Information commons

For the building at the University of Sheffield, please see Information Commons, Sheffield.

Information commons refers to our shared knowledge-base and the processes that facilitate or hinder its use. The concept of the "information commons" emphasizes some of those principles that also apply to the natural commons, such as preservation, conservation for future generations, etc. It can refer to any of a number of data storage and retrieval mechanisms that seek to make public data more easily accessible. It can also refer to a physical space, usually in an academic library, where any and all can participate in the processes of information research, gathering and production. The idea of an information commons is derived from the medieval European concept of the commons, or the land that villagers shared for grazing purposes. The issues that fall under this topic are varied and include :

• Licenses written to access digital content,
• Copyright law and similar intellectual property,
• Freedom of information,
• International trade, like the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights from the World Trade Organization,
• Privacy,
• Open source software,
• Open Access,
• Academic Libraries integrated w/ CIT facilities, particularly in the U.S.A., but including:
  • Information Commons, A learning and study space at the University of Sheffield opened April 2007.
  • Business/APES Information Commons, Indiana University, created August 2007.
• A peer-to-peer distributed computer database developed by MAYA Design and Rhiza Labs that increases access to data by decentralizing its storage.
• and much more.

Some advocates of information commons believe that the increasing control and commodification of information restricts our ability to foster positive developments in our cultural, academic, and economic growth.

Bibliography

• Beagle, Donald Robert, with Donald Russell Bailey and Barbara Tierney (contributors). 2006. The Information Commons Handbook. Neal-Schuman Publishers. 247 p. ISBN 1-55570-562-6
• Collier, David. 2005. Brand Name Bullies : The Quest to Own and Control Culture. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-67927-5
• Burr ell, Robert and Alison Coleman. 2005. Copyright Exceptions : the Digital Impact. Cambridge University Press. 426 p. ISBN 0-521-84726-5
• Free Culture
• Griffith, Jonathan and Ma Sutherland. 2005. Copyright and Free Speech: Comparative and International Analyzes. Oxford University Press. 426 p. ISBN 0-19-927604-8
• Harbor Research, Inc. 2005. "Designing the Future of Information: The Internet Beyond the Web." Boston, MA: Harbor Research, Inc.
• Lucas, Peter and Jeff Senn. 2002. "Toward the Universal Database." MAYA Design.

External links

• Will Fair Use Survive - from the Free Expression Policy Project
• Information Commons - from the Free Expression Policy Project
• Information Commons Interest Group of the Canadian Library Association
• Internet Archive A 501(c)(3) non-profit founded to build an 'Internet library', with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.
• Global Voices Global Voices aggregates, curates, and amplifies the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore.
• The Magic Behind the Information Commons A collection of papers on the technology of the Information Commons from Rhiza Labs and MAYA Design.