This paper explores the information seeking behaviours of super fans, specifically fans of Taylor Swift, and their respective behaviours of knowledge collecting and sharing. While fandom studies are well established in cultural and media scholarship, the information seeking behaviours of fans (how they search for, interpret, and share knowledge) is relatively underexplored in a Library and Information Science (LIS) context. This paper addresses this gap by examining Swifties (fans of Taylor Swift) as a case study to demonstrate how fan-based information practices complicate and expand traditional understandings of Human Information Interaction (HII), particularly where affect, identity, and pleasure are central motivations. This study then examines the way that Swifties both search for and receive information about her as methods of personal fulfillment. Additionally, this study builds on HII models by mobilizing post-modern theory to both highlight the figure of the icon and to study information behaviours that, for the most part, are produced for the sake of it (for joy and pleasure). The methods used in this study are grounded in the sense-making model offered by Brenda Dervin and deploys Information World Mapping (IWM) techniques during the interview process with participants to explore their information practices. Participants illustrated and discussed how they locate, evaluate, and share information about Taylor Swift across multiple platforms and contexts. Findings indicate that social media functions as the primary hub for Swiftie information seeking, facilitating both individual sense-making and community connection. Participants described verifying information through Taylor Swift’s own media outputs, interpreting “Easter eggs” embedded in her work, and linking their fan practices to processes of identity formation and leisure. The results suggest that Swifties’ information behaviours are motivated by joy, fulfillment, and self-expression, and demonstrates how fandom contexts extend HII frameworks to include identity-driven motivations, positioning the pop culture icon not only as subject but also as information system.

This paper explores the critical role librarians play in promoting science literacy among undergraduate students. By examining the interconnected nature of information literacy, science literacy, and digital literacy in today’s digital landscape, this paper addresses the unique information needs of students and the implications of supporting them in becoming science-literate citizens. As information literacy instructors, librarians are essential facilitators of knowledge and learning in academic contexts. Practical recommendations are provided for librarians to design and deliver effective science literacy instruction. Keywords: information literacy, science literacy, library instruction, undergraduate students

This paper explores how grief is intertwined within artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital areas. It examines concepts such as the griefbot, an AI used to provide communication between the deceased and the bereaved, digital online memorial spaces to commemorate those who have passed, and digital immortality. While griefbots provide comfort to those who have lost a loved one, questions surrounding ethics of use, such as obtaining the consent of the deceased, using the deceased’s data, and respecting their privacy, remain relevant. The digital afterlife industry, which includes online memorials, puts into question several societal challenges. These chal­lenges can lead to debates over who “deserves” the most to have access data and digital spaces. Capitalism and digital immortality may reveal power dynamics with the deceased. For instance, business leaders and public figures may leave behind a digital legacy to continue to wield au­thority beyond the life of their physical bodies. As societies continue to merge aspects of human lives (and deaths) into the digital world, we must address issues of consent, privacy, and equita­ble access. Grieving and remembrance must not be lost in the digital age.

Life expectancy reflects a multitude of factors and mirrors the cultural, social, economic, and health conditions prevalent in a society. Calculated at birth, life expectancy is the average num­ber of years an individual anticipates living. The focus of this inquiry is to understand the dis­tinctive contributions of public healthcare expenditures and household healthcare costs in indi­vidual Canadian provinces and their implications for life expectancy trend. A random effects re­gression approach to panel data model, which assumes individual differences are random and not correlated with the independent variables, was applied to analyze the relationship between independent variables, public healthcare expenditure, household healthcare spending, , education levels on life expectancy as dependent variable. Data were collected for nine Canadian provinces, grouped according to life expectancy, public healthcare expenditure, household healthcare spending, , and education levels, over 16 years (2007-2022). Results show a positive correlation between household healthcare spending, , and edu­cation levels with life expectancy, while there is a negative correlation between public healthcare expenditure and life expectancy. The findings of this study suggest the need for effi­cient allocation of public health funds, support for household healthcare expenditures, economic growth, and investment in education to improve health outcomes. Policymakers may consider these findings to formulate comprehensive strategies that address the diverse determinants of health and enhance the overall well-being of Canadians. Keywords: life expectancy, public healthcare expenditure, household healthcare spending

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of Canada’s Employment Equity Act (EEA) from 2009 to 2021, building on earlier research by Ng et al. (2014), which analyzed the Act’s impact from 1987 to 2009. The EEA aims to improve the representation of historically disadvantaged groups — women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, and people with disabilities — in federally regulated workplaces. Through a comparative analysis of employment data, this study highlights both successes and shortcomings of the EEA over the past decade. Findings suggest that while the EEA has been effective in increasing the repre­sentation of visible minorities in both management and overall workforce positions, significant challenges remain. Women, though making strides in senior and middle management roles, have expe­rienced declining representation in the broader federally regulated workforce. Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities continue to face persistent underrepresentation, both in management positions and across the general workforce, despite legislative efforts. While the EEA has contributed positively to the representation of visible minorities and women in leadership roles, it has largely failed to achieve proportional representation for all designated groups, particularly Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities, highlighting the need for stronger and more targeted policy interventions. Keywords: employment equity, representation, workforce

The purpose of this paper is to examine the topics of intellectual freedom and censorship, particularly in the context of restricting access to ‘controversial’ books in libraries and classrooms. Although censor­ship exists in various forms, it always results in the suppression of information access and dispro­po­rtionately targets works by LGBTQIA+ authors and authors of colour. This paper brings into focus the experiences of young people (who are often the most affected by censorship due to their care­giv­ers/authority figures deeming material unsuitable), highlighting the importance of fostering their inde­pendence as readers and decision makers. Additionally, it explores the vital role of educators and librari­ans in protecting intellectual freedom, discussing possible constructive responses to censorship that fos­ter inclusivity and access to information.Keywords: censorship, reading, intellectual freedom, education

This article seeks to offer an introduction to book burning in American society. Firstly, it considers the use of fire as a method of destruction and its relation to freedom of speech and the American judicial system. It then seeks to unearth the reasons for book burning through an examination of a number of instances throughout American history. The phenomenon of book burning has been occurring worldwide for thousands of years, and as a longstanding tradition that has always drawn visceral reactions from spectators, it is still happening with alarming frequency. In America, book burning walks the fine line between censorship and free speech. It remains, however, an attack on knowledge and culture and is consequently a threat to the information management field. This paper, therefore, seeks to explore these occurrences from recent American history and discover why Americans have been, and are still burning books, in an attempt to better understand these attacks.

It is crucial for the government to maintain the public’s trust during uncertain risk. The Canadian government had approximately three months to develop a risk management strategy before Canada saw its first case of coronavirus. This study aims to show how the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) portrays government decision making during the initial outbreak of Coronavirus in January 2020 through March 2020 exclusive by examining 10 articles per month. Over the course of the last three months, government officials were increasingly cited in the CBC news articles. Results from this study shows that as the condition in Canada worsened, more evidence-based decision making is present in the articles, especially during the month of March.

Plastic waste is a global environmental problem. However, management solutions must be developed within local, institutional contexts. This paper considers the Government of Canada’s ‘proposed integrated management approach to plastic products’ both as a strategy for management and as an expression of federal jurisdiction. What is the policy problem to which they are responding, and how are they characterizing that problem in order to claim jurisdiction? Most importantly, what are the policy implications of this jurisdictional question?