Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice

Citation

McGuirk, K. (2008), "Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice", Online Information Review, Vol. 32 No. 4, pp. 545-546. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520810897485

Understanding Knowledge as a Commons brings together experts from various disciplines. The contributors approach knowledge as a commons, as a shared resource. They place the discussion within the digital era and the challenges this era holds, including the role of intellectual property and the open access movement. According to the editors, the purpose of the book is to introduce a new way of looking at knowledge as a shared resource. The book is divided into three parts: studying the knowledge commons (Part 1), protecting the knowledge commons (Part 2), and building the knowledge commons (Part 3). These sections reflect the “theory to practice” in the subtitle and offer guidance for future developments.

Part 1 introduces the reader to the historical background of the knowledge commons. This includes the growth of the commons paradigm; a framework for analysing the knowledge commons where knowledge as a complex, global and shared resource is conceptualised and analysed. The first part takes a close look at how the meaning of the commons has changed from a concept describing historical developments to its current applications in the knowledge arena. Part 2 addresses reclaiming the knowledge commons and countering enclosure; decentralised access to cultural and scientific material; and preservation of the knowledge commons. The key concern is the problem of safeguarding the knowledge commons, which could lead to its enclosure. Part 3 is the most extensive and addresses the creation of an intellectual commons through open access; how to build a commons and the benefits and drawbacks of intellectual property; collective action and civic engagement; free/open source software as framework; scholarly communication and libraries; and EconPort as a case study illustrating the creation and maintenance of a knowledge commons. The intellectual history of collective action, the free exchange of ideas, and collaboration for the common good link the chapters in Part 3.

The knowledge commons is complex and is defined beyond the scholarly communication domain by bringing together scholarly and non‐scholarly information. An important contribution is that the social dilemmas involved are taken into consideration. Such dilemmas always arise when a group of people is involved – in this case within the context of sharing knowledge as a resource. The social dilemmas highlight the fact that it is necessary to divide the knowledge commons into shared resource systems (common pool) and common property (legal aspects).

The benefit of an approach that draws from different disciplines is accentuated as a way of overcoming the often rigid epistemic divisions found in traditional areas of studying knowledge. In this sense the knowledge commons is referred to as an ecosystem which is reminiscent of Mizrachi's (1998) reference to the “rich and complex information ecology”. Understanding Knowledge as a Commons offers a well‐constructed discussion of the knowledge commons. The glossary and index are useful additions.