This document discusses understanding knowledge as a commons from theory to practice. It explores conceptualizing knowledge as a commons using frameworks like the Institutional Analysis and Development framework. It also discusses protecting knowledge commons through open access and governance while incentivizing participation. Creating new knowledge commons involves exploring business models and the role of research libraries in stewarding knowledge as a public good.

1. Understanding Knowledge
As a Commons :
From Theory to Practice
Edited by Charlotte Hess and Elinor Ostrom
Copyright © 2005. MIT Press. All rights reserved.
UOKM
Kuang Jen Huang
2011/12/05

2. Overview
“Workshop on Scholarly Communication as a Commons"
in 2004
• Scholarly Communication: the way scholars use
to create, transform, disseminate and preserve
their research findings.
• Central issue: making scholarly work open access
and available on the internet.
• Contributors:
David Bollier, James Boyle, James C. Cox, Shubha Ghosh, Charlotte Hess,
Nancy Kranich, Peter Levine, Wendy Pradt Lougee, Elinor Ostrom, Charles
Schweik, Peter Suber, J. Todd Swarthout, Donald Waters

3. Outline
Conceptualizing
• What’s Commons
the Knowledge • IAD framework
Commons
Protecting the
• Open Access governance
Knowledge Incentives, financial support, legal protection
Commons
Creating New
• Business model
Knowledge • The role of research libraries
Commons

4. What’s commons?
• Commons: a resource shared by a group of
people.
Natural commons Knowledge commons
A shared collection of resources
openly accessible to the public.
Finite and depletable Nonrival

5. Resource from : http://www.ledcrowd.com/

6. Institutional Analysis and
Development (IAD) framework
• Three clusters of variables
• Consider at different scales
• Variables change at different scales

7. Open Access
• Free, online access to information without most copy
right and licensing restrictions.
• Today, most Open Access archives are built around
computer software. (Open Source Software)
• Online scholarly information can be accessed from
anywhere but only if you have the necessary access
rights.
• To transform the Open Source Software paradigm to
scientific collaboration situations
– Incentives
– Financial support
– Licensing (legal protection)

8. Incentives
• Scholars write for
– Impact: disseminating their work to
the widest possible audience.
– Promotion: publishing in high-quality,
refereed journals
• For scientific commons to succeed, it
must be compatible with the current
evaluation systems in universities and
scientific research organizations.

9. Financial support
• for participants’ time and energy in contributing to the
commons.
• for the administrative infrastructure that makes the
commons available; coordinate activities.
• Different financial-support schemes in the open-
source software domain:
– The government-subsidy model; philanthropic funding;
corporate consortia; corporate investment; venture capital
banking; donations from participants or users; hybrid/mix

10. Legal protection
• Worry: the circulation of work over the
Internet might cause inappropriate use.
• New forms of restrictions was developed by
people associated with the nonprofit
organization CreativeCommons.org in 2002.
For more information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en

11. “Science Commons” project
1) promoting open access to scientific publications
2) developing standard licensing models to
facilitate wider access to scientific information
3) exploring ways to increase the sharing of
scientific data
For more information http://sciencecommons.org/index.php

12. Business model
• Traditional market: a producer creates and sells a
product that consumers demand.
• Two-sided market: two different groups need the
services of an intermediary in creating a new product.
(E.g. credit card company)
• Both publishers and readers must be on board.
Market flourishes only if the number of participants
on both sides is large and growing.

13. The role of research libraries
Control Zone
• Stewardship: buying books, journals and
store them for readers’ use.
Systems and Services
• Developing digital environments
• Providing access to digital resources
Functional Catalyst
• Active collaborator in online-
community context

14. Summary
• In sum, this book explored the possibilities
and challenges for sharing any kind of work or
content to the public as a “commons” from
the perspectives of political science,
economics, and law.

15. Related Links
• TED speech: Richard Baraniuk on open-source learning
http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_baraniuk_on_open_source_learning.html
• Openness, the knowledge commons and the critique of intellectual property
http://www.re-public.gr/en/?p=88
• Open access: Reshaping rules of research
http://www.thestar.com/article/185609
• Government-funded research to be housed in free public database
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6836/is_1_102/ai_n28491381/
• Academic Patenting: How universities and public research organizations…
http://www.wipo.int/sme/en/documents/academic_patenting.html
• Creative Commons Lisences http://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en
• Science Commons http://sciencecommons.org/index.php