MLIS Study Abroad Opportunities

By Courtney Miranda

University of Southern Mississippi - British Studies

https://www.usm.edu/library-information-science/british-studies.php 
(See if you can spot me in the group picture!)

https://studyabroad.usm.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10350 
(Click over until you find "Library and Information Science")

MLIS Study Abroad - England/London - University of Southern Mississippi

by Courtney Miranda

My study abroad experience in London was not only an academic journey, but a deeper exploration of how books, archives, and cultural memory are preserved across different institutions and traditions. What I discovered went far beyond reading rooms and rare manuscripts—every library, archive, theater, and historic street offered a different lesson about how stories endure, how they are cared for, and how they are shared with the public.

This section is organized to help future students and emerging conservators see what is possible beyond the classroom:

  • Libraries & Archives Visited highlights major research institutions and specialized collections, each offering a unique approach to preservation, cataloging, and public access.

  • Cultural & Creative Experiences includes museums, performances, and historic sites that shaped my understanding of narrative, material history, and the broader context in which books live.

  • Independent Exploration features personal discoveries—bookshops, hidden archives, quiet corners, and moments of inspiration that encouraged curiosity and reflection.

Whether you are considering study abroad, planning future research travel, or simply curious about the global dimensions of book work, I hope this guide offers both practical insight and encouragement. The preservation of books is not confined to shelves—it lives in every place where story, history, and craft are honored.

Libraries & Archives Visited

  • British Library
  • Churchill War Rooms
    • (more of a location/place Archive… the rooms got closed off after WWII, and they left everything as it was when they converted it into a museum)
  • Oxford – Bodleian Library
  • Black Cultural Archives
  • Cambridge
  • Heinz Gallery (National Portrait Archive)
  • Kubrick Archive (UAL Archives & Special Collections)
  • London Archives
  • Victoria & Albert Museum (library)
  • Barbican (library)
  • National Archives

Cultural & Creative Experiences

  • Explore London walking tour
    • Parliament/Elizabeth Tower
    • Parliament Square
    • Barracks
    • Trafalgar Square
    • The Marquis
    • Tames Boat ride (Tower Bridge)
  • Tower of London
  • London Fire Tour
  • Westminster Abbey / Poet’s Corner
  • Stonehenge / Salisbury
  • Churchill War Rooms
  • Mousetrap – St Martin’s Theatre
  • Bath – Jane Austen tour
    • Recommend going to the Roman Baths if you can (I was sad we didn’t, and I didn’t have the budget to get a ticket)
  • Ceil Court Bookshops
  • British Museum
  • Jack the Ripper Tour
  • Bedlam Tour

Independent Exploration

  • Virginia Woolf Bust
  • Word on the Water
  • Islington Book Phone Booth
  • Stationer’s Hall
  • George Inn / Tabard Inn
  • Southbank Book Market
  • Leicester Square
  • Forbidden Planet
  • Primrose Hill
  • Peter Pan Statue
  • Cavendish Square
  • Daunt Books – Marylebone
  • West Dean / Chichester
  • Six
  • Brighton
  • The Play That Goes Wrong
  • Poetry Pharmacy
  • Atlantis Bookshop
  • Gay’s the Word
  • London Mithraeum
  • Afternoon Tea at County Hall