Library and Information Management
Recognised and approved by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), this route prepares graduates of all disciplines for a career in the modern information society acr…
Dr Kirsty Fife
Lecturer in Digital Information and Curatorial Practice
My profile
Biography
I am an early career researcher located within MMU’s iSchool team. I came to MMU after teaching across disciplines (Popular Music, Information Studies) at Leeds Conservatoire, University College London and University of Dundee.
Prior to moving into academic research, I worked as an archivist in the UK heritage sector for over a decade. In this capacity I worked for organisations including the National Science and Media Museum, the UK Parliamentary Archives, Hoxton Hall and Screen Archive South East.
Outside of my professional capacity I am active as a community organiser, zine maker and musician in DIY cultures. I also spend a lot of time walking my dog and growing things on my allotment.
Academic and professional qualifications
PhD (Information Studies), University College London (2022)
MA Archives and Records Management, University College London (2013)
MA Gender and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds (2009)
BA (hons) Photographic Arts, University of Westminster (2008)
Expert reviewer for external funding bodies
Peer reviewer for journals including Archives and Records, ZINES, Research in Education, Archivaria and the International Journal of Diversity, Inclusion and Information.
Personal website address
kirstyfife.com
Interests and expertise
My research is located primarily in the intersection between information, DIY culture (zines, music communities, grassroots spaces) and other forms of activism. Specifically I am interested in developing a better understanding about how information, archiving and documentary practices are utilised within grassroots cultural communities, and how socioeconomic circumstances affect the production and preservation of archival traces (including the impact of precarity, the housing crisis, austerity and technological shifts in culture).
My other research interests including community-led heritage, workforce diversity, workers’ rights in information and heritage, affective models of archiving, representation of fatness in archives and media, queer histories and archives and participatory archival practice.
Teaching
Why do I teach?
I teach because I want to empower students to engage critically with issues that affect them in their daily lives, including experiences of work, society, relationships, technology and culture.
Postgraduate teaching
I teach on the following modules on our MA in Library and Information Management:
- Information Organisations and Their Management
- Digital Rights
- E-Learning
Digital Media and Communications
The world of digital media is a rapidly changing one that rewards hard work and creativity – if you’re looking to plug yourself in, we’re here to help.
This is a degree made fo…
Supervision
I currently supervise the following PGR projects:
Krista McCraken - “Indigenous Control of Information and Indigenous Community Identity Formation”
Sian Williams - “Rural/Urban Storytelling: Documentary Methodologies for Re-envisioning Regional LGBTQ+ Archive Creation & Intervention”
I am available to supervise projects relevant to my expertise, specifically PhD projects on:
- DIY culture
- Community-led archives
- Music heritage
- Equity, diversity and inclusion in the archive sector
- Queer heritage
I also supervise students jointly with colleagues from San Jose State University via the Gateway PhD in Library and Information Management.
Research outputs
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Chapters in books
Fife, K. (2024) 'Working with/in: an exploration of queer punk time and space in collaborative archival workshops.' In Way, L., Grimes, M. (ed.) Punk, Ageing and Time. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 201-223.
Fife, K. (2024) 'Working with queer archives through radical empathy.' In Webster, L. (ed.) Sage Research Methods: Diversifying and Decolonizing Research. SAGE Publications,
Fife, K. (2022) 'Distant together: creative community in UK DIY music during Covid-19.' In Bruzzi, S., Biriotti, M., Caleb, S., Wiltshire, H. (ed.) Lockdown Cultures: The arts and humanities in the year of the pandemic, 2020-21. UCL Press, pp. 49-57.
Henthorn, H., Fife, K. (2018) 'Decentring Qualification: A Radical Examination of Archival Employment Possibilities.' In Landes, J., Espley, R. (ed.) Radical Collections Re-examining the Roots of Collections, Practices and Information Professions. Senate House Library,
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Journal articles
Fife, K., Flinn, A., Nyhan, J. (2023) 'Documenting resistance, conflict and violence: a scoping review of the role of participatory digital platforms in the mobilisation of resistance.' Archival Science,
Fife, K., Henthorn, H. (2021) 'Brick Walls and Tick Boxes.' The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI), 5(1) pp. 6-32.
Chilcott, A., Fife, K., Lowry, J., Moran, J., Oke, A., Sexton, A., Thethi, J. (2021) 'Against Whitewashing.' The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI), 5(1) pp. 33-59.
Fife, K. (2019) 'Not for you? Ethical implications of archiving zines.' Punk & Post Punk, 8(2) pp. 227-242.