Contents
Libre Declaration
Vision
Knowledge for all, freedom to learn, towards collective wisdom
Enabling communities to empower themselves with knowledge.
Libre Knowledge Definition
Free/Libre Knowledge can be acquired, interpreted and applied
freely, it can be re-formulated according to one's needs, and shared
with others for community benefit. In today's world, where knowledge
may be captured and shared electronically, this freedom is not
automatically preserved, and we elaborate this definition for explicit
knowledge:
(explicit)
Libre Knowledge is knowledge released in such a way that users are free
to read, listen to, watch, or otherwise experience it; to learn from or
with it; to copy, adapt and use it for any purpose; and to share
derived works similarly (as free knowledge) for the benefit of the
community.
Representations of free knowledge must be conveniently
accessible for modification and sharing. For example, using Free
software
and Free
file formats.
"Explicit knowledge" is knowledge captured on some medium,
usually in a form representable on a computer (e.g. text, sound, video,
animation, executable program, etc.).
Users of libre knowledge are free to
(0) use the work for any purpose
(1) study its mechanisms, to be able to modify and adapt it to
their own needs
(2) make and distribute copies, in whole or in part
(3) enhance and/or extend the work and share the result.
Freedoms 1 and 3 require free
file formats and free software
as defined by the Free
Software Foundation.
Libre Resources
(definition)
The term "libre resources" refers to digital resources - files
in a free
file format containing (e.g.)
text, an image, sound, multimedia, etc. accessible with free
software,
and released under a licence which grants the users the freedom to
access, read, listen to, watch, or otherwise experience the resource;
to learn with, copy, perform, adapt and use it for any purpose; and to
contribute and share enhancements or derived works.
Such
resources are central to movements associated with Free software, free
culture, and free knowledge, etc., and are used by libre communities
for learning and knowledge generation.
Knowledge
We use the term "knowledge" to cover data (symbols),
information
(processed data revealing meaning), knowledge (know-how), ideas,
understanding, etc. and extend our vision to collective wisdom.
Knowledge may be factual and objective, personal (gained through study
or experience), socially constructed, indigenous and culturally rooted,
common, scientific, scholarly or non-academic. Knowledge may be
represented and expressed in digital form (see "libre resources"
above), in physical form, or as cultural traditions (oral, dance, song,
etc.).
Manifesto
Libre Communities
value:
- the members and their diverse perspectives,
- the libre resources produced and the associated freedoms
(above),
- the ability of communities to collaborate on managing the
quality of shared resources, and
- the opportunity this freedom offers for networked
communities to make a difference collectively, towards a sustainable
world.
Free as in freedom and free speech: see free
software.
Declaration on Libre
Knowledge
- We declare our common understanding of the importance of
Libre
Knowledge for all towards equitable and sustainable global development
and commit to promoting and adopting libre knowledge principles in our
endeavours.
- Libre knowledge is underpinned by a philosophy indicating
that knowledge is inherently libre, and that access to knowledge and
the freedom to adapt and use it is a basic human right.
- We recognise that libre knowledge requires free software
for
its creation, access, adaptation, and sharing, and we commit to using,
promoting and developing free software or solutions based on free
software, for these purposes.
- In the modern digital age, effective sharing of libre
knowledge requires free file formats and free standards for data,
information and knowledge exchange to enable accessibility,
collaborative knowledge generation, interoperability, transparency,
adaptability of the knowledge, contribution, and libre licensing.
- Libre knowledge covers the whole collaborative value chain
from raw data collection to informed, knowledgeable and wise decision
making, including the shared knowledge of people involved in the
process.
- In the “developing” world, libre
knowledge resources are
essential to enable and permit communities to adapt and enhance the
resources for effective local use, and to be free to share the results
to help their neighbours and communities.
- We recognise that a pre-requisite for effective
participation in the global knowledge society, is that citizens of the
world have access to knowledge. Freedom for all to engage in the global
knowledge society is pre-requisite to taking the opportunity to
co-creating a sustainable world.
- We affirm that libre knowledge helps achieve development
objectives by empowering people to gain a shared understanding and
contribute to sustainable development locally, nationally, regionally
and internationally in significant ways.
- We urge all spheres of all governments, institutions and
donor organisations concerned with national and global sustainable
development, to adopt, support, develop and promote the use of libre
knowledge and its underlying principles.
- We undertake to share and develop our understanding of
libre
principles with our peers, friends, organisations and families through
living the vision of a libre culture of cooperation towards a
sustainable world.
Discuss this draft.