[WIP] Update GitHub Actions workflows for Python 3.11 compatibility

[Copilot]

Thanks for asking me to work on this. I will get started on it and keep this PR's description up to date as I form a plan and make progress.

Original prompt

Update GitHub Actions workflows (such as docs.yml and other workflow files) to use the most recent stable Python version—preferably Python 3.11—to resolve compatibility issues for importlib.resources.files. Add a reference and link to #319 in the PR description, explaining that the update addresses the ImportError described there, which occurs due to the workflow currently using Python 3.8.

Steps:

• In .github/workflows/docs.yml and any other workflow files specifying Python 3.8, update the version to '3.11' (or '3.10' if that's the latest widely compatible/stable for this repo).
• If a matrix strategy is used, ensure the lowest Python version is at least 3.9.
• Add explanatory notes and a link to PR Improve and tighten up README documentation for clarity, structure, and conciseness #319 in the PR description.
• If version-specific test dependencies are required, address those where needed.

This pull request was created from Copilot chat.

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