Digital Library of the Commons
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| Digital Library of the Commons | |
|---|---|
| Name | Digital Library of the Commons |
| Established | 1999 |
| Type | Digital repository |
| Location | Virtual / University of Arizona |
| Director | Elinor Ostrom (founder association) |
Digital Library of the Commons
The Digital Library of the Commons is a specialized digital repository and knowledge hub focused on research about common-pool resources, institutional analysis, and collective action. It aggregates peer-reviewed articles, working papers, conference proceedings, and datasets connected to scholars and institutions engaged in governance of shared resources, drawing on networks around Elinor Ostrom, Vincent Ostrom, and multiple universities and research centers.
Overview
The library curates materials relevant to scholars associated with Elinor Ostrom, Vincent Ostrom, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Max Weber, Thomas Hobbes, Friedrich Hayek, Mancur Olson, Elinor A. Ostrom Lecture Series, and practitioners linked to World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Union for Conservation of Nature, International Institute for Environment and Development, Stockholm Resilience Centre, and Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics. Its scope intersects case studies from regions like Ithaca, New York, Arizona, Kenya, Nepal, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Philippines, Chile, Spain, and thematic networks such as Global Environment Facility, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, Ramsar Convention, and UNESCO programs.
History and Development
The project originated in discussions involving scholars at Indiana University, Arizona State University, International Association for the Study of the Commons, Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Environmental Change, Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, and collaborators from Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, London School of Economics, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Wageningen University & Research, and Australian National University. Early funding and support came from agencies like National Science Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and initiatives tied to Digital Library of the Commons partners at University of Arizona. Workshops and conferences connected the library to events such as IASC Biennial Conferences, World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists, European Society for Ecological Economics, Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics, and American Political Science Association panels.
Collections and Content
Collections include working papers, peer-reviewed articles, annotated bibliographies, and datasets by authors including Ostrom Workshop affiliates, scholars from Stockholm Environment Institute, Resources for the Future, International Food Policy Research Institute, Overseas Development Institute, CIFOR, IFPRI, and field studies referencing locations like Iloilo, Bohol, Sundarbans, Amazon Rainforest, Pantanal, Andes Mountains, Himalayas, Sahel, and Great Barrier Reef. Content spans case studies on irrigation systems examined by Anglo-American researchers alongside governance analyses by scholars affiliated with Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of British Columbia, McGill University, University of Queensland, and University of Cape Town. The library indexes works by prominent authors and editors linked to titles such as those by Elinor Ostrom, Roy Gardner, James Alexander],] Paul Sabatier, Amartya Sen, Elinor A. Ostrom Lecture Series editors, Robert Putnam, Mariana Mazzucato, Hernando de Soto, Daron Acemoglu, Douglass C. North.
Access and Services
Users access searchable metadata, full-text PDFs, and thematic collections via platforms connected to university libraries like University of Arizona Library, Indiana University Libraries, Harvard Library, Bodleian Libraries, Library of Congress, and digital infrastructures such as DSpace, Open Archives Initiative, Creative Commons, Sherpa/RoMEO, and Interlibrary Loan networks. Services include curated bibliographies for events like IASC workshops, digitization support used by International Council for Science, training materials aligned with United Nations University curricula, and citation exports compatible with Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley.
Partnerships and Collaborations
The initiative has formal and informal partnerships with institutions including Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, International Association for the Study of the Commons, World Bank Knowledge Development, United Nations University, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Beijer Institute, International Food Policy Research Institute, Center for International Forestry Research, Overseas Development Institute, European Centre for Development Policy Management, African Studies Centre Leiden, Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research, Latin American Studies Association, Smithsonian Institution, British Library, and regional centers such as Asian Development Bank research units and Inter-American Development Bank knowledge programs.
Impact and Reception
Scholars and policymakers cite the repository in work presented at venues like IASC conferences, World Bank conferences, COP climate conferences, UNFCCC negotiations, and academic meetings of American Economic Association, Association of American Geographers, Ecological Society of America, and International Sociological Association. Reviews in journals tied to Environmental Conservation, Ecology and Society, World Development, Conservation Biology, Journal of Institutional Economics, and Global Environmental Change note its role supporting research by recipients of awards such as the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Blue Planet Prize, Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award. The library influenced curricula at universities including Arizona State University, Indiana University Bloomington, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Oxford, and field programs funded by USAID and DFID.