Dr. Wathsala Veenadari Athukorala is an academic librarian, researcher, and scholar with over two decades of distinguished service in higher education and academic librarianship in Sri Lanka. She served as Deputy Librarian of the Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo from 2022 to May 2026.
Dr. Athukorala pursued her academic foundation in Sociology at the University of Peradeniya, where she obtained her Bachelor hournes of Arts degree (1994–2000) and Master of Arts degree in Sociology (2000–2001). She subsequently earned the Master of Library Science (MLS) degree from the University of Colombo in 2009 and completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Library and Information Management at Wuhan University, China, during the period 2013–2017.
Her professional career demonstrated continuous academic, administrative, and leadership advancement. She served as a Temporary Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Peradeniya from 2000 to 2002 and at the University of Colombo from 2002 to 2004 before joining the Sri Palee Campus Library, University of Colombo, as an Assistant Librarian in 2004. Through professional excellence, institutional commitment, and visionary leadership, she advanced to the position of Senior Assistant Librarian (2009–2022) and later Deputy Librarian (2022–2026).
Beyond her formal library administration responsibilities, she served in several important academic and student support capacities at the Sri Palee Campus, including Student Counsellor, Academic Warden, and Assistant Coordinator of the Centre for Media Studies. These roles reflected her commitment to student welfare, academic development, and interdisciplinary engagement within the university system.
Internationally recognized for her scholarly contributions, Dr. Wathsala Athukorala was awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Experienced Researcher Fellowship (2023–2025), becoming the first librarian and only the third academic from the Sri Lankan state university system to receive this highly competitive distinction. During the fellowship, she was affiliated with FernUniversität in Hagen as a Guest Scholar from 2023 to 2025. During this period, she conducted research on the application of social media in university library marketing and visited numerous libraries across Germany to study international best practices in library services and digital engagement. In addition, she studied open science initiatives in university libraries in both Germany and Finland, with particular focus on the University of Jyväskylä Open Science Centre and the Helsinki University Library in finland.
Since 2024, she has been serving as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Study “Access to Cultural Goods in Digital Change” at the University of Münster, Germany. Through her academic engagement with German universities and international research initiatives, she made significant contributions towards strengthening scholarly and professional collaborations between Sri Lanka and Germany, particularly in the fields of librarianship, digital knowledge access, research culture, and higher education development. Her involvement in the Münster research project further contributed to building international academic networks and promoting institutional cooperation aimed at advancing the library and information sector in Sri Lanka within a global context.
In 2026, she received the Alexander von Humboldt Return Fellowship for a period of one year to continue her research activities in Sri Lanka and to establish her own research team in the country.
Dr. Athukorala’s research interests include digital librarianship, social media applications in libraries, open science initiatives and copyright, information-seeking behaviour, public library leadership, knowledge dissemination, and open knowledge practices. She presented and published extensively at both national and international levels and received numerous academic honours, including the Best Paper Award at LEHSS-24 in Istanbul (2024), the University of Colombo Senate Awards for Research Excellence (2020 and 2021), the University of Colombo Small Research Grant (2018), and the Asian Universities Alliance Conference Award (2019) for presenting her research in Beijing, China.
In addition to her administrative and research leadership, Dr. Wathsala Athukorala currently serves as a Visiting Lecturer at the National Institute of Library and Information Sciences and in the Master’s Degree Programme of the Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo. She also served as the MPhil/PhD Coordinator at NILLIS, contributing significantly to postgraduate research development and academic mentorship in the field of Library and Information Science. In addition, she has served as an external examiner for several PhD theses at the School of Graduate Research, CQUniversity Australia, as well as an examiner for Master’s theses at the National Institute of Library and Information Sciences, University of Colombo.
Dr. Athukorala is widely respected for her academic vision, scholarly excellence, professional integrity, and leadership in advancing university librarianship in the digital era. Her career reflects a strong commitment to innovation, international collaboration, research excellence, and the transformation of academic libraries into dynamic centres of knowledge, research, and lifelong learning.
working experience
Senior Fellow
Since 2024
Institute: Centre for Advanced Study 'Access to Cultural Goods in Digital Change', University of Münster, Germany
Visiting Lecturer
2021 - To Date
Institute: Department of Mass Media, Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Visiting Lecturer
2017 - To Date
Institute: National Institute of Library & Information Sciences (NILIS), University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Deputy Librarian
2022 - 14th May 2026
Institute: Library, Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Experienced Researcher
2nd July 2023 - 31 May 2025
Institute: Library, Fern University, Hagen, Germany (Experienced Researcher Fellowship awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany)
Senior Assistant Librarian (Grade II)
2009 - 2022
Institute: Library, Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Assistant Librarian (Grade II)
2004 - 2009
Institute: Library, Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Temporary Assistant Lecturer
2002 - 2004
Institute: Department of Sociology, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Temporary Assistant Lecturer
2000 - 2002
Institute: Department of Sociology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
awards
Returned Fellowship
2026-2027
Institution: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany
Senior Fellow Research Fellowship
2024 - To Date
Institution: Centre for Advanced Study 'Access to Cultural Goods in Digital Change', University of Münster, Germany
Best Paper Award
2024
Institution: 48th ISTANBUL International Conference on Literature, Education, Humanities & Social Sciences (LEHSS-24), Istanbul, Turkey
Experienced Researcher Fellowship: Awarded the prestigious Georg Forster Research Fellowship to work as an Experienced Researcher at Fern University, Hagen, Germany
2023-2025
Institution: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany
Senate Award: University of Colombo Senate Award for Research Excellence (General Category)
2021
Institution: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Senate Award: University of Colombo Senate Award for Research Excellence (General Category)
2020
Institution: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Full conference attendance award to attend the AUA conference in 2019 held in Beijing, China
2019
Institution: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo University Small Research Grant
2018
Institution: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Full Scholarship from the Chinese Government to Read for the PhD of Library and Information Science
2013
Institution: University of Wuhan, People's Republic of China
education
PhD in Library and Information Management
2017
University: Wuhan University, China
Master of Library Science (MLS)
2009
University: University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
Master of Arts (MA) in Sociology
2001
University: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) in Sociology
2000
University: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Publications
Books
Library Management: A New Approach (In Sinhala)
2021
S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd., Colombo, ISBN: 978-624-00-0949-2
Libraries and Use of Social Media (In Sinhala)
2021
S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd., Colombo, ISBN: 978-624-00-0950-8
Sociology (In Sinhala)
2021
S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd., Colombo, ISBN: 978-624-00-0948-5
Social Media and Library Marketing
2019
S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd., Colombo, ISBN: 978-624-00-0015-4
Ravaged Innocence: A Study of Incest in Central Sri Lanka
2002
Centre for Women’s Research, Sri Lanka, Study Series No. 29
Book Chapters
The Plagiarism Prevention Strategies in Sri Lankan Universities: Perceptions of Teachers
2026
In Organizational Resilience and Leadership Issues in the Dynamic Era, Routledge, London, DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003725084
A Conceptual Approach of the Human Library
2021
In Human Library Discourses, Centre for Media Research, Sri Palee Campus, University of Colombo, pp. 19-26, ISBN: 978-624-59-200-06
Social Media for Social Betterment
2018
MADDYA SAMIKSHA, Vol. III, Sri Lanka Press Council, Colombo, pp. 101-108, ISBN: 978-955-9229-12-4
The Role of Public Library towards Knowledge Society
2012
In Eqbal M. & Khurana S. (Eds.), Knowledge Management: Issues and Challenges, pp. 1-11, World Education Publishing, New Delhi, ISBN: 978-81-909873-2-5
Society Portrayed by Folk Poetry Relating to Paddy Cultivation in the Raigam Koralaye
2007
Kalutara District Janashuthi, Department of Culture, Homagama
Rituals of Modern Sri Lanka
2002
Sumathi, Shastriya Sangahaya, June 2002
Sexual Harassment
2002
Law and Society, Nivedini, Women Education and Research Centre, Colombo
Liberal Feminist Theory and its Relevance to Sri Lankan Women
2002
Sambhawana, Annual Publication, University of Peradeniya
Research Publications in Indexed and Refereed Journals
The Awareness of plagiarism among university teachers in Sri Lankan Universities
2025
Daluang: Journal of Library and Information Science
Social media as a Digital Communication Tool for Academic Library Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review
2024
Language, Technology and social media, 21(2), pp.131–149
The Influence of social media on Academic Libraries: A Systematic Literature Review (based on the Scopus database)
2023
International Journal of COMMUNICOLOGY, Volume 5, pp.19-42
Information Seeking Behaviour among Public Library Users: Understanding Nature of Information Searching
2021
Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (JARSSH), Volume 6, Issue 2, pp.42-50
The Impact of Public Librarians’ Leadership Traits on Employee Motivation: Study Based on Public Libraries in Sri Lanka
2021
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), Volume V, Issue IX, pp.1-7
Usage of WeChat by International Students and Its Usefulness: Study Based in Wuhan University China
2021
International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology, pp.66-75
Nature of Social Media Usage by University Students in Sri Lanka: A Survey
2021
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), Volume V, Issue I, pp.426-432
A Study on the Effectiveness of Social Media in Marketing University Library Services in Sri Lanka
2021
Journal of Advances in Library and Information Science (JALIS), Volume X - Issue No. 1, pp.7-15
Modelling a Social Media-Based Solution for Marketing Library Services in Sri Lanka: A User Librarian Collaborative Model (ULCM)
2021
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), Volume V, Issue VII, pp.319-326
Distance Library Services and Its Necessary Appropriation to Enhance the Knowledge of the Uses – (Sinhala Medium) (In Sinhala)
2021
JATHIKA MADDYA SANKATHANA (Government Information Department, Colombo)
Understanding Information-Seeking Behaviour of International Students in Chinese Academic Libraries
2020
GYANKOSH (The Journal of Library and Information Management), Vol. 11, No. 2, pp.79-91
The Impact of the Public Library as a Children’s Reading Resource
2020
Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (JARSSH), Volume 5, Issue 6, pp.242-255
Social Media Behaviour among the College Students in a Transnational Environment: A Comparative Case Study
2020
North American Research (NAAR), Volume 3, Issue 11, pp.325-350
The Possibilities for Information Marketing In Libraries with Social Media: A Study Based on Sri Lankan University Libraries
2020
Journal of Institute of Human Resource Advancement, University of Colombo, Volume 7, Issue 2
Use of Social Media By University Libraries and Its Nature
2020
JATHIKA MADDYA SANKATHANA (Government Information Department, Colombo), pp.228-240
Use of Social Media by University Libraries and Its Nature (in Sinhala)
2020
JATHIKA MADDYA SANKATHANA (Government Information Department, Colombo), pp.228-240
Social Media and University Community in Digital Space
2019
MADDYA SANKATHANA (Precedential Media Award 2018, Media Ministry, Colombo)
Factors Affecting Use of Social Media by University Students: A Study at Wuhan University of China
2018
Journal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka, 21(2), pp.44–72
The Role of Public Libraries In the Process of the Formulation of A Knowledge Society
2012
International Journal of Communicology, Centre for Media Research, Sri Palee campus, University of Colombo, Volume 2, pp.24-43
Peer-reviewed presentations and Published Papers at National/International Conferences/Symposia
Presentations
Enhancing Library Visibility through Social Media Marketing: Insights from Three German Academic Libraries
2025
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2025, Organized by the Atlantic Federation for Technical Education and Research (AFTER), 13th–14th February 2025, Rome, Italy
Influence of Social Media in Academic Library Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review
2025
International Conference on Virtual Learning and Distance Education (ICVLDE-25), 3rd–4th March 2025, Copenhagen, Denmark
Digital Marketing in Library Promotion Using Social Media: The Experience of Three Academic Libraries in Germany
2024
48th ISTANBUL International Conference on Literature, Education, Humanities & Social Sciences (LEHSS-24), ISBN 978-989-9121-45-4, 19th–20th December 2024, Istanbul, Turkey
A Study on the Social Media Behaviour among University Students in Sri Lanka
2021
Vavuniya University International Research Conference (VUIRC) 2021, Human Empowerment through Research Excellence, 15th October 2021, Virtual Conference, University of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka
The Individual Disposition to the Use of Social Media: A Study Based on University Students in China
2019
Asian Universities Alliance Academic Conference: Communication of Mass Culture between China and Other Asian Countries in the 21st Century, Conference Handbook pp. 13-32, 23rd–24th November 2019, Beijing, China, Hosted by Peking University in Collaboration with Asian Universities Alliance, Organized by Centre for Studies of Eastern Literatures, School of Foreign Languages, Peking University
Challenges in Adapting Social Media to Market University Libraries in Sri Lanka
2019
International Symposium on Emerging Trends in Education and Library and Information Science (Libsym 2018), Proceedings, pp. 191-198, 9th–10th August 2018, Library Network, Eastern University, Sri Lanka
Social Media and University Libraries in South Asia: With Special Reference to Sri Lanka
2018
MUTUAL COMMUNICATION HARMONY, CoOperative Conference on South Asian Press Councils, Proceedings, October 2018, Sri Lanka Press Council
Motivational Factors of Using Social Media by Library Academics in Marketing Library Resources and Services: A Study Based on Sri Lankan University Libraries
2018
UGC Sponsored International Conference on Knowledge Resources and Library Technologies, Presented on 24th–25th February 2017, Department of Library and Information Science, Bharathidasan University, Thiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Usage of Social Media and Related Problems: A Study Based on International Students at the Wuhan University in China
2015
International Conference on Multidisciplinary Approaches (ICMA), Proceedings, 11th–12th September 2015, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
Social Media Adaptation Behaviour among International Students in the Transnational Environment: A Case Study Based on Wuhan University China
2015
5th International Symposium on Emerging Trends and Challenges in Multidisciplinary Research, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, 7th–8th December 2015, pp. 83-87
A Study of Information Needs and Use of Resources of Children’s Section in Public Libraries: A Case Study Conducted in Children Section in Colombo Public Library
2013
Libraries: Towards Digital Paradigm, Conference Papers, First SPL Annual Convention (NCLTDP-2013), Organized by Society for Promotion of Libraries (SPL), Uttar Pradesh, in Collaboration with Society Library Professionals (SLP), New Delhi and Society for Promotion of Environment, Education and Development (SPEED), 24th February 2013, Y.K. Publishers, ISBN 978-93-80668-21-5
Knowledge Management and Public Libraries
2011
National Seminar on Knowledge Management and Challenges (NSKM), Organized by Integrated Academy of Management and Technology (INMANTEC), Ghaziabad, in Collaboration with Intellectuals Society for Sociotechnical Welfare (ISST), Ghaziabad, 24th September 2011
Incest Taboo and Girl Child: A Sociological Research in Central Province of Sri Lanka
2002
Symposium Organized by the Centre for Women Studies (CENWOR), 13th March 2002, Centre for Women Studies (CENWOR), Colombo, Sri Lanka
Peer-reviewed and Published in Abstract Form
Enhancing Library Visibility through Social Media Marketing: Insights from Three German Academic Libraries
2025
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2025, Organized by the Atlantic Federation for Technical Education and Research (AFTER), 13th–14th February 2025, Rome, Italy
Influence of Social Media in Academic Library Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review
2025
International Conference on Virtual Learning and Distance Education (ICVLDE-25), 3rd–4th March 2025, Copenhagen, Denmark
Enhancing Library Visibility through Social Media Marketing: Insights from Three German Academic Libraries
2025
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2025, Organized by the Atlantic Federation for Technical Education and Research (AFTER), 13th–14th February 2025, Rome, Italy
Influence of Social Media in Academic Library Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review
2025
International Conference on Virtual Learning and Distance Education (ICVLDE-25), 3rd–4th March 2025, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Public Library as a Service Point: Study Based on the Book Box Project at the Colombo Public Library, Sri Lanka
2018
09th International Arts Research Symposium 2020 (SEULARS), Global Dimension of Social Sciences and Humanities through Research and Innovation, Proceedings, 19th January 2021, Faculty of Arts and Culture, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, p. 56
Usage of Social Media and Related Problems: A Study Based on International Students at the Wuhan University in China
2015
International Conference on Multidisciplinary Approaches (ICMA), Proceedings, 11th–12th September 2015, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, p. 64
Employee Motivation and Expected Outcomes in the University Library System: Staff Members' Perception
2013
6th Annual Research Conference, 28th–30th March 2013, Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, Colombo
The Book Box Project as a Reading Resource for Children in the Colombo Metropolitan Area
2012
3rd Library and Information Science (LIS) Symposium, March 2012, University of Kelaniya, pp. 129-130
