The New Civic Journalism? An Examination of Canadian Public Libraries as Community News Sources During the 2019 and 2021 Federal Election.

This article investigates the extent to which Canadian public libraries engaged in civic journalism during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, amid declining local news media coverage. Through a content analysis of 64 public library websites—including national, provincial, territorial capitals, and communities with reported news coverage losses—the study identified limited but notable instances of basic news reporting and civic-minded journalism initiatives, such as election information dissemination, bylined blog posts addressing misinformation, candidate surveys, and hosting civic events. While these activities align with the shared democratic and informational mandates of libraries and the civic journalism movement, the overall presence of such journalism in Canadian public libraries remains minimal and concentrated in urban centers. The findings provide the first empirical evidence of Canadian public libraries participating in journalism work, highlighting the need for further research on their evolving role in supporting informed civic engagement, especially in underserved communities.