Creating a Digital Commons

Abstract

The phrase information commons refers to our shared knowledge base. Heather Morrison presents examples of the commons in action, ranging from open access and open source scholarly resources to the blogosphere. The concept of sampling in music is discussed, and applied to librarianship. Key policy for the commons are identified and discussed, including open access, telecommunications issues (net neutrality, access issues), and copyright laws that facilitate sharing. Olivier Charbonneau presents "tools for the shepherd", or when digital projects are fit for collaboration, in the context of Lessig's regulatory framework, Benkler's "commons based peer production" framework, and Alter's "Work Centered Analysis Framework for Systems Analysis". The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CANLII), created to enable free access to authoritative versions of Canadian case law and statutes on the Internet through a uniform search interface, is presented as an example of a collaboratively produced digital commons.