PhD in Library & Information Science - Faculty of Information & Media Studies

The study of library and information science makes a difference in the world. So can you.

Library and Information Science studies at Western provide rigorous, interdisciplinary academic training for scholars who want to explore traditional, modern-day, and future-oriented issues in the library and information science field. Our current LIS faculty roster puts an emphasis on information equity and looks critically at how access to information, classification, cataloguing and representation can exacerbate or mitigate the marginalization of groups of people. Our doctoral students undertake a wide array of research touching on topics related to public, academic and private libraries, data science and statistics, information seeking behaviour, knowledge organization, artificial intelligence, digital information environments and much more.

Funded

4 Years (Full-time)

Fall intake

In-person

Full-time or Part-time

Tap into research with impact

See student research

Students studying walking outside on campus in the fall.

LIS faculty and doctoral students are committed to performing groundbreaking research that contributes to the evolution of the discipline and that strives to find solutions for our constantly evolving information society. As an LIS doctoral student, you can explore research areas like:

Information equity, accessibility and inclusion
Information organizations - GLAMS (galleries, libraries, archives, museums)
Readers and reading
Information practices
Large Language Models; linguistic approaches to the study of information retrieval
Information policy and ethics (copyright, privacy, AI, right to repair, etc.)
Informetrics and information retrieval

Where might your interests fit into our research portfolio?

New faculty spotlight

Bri Watson, Library & Information Science

Archivist, historian, and self-described community organizer

Assistant Professor Bri Watson is an archivist and historian who brings expertise in critical cataloguing, the history of sexuality, book history, digital humanities and community archiving, with a particular interest in teaching at the intersection of Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, and Specials Collections (GLAMS).

Read Bri's story

Questions? Contact Us

For administrative questions related to admissions or applications, contact FIMS Graduate Student Services. For questions related to curriculum, research, or the program experience, contact Graduate Program Chair Alison Hearn.

Email Graduate Student Services Email Alison

Program Information

Program Requirements & Courses Exams, Thesis & Proposal Faculty Research Student Research Part-Time PhD Program Tuition & Finances How to Apply

Ready to apply?

Find yourself in Western's LIS community

Applications for September 2026 open on October 1, 2025. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2026.

Start your application