Professor Jaya Raju

Head of the Department

Room 5.01, Level 5, The Chancellor Oppenheimer Library/Hlanganani

Jaya Raju is Full Professor and Head of the Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship, Humanities Faculty, University of Cape Town. She holds a PhD in Information Studies from the former University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa.

She is a specialist researcher and author in Library and/or Information Science (LIS) education and its epistemological implications for the discipline as well as for professional practice, particularly in the African developing context.

Her research focus is the development of research-based LIS competency indexes which may be used i) to ascertain existing knowledge and skills in professional sites of practice and to identify areas for further knowledge and skills acquisition; and, ii) by LIS educators and researchers for curriculum review and renewal – with both instances of research heuristically contributing to ongoing critical epistemology on the evolution of the LIS discipline in a highly digitised and rapidly evolving global information environment.
She was Editor-in-Chief of the South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science from 2012 to 2018; serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the African Journal of Libraries, Archives and Information Science;  Open Information Science; African Journal of Communication & Information Science; Information Research; Journal of Librarianship & Information Science; is inaugural co-editor of the ALISE (Association for Library and Information Science Education) Book Series on LIS education and research; and, was co-editor of the International Insights Column of College & Research Libraries News from 2018 to 2022. She is currently Co-editor-in-Chief of Library Trends.
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She has published in peer-reviewed national and international journals and has also presented papers at local, national and international meetings. Jaya Raju is currently Co-Chair of IFLA’s Building Strong LIS Education (BSLISE), an active global network of LIS educators and researchers. She is an NRF (South African National Research Foundation) rated researcher. Since 2018 she has been Subject Chair for Library and Information Science and multi-disciplinary journals on the Scopus Content Selection & Advisory Board – an international group of scientists and researchers representing major scientific disciplines and tasked with evaluating journals applying for inclusion on the Scopus indexing list.

Her publications include:

Badenhorst, P. & Raju, J. 2023. Research data management competencies for academic libraries: perspectives from two universities in South Africa. African Journal of Libraries, Archives & Information Science, 33(2): 215-229. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajlais.v33i2.7

Chu, C.M., Raju, J. et al. 2022. IFLA Guidelines for Professional Library and Information Science (LIS) Education Programmes. The Hague, Netherlands: IFLA. https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/1987

Chu, C.M. & Raju, J. 2021. Prioritizing diversity in Library and Information Science (LIS) education. In Dali, K. & Caidi, N. (eds.). Humanizing LIS education and practice: diversity by design. London: Routledge. pp. 77-91. 

Raju, J. 2021. Shaping LIS education for blended professionals in a pluralist information environment: global reflections. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 62(4):  366-381. doi: 10.3138/jelis-62-4-2020-0024  

Dabengwa, I., Raju, J. & Matingwina, T. 2020. Applying interpretive phenomenological analysis to library and information science research on blended librarianship: a case study. Library and Information Science Research, 42: 101055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101055

Nkeube, P. & Raju, J. 2020. Knowledge and skills requirements of National University of Lesotho librarians in meeting the information needs of undergraduate students in the digital age. African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science, 30(2): 197-219.

Raju, J. 2020. Future of LIS education and evolving global competency requirements for the digital information environment: an epistemological overview. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 61(3): 342-356. doi: https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis.61.3.2019-0088.

Mapulanga, P., Raju, J. & Matingwina, T. 2020. Research-evidence-based health policy formulation in Malawi: an assessment of policymakers’ and researchers’ perspectives. International Journal of Health Governance, 25(2): 161-176.  https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-05-2019-0029 

Raju, J., Mfengu, A., Kahn, M. & Raju, R. 2019. The transition to open: a metrics analysis of discoverability and accessibility of LIS scholarship. South African Journal of Science, 115(7/8). doi: https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2019/5867.

Raju, J. 2019. Embracing New Trends in Scholarly Communication: From Competency Requirements in the Workplace to LIS Curriculum Presence. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 7(General Issue), eP2291. https://doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.2291

Mapulanga, P., Raju, J. & Thomas Matingwina. 2019.  Levels of research evidence in health policy assessment in Malawi. Leadership in Health Services, 32(2): 226-250.

Dabengwa, I. Raju, J. & Thomas Matingwina. 2019. Academic librarians’ transition to blended librarianship: a phenomenology of selected academic librarians in Zimbabwe. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(4): 343–357. DOI: 10.1016/j.acalib.2019.04.008

Johnson, G. & Raju, J. 2018. Knowledge and skills competencies for humanities librarians supporting postgraduate students. Libri: international journal for libraries and information services, 68(4): 331-344. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2018-0033

IFLA BSLISE Working Group. (2018). Building strong LIS education: a call to global and local Action – an IFLA BSLISE Working Group White Paper. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Libraries. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15641/0-7992-2542-6 (Jaya Raju is one of two lead authors and Co-Chair of the IFLA BSLISE Working Group which produced this White Paper)

Matingwina, T. & Raju, J. 2017. A Salutogenic assessment of the health information needs of undergraduate students in Zimbabwe. Innovation: journal of appropriate librarianship and information work in Southern Africa, 10(54): 31-47

Raju, R. and Raju, J. 2017. Academic libraries in Africa. In Abdullahi, I.H. (Editor-in-Chief). Global library and information science. 2nd ed.  (IFLA publication nr. 174). pp. 42-81. Berlin: De Gruyter. (ISBN: 978-3-11-041303-8). doi: https//doi.org/10.1515/9783110413120-003.

Raju, J. 2017. Information professional or IT professional?: the knowledge and skills required by academic librarians in the digital library environment. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 17(4): 739-757 https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2017.0044

Raju, R. & Raju, J. 2017. Chapter H: Africa. In ACRL Student Learning and Information Literacy Committee (Eds.). Global perspectives on information literacy: fostering a dialogue for international understanding. pp. 77-86. Chicago, Illinois: ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries), a division of the American Library Association.

Available: 
http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/publications/whitepapers/GlobalPerspectives_InfoLit.pdf

Raju, J. 2017. LIS professional competency index for the higher education sector in South Africa. Cape Town: University of Cape Town  Libraries. ISBN: 978-0-7992-2536-5. doi: 10.15641/0-7992-2536-5x

Matingwina, T. & Raju, J. 2017. An integrated framework for disseminating health information to students in Zimbabwe. Libri: international journal for libraries and information services, 67(1): 1-16. doi: 10.1515/libri-2016-0054

Raju, J. 2017. To teach or not to teach?: the question of the academic librarian’s pedagogical competencies in the digital age. South African journal of higher education, 31(2): 251-269.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.208535/31-2-1096

Rajkoomar, M. & Raju, J. 2016. A framework using blended learning for innovative teaching and learning. Research & Reviews: Journal of Educational Studies, 2(3): 1-9.

Raju, R., Raju, J. & Johnson, G. 2016. Research support services in South African academic libraries. In Atkinson, J. (Ed.). Quality and the academic library: reviewing, assessing and enhancing service provision. pp. 167-177. Amsterdam: Chandos. ISBN: 978-0-12-802105-7

Raju, J. 2015. Curriculum content and delivery: South African LIS education responses to a changing information landscape. In Bitso, C. and Raju, R. (Eds.). LIS education and research in a dynamic information landscape. pp. 21-30. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Libraries. ISBN: 978-0-7992-2526-6. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15641/0-7992-2526-6 

Pietersen, J. & Raju, J. 2015. The shape and form of the 21st century academic library, with particular reference to a South African case. In Raju, R. et al. (Eds.). The quest for deeper meaning of research  support. pp. 13-28. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Libraries. ISBN: 978-0-7992-2526-6. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15461/0-7992-2526-6 

Raju, R., Raju J. & Claassen, J. 2015. Open scholarship practices reshaping South Africa’s scholarly publishing roadmap. Publications. 3: 263-284. DOI: 10.3390/publications3040263

Raju, J. 2015. LIS education in the digital age for an African agenda. Library trends. 64(1): 161-177.

Raju, R., Raju, J. & Smith, I. 2015. South Africa: the role of open access in promoting local content, increasing its usage and protecting it. In j. Schöfel, Ed. Learning from the BRICs open access to scientific information in emerging countries. Sacramento, CA: Litwin Books (ISBN: 978-1-936117-84-0).

Raju, J. 2014. Knowledge and skills for the digital era academic library. Journal of academic librarianship, 40(2): 163-170.  

Raju, J. 2013. Viewing higher education information literacy through the African context lens. African journal of library, archives and information science, 23(2): 105-111.

Raju, J. 2013. The LIS school in the ICT age: a casualty, or a catalyst for a paradigm shift? – the case of South Africa. Libri. 63(3): 250-258/

Naidoo, S. & Raju, J. (corresponding author) 2012. Impact of the digital divide on information literacy training in a higher education context. South African journal of libraries and information science, 78(1): 34-44. [Online open access peer reviewed journal]. Available WWW: http://sajlis.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/46/39

RAJU, R. and RAJU, J.  2011. A crack in the ‘dam(ned)’ wall?: cooperation and collaboration among higher education libraries in South Africa. Innovation: journal of appropriate librarianship and information work in Southern Africa. 42: 79-97.

RAJAGOPAUL, A. & RAJU, J. (corresponding author) 2011. Job functions of university and university of technology graduates and diplomates in special libraries and engineering firms: a comparison. Infotrends: an international journal of information & knowledge management, 1(1): 1-13.

RAJU, R. and RAJU, J2010. The public library as a critical institution in South Africa’s democracy: a reflection. Libres: library and information science research electronic journal, 20(1). [Online open access peer reviewed journal]. Available:http://libres.curtin.edu.au/

RAJU, R. and RAJU, J. 2009. Current status of academic libraries in Africa. In Abdullahi, I.H. (Editor-in-Chief). Global library and information science: a textbook  for students and educators  (IFLA publication nr. 136/137). pp. 45-67. Munchen: K.G. Saur Verlag.

RAJU, J. & JACOBS, C. 2009. Liberal arts and LIS paraprofessional education in the knowledge context: the cases of South Africa and Québec, Canada. Innovation: journal of appropriate librarianship and information work in Southern Africa, 38: 28-49.

RAJU, J. 2008. Rethinking boundaries in the African LIS work place: a contribution to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. In Njobvu, B. & Koopman, S. (eds.).Libraries and information services towards the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals (IFLA publication nr. 134). pp. 115-129. Munchen:K.G. Saur Verlag.

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