Chern Li Liew

Chern Li Liew is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Management at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She holds a PhD from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, an MSc in Information Science from Loughborough University, UK, and a BA First-Class (Honours) from the University of Brighton, UK. Her professional background includes diverse experience in auditing & consulting with PricewaterhouseCoopers, education counseling with the British Council, and information management at Telekom Malaysia.

• PhD: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• MSc: Loughborough University, United Kingdom
• BA First-Class (Honours): University of Brighton, United Kingdom

Professor Liew's research centers on human-centred digital innovation, information sciences, and sociocultural and community informatics, with cultural heritage as her core expertise. She investigates how digital technologies impact documentary heritage care and use, and how GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, museums) innovation contributes to cultural and social cohesion. Her work increasingly emphasizes Indigenous knowledge stewardship, ethical digital practices, and community-centered approaches to cultural heritage.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trajectory toward ethical frameworks for Indigenous knowledge management, dialogic engagement with communities, and the role of cultural heritage institutions in promoting social cohesion. She employs interdisciplinary methodologies that bridge information science with cultural studies, anthropology, and community informatics, focusing particularly on Māori contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand while drawing global implications.

• First Place Winner of the Best Short Paper Award at the 86th ASIS&T Annual Meeting (2023)
• Invited and Featured at the Royal Society Te Apārangi 2023 Ada Lovelace Day Celebration
• Member of the Guardians Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library

Professor Liew supervises four PhD students researching library design, LGBTQ+ collecting practices, digital information literacy, and community archives. She leads two major research projects: 'Towards Socioculturally Responsible and Inclusive Stewardship of Digital Indigenous Knowledge Collections' (Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fund, 2022-2026) and 'Futuring Dialogic Cultural Heritage' (Victoria University Strategic Research Grant, 2023-2026). She serves on multiple international committees including the International Digital Library Federation Cultural Inclusion Working Group and the European Open Science Cloud FAIR-IMPACT Group.

As a Member of the Guardians Kaitiaki of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Professor Liew advises the Ministry of Internal Affairs on documentary heritage collections and taonga. Her scholarly activities reflect deep engagement with both theoretical frameworks and practical applications in cultural heritage institutions, emphasizing community co-creation and ethical digital stewardship.