Tragedy of the information commons (original) (raw)
Related papers
Public access to information and the creation of an ‘information commons’
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2005
Intellectual property (IP) and intellectual property rights (IPRs) have increased in social, political, and economic importance in North America over the past two decades. There has been much talk of how we have, or are currently in the process of shifting to, an 'information economy' and an 'information society'; and indeed, 'information' has become an increasingly valuable property, in the form of books, music, motion pictures, and corporate logos and designs. The major holders of this valuable IP have worked hard to have the laws protecting IPRs strengthened, with various consequences for public accessibility. The first part of this paper begins with a brief definition of copyright and a description of just what copyright was originally designed to protect. The second part of this paper focuses on the alternatives to copyright that are being developed in the digital realm, particularly for computer software and the Internet. As part of the battles that are currently being fought over control of this relatively new and somewhat unregulated medium of distribution, we will focus on the 'open source' software movement and the attempts to create 'information commons' that act to ensure the widest possible public accessibility to information.
The tragedy of the digital commons
Ethics and Information Technology, 2004
In the paper it is argued that bridging the digital divide may cause a new ethical and social dilemma. Using Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons, we show that an improper opening and enlargement of the digital environment (Infosphere) is likely to produce a Tragedy of the Digital Commons (TDC). In the course of the analysis, we explain why Adar and Huberman's previous use of Hardin's Tragedy to interpret certain recent phenomena in the Infosphere (especially peer-to-peer communication) may not be entirely satisfactory. We then seek to provide an improved version of the TDC that avoids the possible shortcomings of their model. Next, we analyse some problems encountered by the application of classical ethics in the resolution of the TDC. In the conclusion, we outline the kind of work that will be required to develop an ethical approach that may bridge the digital divide but avoid the TDC.
Information Commons Redux: Concept, Evolution and Transcending the Tragedy of the Commons
The roles of inclusive planning structures and careful integration through an enhanced information desk are delineated, emphasizing team-building which results from this implementation. The paper discusses potential problems and suggests solutions. The phrase and various conceptualizations of information commons (Commons) have gained currency in recent years. Much has been written and published on the topic of the Commons, both in print and on the Web, and many versions of the Commons have at least begun to be implemented. Most of this Commons activity includes an emphasis on higher technologies and a focus on information access for various groups (e.g., students and citizens of a particular area), and some of it is located in libraries. This article briefly reviews various conceptualizations and the state of Commons implementations, then focuses specifically on a particular library-based integratedservices model. Furthermore, the article provides some examples and rationales for integration in the functional and strategic administrative/organizational domains, describes the evolutionary development to date of one integrated model and suggests directions for further developments. The discussion of functional integration focuses on the pivotal role of the Information Desk concept and its relationship to a well-known service model. The ongoing role of evaluation and assessment in Commons development is described. The article finally broaches the "tragedy of the commons" notion and suggests how some aspects of tragedy might be transcended.
2008
This essay reviews the history and theory of information commons along with the various conceptual approaches used to describe and understand them. It also discusses governance, financing, and participation in these commons. Today's digital technologies offer unprecedented possibilities for human creativity, global communication, innovation, and access to information. Yet these same technologies also provide new opportunities to control—or enclose—intellectual products, thereby threatening to erode political discourse, scientific inquiry, free speech, and the creativity needed for a healthy democracy. Advocates for an open information society face an uphill battle to influence outcomes in the policy arena; yet they are developing information commons that advance innovation, stimulate creativity, and promote the sharing of information resources. Designers of these new information resources can learn from those who have studied other commons like forests and fisheries. What are ne...
Information Commons Issues and Trends: Voices From the Frontline - Panel Transcript
This is a live recording from the association of college and research library's 11th national conference held April 10th-13 th , 2003 in Charlotte NC. For more info on other sessions recorded at this conference please call conference media toll free at 888-222-1614 or log on to our website at www.conferencemedia.net Russ Bailey: Welcome to our information commons panel. I'm Russ Bailey. I am the associate university librarian for the Information Commons at the University of North Carolina here in Charlotte. Our panel discussion today is intended to provide you with opportunities to increase your understanding of Information Commons concepts, models, planning, design implementation, and assessment to introduce you to Information Commons leaders who will share their pertinent experience from the last decade or so, to allow you to post questions and state opinions from the floor mike here in the center and to encourage your participation in an Information Commons shared network of contacts information and resources. The session is being video taped. It's not for inclusion in the total information agency's database and it's not to feed the hunger of the USA Patriot Act. I told my wife last night that I am attending this morning a librarian's anonymous recovery group and that this meeting and this videotape will verify that for her. I told her that this is not your father's library. This is not your mother's library. This is the Information Commons, a sort of library plus as in lib qual plus. The Information Commons is more than a library; it's a fresh integrative perspective on information and knowledge seeking and service provision, a more dynamic relationship between high touch resources, high tech resources, and the patrons' needs. The videotape is simply for our records. I want to introduce our panelists. To my far left is Don Beagle, the library director at Belmont Abby College and my predecessor at UNC Charlotte and a prolific author of Information Commons and other related subjects. We intended actually to begin our program this morning with some of Don's Information Commons jazz and bebop but ACRL would not spring for the grand piano as part of our technical equipment requests, so you'll just have to imagine it. The other panelists are seated relatively chronologically in order of the opening and implementation and opening of their Information Commons. Beginning over here with Melanie Rainey from the
2006
This paper examines the theoretical and practical development of informational commons in the digitised and interconnected environment. This is done by looking at the theory behind intellectual property and licenses in their role of creating and maintaining the commons. This paper will also present the practical work in the form of describing a large-scale development project concerning the localisation of the creative commons licenses to the Swedish jurisdiction. The goal of this work is to provide practical and theoretical foundations in the study of the role of informational commons in the knowledge society.
Information Abundance and Knowledge Commons
User Generated Law: Re-Constructing Intellectual Property in a Knowledge Society, 2016
Standard accounts of IP law describe systems of legal exclusion intended to prompt the production and distribution of intellectual resources, or information and knowledge, by making those things artificially scarce. The argument presented here frames IP law instead as one of several possible institutional responses to the need to coordinate the use of intellectual resources given their natural abundance, and not necessarily useful or effective responses at that. The chapter aims to shift analytic and empirical frameworks from those grounded in law to those grounded in governance, and from IP law in isolation to IP law as part of resource management. Knowledge commons is proposed as a framework for examining and understanding governance of shared knowledge resources. Examples and illustrations are drawn from several domains of information and knowledge governance.