Knowledge Commons

A paper by Hess and Ostrom.

Throughout this book we will see these threee elements--collective action, self-governance, and social capital--frequently in play. (pp. 6)

Historically in the United States, commons has most often referred to shared spaces that allow for the free speech and the democratic process, most notably the New England town commons.  This is the focus of Benkler's (2004) "commons-based production."¹²  It is the narrative of digital inter-operability, open science, collaboratories and scholarly networks, voluntary associations, and collective action.  The U.S.-type commons underscores the importance of shared spaces and shared knowledge in fostering viable democratic societies.  Libraries, as Kranich (2004) has pointed out, have been the quintessential strongholds of democracy.  Traditionally, libraries have been the "protected areas" of the knowledge commons and the librarians are the stewards.  This narrative calls forth the urgency for all information users and providers to become stewards of the global digital commons. (pp. 13)