Atton started academic life as a translator of Renaissance Latin texts before training as a librarian in Leeds in 1985. After several years working in public and college libraries, he was appointed Science Librarian at Edinburgh Napier University in 1992. He was made a Fellow of the Library Association in 1995 and received the American Library Association's Jackie Eubanks Memorial Award 'in recognition of outstanding achievements in promoting alternative media in libraries' in 1998. Following posts as Lecturer and Reader, Atton was conferred with Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2007 and appointed Professor in the School of Arts and Creative Industries in October 2008. He was appointed to membership of the Arts and Humanities Research Council's Peer Review College in 2010.
Scholarship
;Books
Alternative Journalism
An Alternative Internet
Alternative Media
Alternative Literature
The Kabbalistic Diagrams of Rosenroth
;Selected articles
'Popular Music Fanzines: Genre, Aesthetics and the "Democratic Conversation"', Popular Music and Society 33, 2010: 517–531
'Writing about Listening: Alternative Discourses in Rock Journalism', Popular Music 28, 2009: 53–67
'Current Issues in Alternative Media Research', Sociology Compass 1, 2007: 17–27
'Far-right Media on the Internet: Culture, Discourse and Power', New Media and Society 8, 2006: 573–587
'News Cultures and New Social Movements: Radical Journalism and the Mainstream Media', Journalism Studies 3, November 2002: 491–505
'Living in the Past?: Value Discourses in Progressive Rock Fanzines', Popular Music 20, January 2001: 29–46
'A Re-assessment of the Alternative Press', Media, Culture and Society 21, January 1999: 51–76
'The librarian as ethnographer: notes towards a strategy for the exploitation of cultural collections', Collection Building 17, 1998: 154–158
'Anarchy on the Internet: Obstacles and Opportunities for Alternative Electronic Publishing', Anarchist Studies 4, October 1996: 115–132
'The Consideratio Brevis of Philip à Gabella', The Hermetic Journal, 1989: 79–97
;Edited volumes
Journalism: Theory, Practice, Criticism: 'New Media and Journalism Practice in Africa', 12, August 2011
Scan: Journal of Media Arts Culture: 'News and the Net: Convergences and Divergences', 3, June 2006
Media, Culture and Society; 'Alternative Media', 25, September 2003
Journalism: Theory, Practice, Criticism: 'What is "Alternative Journalism?', 4, August 2003
;Other A full list of book chapters, encyclopaedia entries, peer reviewed articles, keynote addresses, public lectures, conference and other items is held at the Edinburgh Napier University Repository.
Music
Atton has been a music critic and performer for thirty years, specialising in electronic, improvised and traditional musics. He has been a member of the live electronics group Certain Ants since its formation.
