Kodjo Atiso
- Librarian for Africana and International Studies
Contact Info
Biography —
As the Librarian for Africana, French, Italian, Global, and International Studies, I build and promote collections focused on these regions. I also work with faculty and students to support teaching and scholarly engagement in these areas. Additionally, I collaborate with the Institute of Globally Engaged Librarianship (IGEL) to strengthen professional librarianship worldwide, especially in the Global South. I founded the Emerging Librarians Forum (ELF) to address training gaps for young and aspiring library professionals across Africa.
Education —
Research —
My research focuses on access to library and information services, international librarianship, and the information needs of marginalized communities, including African diasporic communities. It connects library practice with efforts to eliminate social, cultural, technological, and educational barriers in developing economies.
Teaching —
My approach to teaching centers on student-centered, inquiry-based, and information-literacy-oriented instruction. I strive to be an active partner in teaching, research, and knowledge creation. The centerpiece of my work is collaboration with faculty and students, support for research and teaching, and workshops on library and information resources.
Selected Publications —
Atiso, K. E. (2026). Exploring Diasporic Information Needs for the “Motherland”. Ghana Library Journal (ISSN: 3134-5522), 31(2), 86-101.
Kammer, J., & Atiso, K. (2026). Development of an OER that teaches librarians about Digitizing Traditional Knowledge. Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education, 4(1
Kammer, J., Atiso, K., & Borteye, E. (2025). Internet policy and connectivity challenges for students in a Ghanaian university. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 25(1), 55-65.
Borteye, E., Lamptey, R., Kodjo, A., & White, E. (2023). COVID-19 Misinformation and the Role of the Information Professional. International Journal of Information Science and Management (IJISM), 21(3), 145-159.
Kammer, J, Atiso, K, Borteye. E M. (2021). Student Experiences with Digital Citizenship: A Comparative Cultural Study. Libri. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/30Bwfvb
Bossaller, J., Silva, R. C., & Atiso, K. (2021). Public Library Practices: A Cross-Cultural Study. In: Carvalho Neto, S., Smith, M. S. J. (Orgs.), Anais do XXI Encontro de Pesquisadores: Interdisciplinaridade para o Desenvolvimento Regional (pp. 695-706). Franca, São Paulo/Brazil: Uni-Facef. A https://eventos.unifacef.com.br/encpesq/2021/files/XXIIENCPESQ_Ebook_v2.pdf
Atiso, K. & Kammer, J. (2019). Online Safety and Academic Scholarship: Exploring Researchers’ Concerns from Ghana. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, 7(General Issue). https://www.iastatedigitalpress.com/jlsc/article/12832/galley/12518/view/
Atiso, K., Kammer, J., & Bossaller, J. (2019). Predatory publishing and the Ghana experience: A call to action for information professionals. IFLA Journal, 45(4), 277-288. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/0340035219868816
Atiso, K., Adkins, D., & Borteye Mensah, E. (2017). Knowledge of Open Access Journals among Research Scientists in Ghana. The Serials Librarian, 73(3-4), 327-337.
Bossaller, J., & Atiso, K. (2015). Sharing science: The state of institutional repositories in Ghana. IFLA Journal, 41(1), 25-39. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/0361526X.2017.1376730?needAccess=true
Selected Presentations —
Atiso, K. (2026, June 15–18). Documenting diasporic information needs for the motherland [Conference presentation]. Connecting Codes: AI, Digital Humanities, and the Future of Information, Nairobi, Kenya.
Atiso, K. (2026, June 15–18). Bibliometric trends in LIS publications in Ghana [Conference presentation]. Connecting Codes: AI, Digital Humanities, and the Future of Information, Nairobi, Kenya.
Cunningham, P. & Atiso, K. (June 16-18-2026). "Historical Collections as Opportunities for Collaboration and Public Outreach." Connecting Codes: AI, Digital Humanities, and the Future of Information. Nairobi, Kenya.
Atiso, K., Livingstone, D. (2025). International and Comparative Librarianship (asynchronous virtual conference presentation). Presented to a class of graduate students at the University of Missouri-Columbia, September 30. (Invited, National).
Atiso, K (2025). International Collections and African Scholarship. Symposium of African Digital Humanities 2025, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, June 5-6. (Invited, International).
Atiso, K (2025). Ethical Librarianship for Immigrants and Collections Across Borders (virtual conference presentation). Presentation to a class of graduate students at the University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO, April 23. (Invited, National).
Atiso, K. (2024). Empowering Digital Citizens: Insights from Selected Academic Libraries in Ghana. Ujamaa Colloquium Series, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, September 26. (Invited, KU
Atiso, K. (2024). Towards the Preservation of Flora and Fauna: Digitization of the Pre-Independence Herbarium in Ghana. Digital Humanities Conference, University of Ghana, June 2024. (Reviewed and selected by the DH conference committee, International.
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
Digitization of Pre-Independence Herbarium in Ghana. Status. British Library (BL) grant: Fifty Thousand Pounds Sterling (£ 50, 000) (2020-2022). Status: Funded.
Documenting a Blueprint for Diasporic Information Needs for the Motherland. Libraries Research Fund (LRF). $725. (2024-2025). Status: Funded.
Service —
Library Service
- Secretary for the Library Faculty Assembly (LFA); Co-Secretary for the Library Faculty and Staff Assembly (LFSA)(Elected) (2024-2025)
- Member, Open Educational Resources (OER) (Appointed, 2024 - Present)
University Service
- Member, University Senate (Appointed, 2023-Present)
- Member, Faculty Senate) Elected, 2026-Present)
- Executive Board Member, Kansas African Studies Center (KASC) (Appointed, 2023-Present)
- Patron, African and Caribbean Students Association (ASCU) (Appointed) (2023-2025)
National Service
- Chair, 2026 Africana Librarians Conference organizing committee (2025-Present); Member, ASA/ALC Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Awards Committee (Elected) (2024-Present); Member-at-Large, Africana Librarians Conference (Appointed) (Present)
- Member, University of Central Missouri (UCM) Library and Information Science Advisory Council (Appointed) (2025-Present)
- Center for Research Libraries Global Collections Committee (Appointed, 2025-Present)
- Manuscript Review, Information Development (2024-2025)
International Service
- Editorial Board Member, Regional Journals of Information and Knowledge Management (2025-Present)
- Manuscript Review, Journal of Information Development, 2024-2025.