Alison Pope

Library & Academic Skills Manager

Student & Academic Services

I have been a librarian since 1983 but in 1992 I began to work with the Law School and to focus on the development of skills support for law students, especially at postgraduate level. This work opened up all sorts of interesting vistas and in 2005 I became a Learning and Teaching Excellence Fellow at the University. In this role I undertook a research project which saw information literacy integrated into Staffordshire University’s Learning and Teaching strategy and into the curriculum.

I was the project leader of the team of information professionals at Staffordshire University which developed ASK: the Assignment Survival Kit. In June 2007 Staffordshire University won the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals University College and Research Award for Innovation for the development of this software.

Since taking up a managerial role in 2010 I have begun to research into the importance of skills within the profession and have worked closely with Dave Parkes and Kathleen Morgan on this issue

Professional memberships and activities

Member of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals)

Academic qualifications

BA English and History (Bristol University 1982), LLB Law (Staffordshire University 1992), Dip Lib (College of Librarianship Wales, Aberystwyth 1983), MCLIP 1987, FHEA 2000.

Expertise

My expertise lies in the understanding of what it means to be information literate in the ever-changing information landscape and in the development of skills support in the context of the curriculum.

Research interests

Information literacy, study skills, professional skills

Teaching

Postgraduate study skills for law students

Publications

Adams, J., Pope, A and Walton, G. (2008). Using Web 2.0 to enhance the Staffordshire University Assignment Survival Kit (ASK). In Parker, J. E. and Godwin, P (eds) Information Literacy Meets Library 2.0. London: Facet Publishing

Andretta, S., Pope, A and Walton, G (2008) Information literacy education in the UK: reflections on perspectives and practical approaches to curricular integration. Communications in Information Literacy, 2, (1)

Hannibal, M. and Pope, A. (2005) Developing practical legal research skills on the Legal Practice Course. Legal information management, 5, (4) p.237-239.

Pope, A. and Walton, G. (2009) Information and Media Literacies: Sharpening our Vision in the Twenty First Century. In Leaning, M. (ed) Issues in Information and Media Literacy. USA: Informing Science Press.

Pope, A. Integrating legal research skills into the curriculum and into life. Legal Information Management, Winter 2009

Pope, A. and Puttick, K. The Enquiring Minds project at Staffordshire University Law School, Legal Information Management, Summer 2010

Walton, G and Pope, A. (eds) (2006) Information literacy: recognising the need. Oxford: Chandos

Walton, G. and Pope, A. (eds)(2011) Information literacy: infiltrating the agenda, challenging minds. Oxford: Chandos

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021