Joan Murumba
Joan Murumba
Assistant Professor, Emerging Technologies & Artificial Intelligence Librarian
419-530-2295
Professional Biography
Dr. Joan Wakasa Murumba is a faculty librarian, information scientist, educator, and researcher with more than 18 years of experience in higher education spanning academic librarianship, teaching, information and knowledge management, digital learning, emerging technologies, and academic leadership.
Her current work focuses on the intersection of emerging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), information and AI literacy, teaching and learning, and research support. She is particularly interested in how academic libraries, and higher education institutions can integrate AI and emerging technologies into curricula, research, and scholarly practice in ways that are ethical, responsible, inclusive, and responsive to evolving information environments.
Her professional experience bridges librarianship, information science, technology, and higher education across African and U.S. academic contexts. She has taught Library Science, Information Science and Knowledge Management; designed and delivered information and AI literacy and research instruction; collaborated with faculty to integrate information and research skills into curricula; supported students and researchers across the research lifecycle; and contributed to the development of innovative learning experiences and academic support services.
Before joining U.S. higher education, where she has served at Texas A&M International University and now the University of Toledo, Dr. Murumba held several academic, library, and technology leadership positions in Kenya. She served as Head of a Campus Library at Kenya Methodist University, Nyeri and subsequently held several leadership roles at Karatina University, including Head of the Department of Computer Science and Informatics, Director of Open, Distance and E-Learning, and Acting Director of ICT. These roles provided her with extensive experience in library leadership, digital transformation, technology-enabled teaching and learning, strategic planning, organizational leadership, and cross-functional collaboration.
Her research and scholarly interests include information and AI literacy, responsible and ethical use of AI, information-seeking behavior, knowledge management, emerging technologies in higher education, academic librarianship, and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Drawing on her professional and academic experience across African and U.S. higher education contexts, her scholarship connects research with practice and explores how emerging technologies and information practices can advance student success, faculty scholarship, institutional innovation, and lifelong learning.
Through her work, Dr. Murumba values collaboration, critical inquiry, responsible innovation, and the transformative role of information and knowledge in education and society.