Convergence of Library and Information Science and Digital Humanities: A case of Selected Universities in sub-Saharan Africa

Digital Humanities (DH) is growing area of interest among LIS and social sciences researchers. Scholars in LIS have conducted studies on DH programs and examined courses within the context of LIS. More recently a committee constituted by the Board of iSchools explored unique aspects of DH education within LIS. It is observed, however, that Digital Humanities (DH) research and education in Africa has not gained traction due to low visibility and lack of documented evidence. The chapter will, therefore, document evidence based on a study that examined the status of digital humanities in LIS Schools in selected universities in Africa. The study purposively selected twenty (20) universities based on predetermined criteria. Survey method utilizing mainly quantitative method was employed by the study. As a prelude to reporting the findings, the chapter will provide theoretical and historical development of DH in context of LIS education. The analysis of the pre-existing organizational, physical, technical, and social infrastructures and how these influence DH programs/initiatives in respective LIS schools will be reported. Leveraging the concept of “great scientific domains” (Rosenbloom in Int J Sci Soc 1:133-144, 2009) the study examined the convergence between LIS and schools of humanities and social sciences, with the aim of establishing potential areas of collaboration in DH research and curriculum.