Taylor to Receive 2025 Pratt Severn Student Paper Award
The Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) is delighted to announce that Candice Taylor has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Pratt Severn Best Student Research Paper Award. The purpose of the award is to encourage student research and writing in the field of information science.
Taylor’s paper entitled, “You Have to Quit Your Life: Mapping the Information World of an Experienced Thru-hiker” was selected from among a pool of outstanding candidates who were judged based on criteria including: technical competence in information science; significance of information science findings; originality; clarity of expression; compliance with JASIST instructions; style; and organization.
Candice Taylor (she/her) is an upcoming graduate from the University of British Columbia School of Information's Master of Library and Information Studies program. From southern Utah, she is curious about how people find, share, and trust information—especially outside of traditional institutions. Her recent research focuses on the information practices of long-distance hikers as a form of serious leisure, blending social science methods with a love of the outdoors. In fact, she found out she’d received the award while hiking through Northern California on the Pacific Crest Trail, filtering water next to a river with a single bar of service.
Upon learning of her selection as the winner of the 2025 Pratt Severn Best Student Research Paper Award, Taylor said, “I’m honored to receive this recognition from ASIS&T. Thru-hiking is both physically demanding and deeply information-driven. Framed through the lens of serious leisure, my research highlights the commitment, skills, and information behaviors that shape the thru-hiking experience. Understanding what information hikers seek—and where they look for it—can help land managers, trail organizations, and National Parks better support hikers, especially amid limited budgets and staffing. I'm grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Heather O'Brien, for encouraging me to tackle an unconventional research topic and supporting me in developing a rigorous, creative approach to studying information practices outside of traditional settings.”
Taylor will receive the award during the 2025 meeting of the Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) which will be held 14-18 November 2025 in Crystal City, VA.
About ASIS&T
ASIS&T is the pre-eminent professional association for thousands of researchers, developers, practitioners, students, and professors in the field of information science and technology from 50 countries around the world. For more than 80 years, ASIS&T has been leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.