here.For keeping up to date with what's going on in IL:
- CILIP Information Literacy Group https://infolit.org.uk/ which includes information on the CILIP definition of Information literacy: https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf
- Information literacy weblog. http://information-literacy.blogspot.co.uk/
- Journal of Information Literacy https://journals.cilip.org.uk/jil/index
Libraries, information and society
This module provides an overview of the role of library and information services (LIS) in contemporary society and introduces students to public policy issues and their implications for the provision of LIS. Students are introduced to current practices and contemporary concerns in academic, national, public and special/workplace libraries and encouraged to develop an awareness of the social, economic, political and cultural environment in which LIS operate. It examines the importance of users in the design and management of LIS, explores ethical issues and aims to develop a critical awareness of the role of LIS in contemporary society.
- ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee. (2024). 2024 Top Trends in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Trends and Issues. College & Research Libraries News, 85(6), 231-246. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.85.6.231
- Bawden, D. and Robinson, L. (2022). Introduction to information science, 2nd ed. London: Facet Publishing. (This is available as an e-book via the University library, and you will be able to access it when you have registered as a student)
- CILIP Ethical Framework
- The IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 2022
- McMenemy, D. (2023). Ethics And Values Driven Advocacy and Libraries: Exploring Key Concepts. CILIP Scotland
- CILIP Information Literacy Group https://infolit.org.uk/ which includes information on the CILIP definition of Information literacy: https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf
- MA Librarianship reading list
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Welcome to the preliminary reading/ resources list for the MA Librarianship programme. This list is for those of you who want to start preparing for the programme, and have asked us for recommendations for reading.
We emphasise that you do not have to do any reading before the programme starts, and you certainly do not have to read everything on the list. If you are not sure where to start, browse through and see what captures your interest: it might be something on a topic you are familiar with, or something new to you. We have included links to a couple of regular Twitter chats, in case you want to engage in discussion with other professionals.
Engaging with the Library and Information Profession
CILIP: The Library and Information Association is the UK professional body that accredits our courses. They have a programme of professional development including formal routes to Chartership, and support for careers. It is well worth exploring their website to understand the breadth of the profession and see how CILIP can support your career development.
You might also find it useful to browse the websites of other specialist professional associations:
Special Library Association: https://sla.org/
British and Irish Association of Law Librarians: https://biall.org.uk
School Library Association: https://www.sla.org.uk
SCONUL: The professional association for academic and research libraries in the UK and Ireland https://www.sconul.ac.uk
NHS Library and Information services: https://library.hee.nhs.uk/knowledge-staffThe IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 2022
McMenemy, D. (2023). Ethics And Values Driven Advocacy and Libraries: Exploring Key Concepts. CILIP Scotland
IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions is an international advocate for the library and information profession. Their website is vast, but of particular interest is the Development and Access to Information (DA2I) report which connects the library profession with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): https://da2i.ifla.org/; You might also be interested in the IFLA New Professionals group: http://npsig.wordpress.com/Library-themed podcasts
These are podcasts recommended by staff and current students:
Chatting infolit podcast aimed at new professionals run by the CILIP Information Literacy new professionals sub-commitee https://soundcloud.com/chatting-info-lit-podcast
Hey YA podcast for recommendations of Young Adult books: https://bookriot.com/listen/shows/heyya/
Anything but Silent from the British Library https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/anything-but-silent/id1542803893Information literacy and information behaviour
The two main strands in the Information Literacy module are Information Literacy (IL) and teaching IL. We also introduce research from the Information Behaviour (IB) research field. These are some starting points that you will find useful for the module.
Giving a perspective on the development and breadth of IL:
Webber, S. & Johnston, B. (2017). Information literacy: conceptions, context and the formation of a discipline. Journal of Information Literacy, 11(1), 156-183. https://doi.org/10.11645/11.1.2205The most used framework for IL, which we we look at later in semester 1:
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframeworkOn the topic of teaching information literacy: we will be using a number of chapters from this open-access textbook. You don't have to read it all! We suggest reading the first 2 chapters and then selecting what interests you most:
Saunders, L. & Wong, M. (2020). Instruction in libraries and information centers: An introduction. Windsor & Downs Press. https://doi.org/10.21900/wd.12At the start of the semester we will be drawing on a process for teaching information literacy (Guided Inquiry Learning) that was developed by an Information Behaviour researcher, Carol Kuhlthau, based on her own IB model. She describes it herself here:
Kuhlthau, C. (n.d.). Guided Inquiry design. https://wp.comminfo.rutgers.edu/ckuhlthau/guided-inquiry-design/IB research is carried out all over the world. As an example, this was part of a special issue (in Spanish and English) looking at IB in different regions/countries:
Fourie, I. (2023). Information behavior research in Africa: past, potential and a “cry” for impactful research. Informatio, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.35643/info.28.1.6 The English language pdf is here.For keeping up to date with what's going on in IL:
CILIP Information Literacy Group https://infolit.org.uk/ which includes information on the CILIP definition of Information literacy: https://infolit.org.uk/ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf
Information literacy weblog. http://information-literacy.blogspot.co.uk/
Journal of Information Literacy. https://journals.cilip.org.uk/jil/index
Libraries, Information & Society
This module provides an overview of the role of library and information services (LIS) in contemporary society and introduces students to public policy issues and their implications for the provision of LIS. Students are introduced to current practices and contemporary concerns in academic, national, public and special/workplace libraries and encouraged to develop an awareness of the social, economic, political and cultural environment in which LIS operate. It examines the importance of users in the design and management of LIS, explores ethical issues and aims to develop a critical awareness of the role of LIS in contemporary society.
- ACRL Research Planning and Review Committee. (2024). 2024 Top Trends in Academic Libraries: A Review of the Trends and Issues. College & Research Libraries News, 85(6), 231-246. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.85.6.231
- Bawden, D. and Robinson, L. (2022). Introduction to information science, 2nd ed.. London: Facet Publishing.
- CILIP Ethical Framework
International postgraduate taught scholarships
We offer a generous package of financial support for international postgraduate taught students, including scholarships worth £10,000 towards the original tuition fee.
Applications are open for existing offer holders for a postgraduate taught programme starting in September 2025.