Browsing by Author "Kranich, Nancy"

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The Information Commons: A Public Policy Report
(2003) Kranich, Nancy
"For democracy to flourish, citizens need free and open access to ideas. In today's digital age, this means access to knowledge, information, and ideas online. A newly emerging concept, the information commons, offers hope of ensuring citizens' rights and responsibilities in the digital age. FEPP's project on the information commons, directed by our 2003-2004 senior research fellow, Nancy Kranich, will survey the diverse new initiatives that reflect the principles of a commons, will explore how the metaphor of the commons can reposition the public interest in information, and will illuminate the importance of the information commons to democracy and free expression."
The Information Commons: From Metaphor to Reality
(2003) Kranich, Nancy
"The emergence of the digital age brought the promise of open access to an infinite array of information--information that would enrich the way we live, learn, work and govern. Observers of this technological revolution imagined an information world that would migrate from a state of scarcity to a state of abundance, transcending geographic, legal, and political boundaries."
Libraries: The Information Commons of Civil Society
(2002) Kranich, Nancy
"In this essay, I discuss the importance of social capital as a catalyst to rekindle civil society as well as the key role of the library as an information commons for engaging citizens and encouraging participation in community life. For more than two centuries, libraries have served communities in the United States and abroad as information commons. In that role, they have helped promote an informed citizenry, offering safe spaces for deliberation and exchange of a wide spectrum of ideas. For a democracy of the digital age to flourish, citizens need free and open access to ideas more than ever. The salient tension of our times stems from those barriers that deny citizens their full information rights. In the conclusion of this essay, I suggest an action agenda aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate in a digital age democracy."
The Role of Research Libraries in Conceptualizing and Fostering Scholarly Commons
(2004) Kranich, Nancy
From the introduction: "New technologies have provided expanded opportunities for scholars to create, distribute, and preserve their own knowledge. Through the development of digital libraries, digital repositories, open access and archives initiatives, and collaborative teaching and learning centers, librarians are working closely with scholars to harness the power and potential of technology to democratize access to and production of scholarship. By undertaking these activities, they are envisioning as well as building new paradigms for creating and managing in the information age. These emerging digital information sharing initiatives, or scholarly commons, allow universities to reclaim their intellectual assets and fulfill critical roles in the digital age--the advancement of knowledge, innovation, and creativity through democratic participation in the free and open exchange of ideas. "In this paper, I outline the progress toward utilizing new technologies and suggest strategies for helping universities and their research libraries reap the benefits of adopting these new models of access and participation over the coming years. I also discuss the challenges to achieving these new operational modes. In addition, I propose some designs for governance structures, financial models, partnerships, education and advocacy efforts that will help transform the academy into a 21st century institution that organizes, safeguards, preserves and promotes the knowledge assets of the scholarly community. Finally, I suggest research that is needed to advance theory and practice and suggest policy actions to support the growth and development of a sustainable information commons."