Libraries and Heritage Collections - MD401 - Studies portal

The master's degree Libraries and Heritage Collections is a blended program of 60 credits that provides professional training in the management and treatment of cultural assets in the form of bibliographic materials and documents. The master's degree is offered every two years and includes compulsory work placements, which are designed to assist students in finding employment, as well as a final project in the field of heritage.

The master's degree focuses on the management, treatment, dissemination and promotion of heritage. The aim is to train professionals who can master the processes and techniques of information creation, analysis, management and evaluation. The role played by heritage centres in knowledge dissemination has turned heritage into an essential element of European cultural policy. Bibliographic and documentary heritage is a key aspect of this policy and demand for accessing and consulting heritage assets continues to grow.

The master's program takes an interdisciplinary approach and is open to degree holders with various qualifications. The training adopts a broad view of cultural heritage so that professionals and graduates in a wide range of disciplines will find the degree beneficial.

Basic information

Type	Master's degree
Faculty or school	Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media
Branch of knowledge	History, archaeology, geography, philosophy and humanities Philology, classical studies, translation and linguistics History of art and artistic expression, and fine arts
Mode of delivery	Blended learning
Credits	60
Number of places available	35
Length of course	1 academic year
Language(s) of instruction	Catalan - Spanish
Approximate price per credit	27.67 euros per credit (82 euros for students who are not EU nationals and do not currently reside in Spain). Fees for the academic year 2024-2025
Coordination	PEDRO JOSE RUEDA RAMIREZ
Course details	Indicators
Open pre-enrolment	No
Open enrolment	Yes
Lead to doctoral studies	Yes
Admission for applicants not holding a degree qualification	No
Bridging courses	Yes

Objectives and competences

Objectives

This master's degree is intended to train specialists who can take charge of the management, treatment, dissemination and promotion of cultural assets in the form of bibliographic materials and documents, develop projects and evaluate products and services related to heritage collections.

The general objectives focus on training professionals who are able to apply new information and communication technologies to older resources, specialized libraries and special collections, and who are flexible in their ability to carry out projects in heritage management, dissemination and promotion, while adapting new norms and procedures and creating shared and consistent standards for the description, safeguarding and dissemination of heritage on a European scale.

Additional objectives include the mastery of processes and techniques employed in the creation, analysis, management and evaluation of information in different media and formats for the utilization of end consumers, including reference services in libraries and online support services. For these cases, students will examine the characteristics of users of these products and services, professional ethics and the national and international legal framework.

Competences

Knowledge of the history of the book, libraries and reading, the historical context and the physical characteristics and production techniques of books to ensure that materials are appropriately organized, preserved and described for the benefit of all interested parties.

Mastery of the analytic and descriptive techniques used for heritage materials, and the acquisition of skills in the use of new technologies and the digitization and use of digital and metadata management systems to enable access to materials.

Knowledge of the norms, good practices and tools used to organize and describe appropriately the special materials collections in library catalogues, websites and centre publications.

Knowledge of materials preservation and conservation in special collections in order to ensure the long-term conservation of materials. The master's degree will analyse the custodial responsibility of safeguarding heritage assets, particularly with the aim of appraising and evaluating the physical condition of collections.

An understanding of the characteristics of reference services to assist and instruct users in the use of heritage resources in a centre, and skills in bibliographic research directed at reference sources and specialized literature.

Mastery of the techniques used to promote and disseminate special collections. Students will analyse policies addressing project planning and implementation, the expansion of services and good practices applied to special materials collections.

An understanding of intellectual property rights, authors' rights, management of rights, sponsorship, personal data protection and other legal questions, particularly involving the acquisition, access, dissemination and display of special materials.

Access and admission

Applicant profile and access requirements

Recommended applicant profile

This master's degree is intended primarily for graduates in library and information science and in all areas of the humanities and social sciences, although other candidates will be considered. The master's degree adopts a broad view of cultural heritage so that professionals and graduates in a wide range of academic disciplines will find it beneficial, especially applicants who have completed courses specializing in the management and treatment of library, archive and museum collections.

The master's degree is also intended for professionals with experience in the management, treatment and promotion of heritage assets in the form of bibliographic materials and documents (libraries, archives, museums, heritage foundations, cartography or photography centres, companies in the document sector, etc.).

Positive consideration will be given to previous experience and to the completion of work placements in centres with libraries and heritage collections, more specifically demonstrated experience in communication, particularly campaigns focused on the dissemination of heritage, collaborations involving the exhibition of cultural assets and active collaboration in networks promoting culture.

Access requirements and conditions

General requirements
In accordance with Article 16 of Royal Decree 1393/2007, of 29 October, students wishing to be admitted to a university master's degree must hold one of the following qualifications:

Official Spanish university degree.

A degree issued by a higher education institution within the European Higher Education Area framework that authorizes the holder to access university master's degree courses in the country of issue.

A qualification issued by an institution outside the framework of the European Higher Education Area. In this case, applicants must request homologation of the degree to its equivalent official Spanish university qualification or obtain express approval from the University of Barcelona, which will conduct a study of equivalence to ensure that the degree is of a comparable level to an official Spanish university qualification and that it grants access to university master's degree study in the country of issue. Admission shall not, in any case, imply that prior qualifications have been recognized as equivalent to a Spanish master's degree and does not confer recognition for any purposes other than that of admission to the master's degree course.

Specific requirements

Preference will be given to holders of the following EHEA bachelor's degrees and llicenciatura degrees, or equivalent issued outside Spain: bachelor's degree in Information and Documentation, llicenciatura degree in Documentation, diplomatura degree in Library Science and Documentation, bachelor's degree in History, llicenciatura degree in History, bachelor's degree in History of Art, llicenciatura degree in History of Art, bachelor's degrees in philology (any language), llicenciatura degrees in philology (any language), bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, llicenciatura degree in Fine Arts, bachelor's degree in Conservation-Restoration of Cultural Heritage, llicenciatura degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, bachelor's degree in Humanities, llicenciatura degree in Humanities, bachelor's degree in Journalism, llicenciatura degree in Journalism, bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Communication and llicenciatura degree in Audiovisual Communication.

Pre-enrolment

Calendar

First period: 12 February - 26 April 2024.
Notification of resolutions: 15 May.

Second period: 29 April - 14 June 2024.
Notification of resolutions: 26 June 2024.

First period: 17 June - 6 September 2024.
Notification of resolutions: 13 September.

Notes:

Pre-enrolment fee: A pre-enrolment fee of 30,21 euros is charged. Students who apply to more than one master's degree must pay the fee for each pre-enrolment request. Pre-enrolment requests cannot be processed until this fee has been paid.Fees will only be refunded if the master's degree in question is suspended.
Reserved places: A maximum of 5% of the new places of the master's degree are reserved for students who meet the general and specific access requirements and accredit the recognition of a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%.

Required documentation

Pre-enrolment application
Photocopy of degree certificate or equivalent qualification. In case of admission, foreign degrees that require so should be translated and authenticated through diplomatic channels before completing the enrolment.
Other specific documentation related to the selection criteria

Selection criteria

The master's degree Coordination Committee establishes the admission and selection criteria for students. It assesses the suitability of candidates on the basis of the following criteria for evaluating merits, in the order that is established and in accordance with the scale indicated below:

a) Graduates from the following degrees are given priority (60 points maximum):
- Bachelor's degree in Information and Communication Sciences
- Degree in Information Science (pre-EHEA licenciatura degree)
- Diploma in Library and Information Science (pre-EHEA diplomatura degree)

- Graduates in conservation and restoration of cultural assets; history; history of arts; fine arts; humanities; philology; or other qualifications with equivalent content.

b) Candidates with knowledge and skills in the processing and management of documentary and library heritage, who are accredited through their professional practice and non-university training. Credit will also be given for certificates of university extension courses and postgraduate diplomas, especially those associated with heritage, restoration and cultural management (maximum 20 points).

c) Credit is also given for the following criteria, up to a maximum of 20 points:
- Average grade as stated in the academic record
- CV

Students who are interested must complete the online pre-enrolment form available on the UB website within the established period and send to the Secretary's Office for Students and Teaching Staff the additional documents defined in the pre-enrolment and selection procedure. The Secretary's Office for Students and Teaching Staff receives the forms, reviews them and requests any additional documentation, if required. It then passes the applications on to the coordinator of each master's degree.

The master's degree Coordination Committee reviews the applications and selects students in accordance with the admission criteria and the profile of incoming students established for each master's degree.

Notification

The Academic Coordination Committee will examine each application and the supporting documentation and publish a list of successful candidates. On admission, the Academic Committee will notify each successful candidate of the bridging courses they will need to complete, if any.

Enrolment

As a general rule, at the UB you will be required to enrol online. Remember that you can lose your place if you do not enrol on the day you have been assigned

Welcome

Course curriculum

Subjects and course plans

Distribution of credits

Type	ECTS
Compulsory	25
Optional	15
Compulsory placements	10
Compulsory final project	10
TOTAL	60

List of subjects

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: Libraries and Heritage Collections
Company Archive Appraisal	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
Description and Access to Printed Books	Compulsory	2nd semester	5
Disseny Estratègic i Màrqueting de Projectes Culturals i Patrimonials	Compulsory	2nd semester	5
European Bibliographic and Documentary Heritage	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Final Project	Compulsory	2nd semester	10
Fons i Col·leccions Fotogràfics, Sonors i Cinematogràfics	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
History of Books	Optional	1st semester	2.5
Management of Digitization Projects	Optional	1st semester	2.5
Material and Formal Analysis of Ancient Books	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Paleography	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
Personal Equity	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
Placements: Libraries and Heritage Centres	Compulsory	1st semester 2nd semester	10
Preservation of Bibliographic Heritage	Compulsory	1st semester	5
Repositories and Digital Projects for Heritage Collections	Optional	2nd semester	2.5
Research Methodology in Information and Documentation	Optional	1st semester	2.5

Bridging courses

Subject	Type	Language	Credits
Specialization: BC for admission to the Master's Degree in Libraries and Heritage Collections
Document Techniques	Optional	1st semester	5
Techniques for Information Retrieval and Use	Optional	1st semester	5

Previous years

Teaching staff

List of spring and autumn teaching staff on a current course

Placements

Placements in a company or another type of organization are an integral part of university studies, providing first-hand experience of working methodologies in students' chosen professional fields. They offer invaluable practical experience for the transition into work after graduation.

Placements are supervised by tutors and subject to assessment. They are therefore included in the academic record. There is also an option to complete non-curricular placements of up to 750 hours, which can be extended to 900 hours. For both curricular and non-curricular placements, an educational cooperation agreement is signed between the UB and the company, institution or other organization at which the placement will be carried out.

Institutional information

Regulations on external placements

FeinaUB

Career opportunities

What can you work on ?

Career opportunities for professionals in bibliographic and documentary heritage are diverse: different heritage centres; libraries with special collections and records; personal, business or historical archives; and businesses in management of heritage collections and cultural projects.