Executive summary
The Commons Social Change Library (CSCL, the Library) partnered with The University of Queensland’s Global Change Scholar Program (GCSP, the Program) to enhance its role as a pivotal resource for social and environmental change advocates by completing a comparative analysis of social change resource hubs. This report outlines findings from a landscape and collection analysis aimed at identifying gaps in the CSCL’s service offerings and funding plans, benchmarking it against global counterparts and proposing recommendations for future enhancements of the Library’s collection and services.
What became evident during this project is that the Commons Social Change Library is a world-leader in social change resources.
Approach
The project commenced with a thorough landscape analysis of global social change resource hubs, followed by a detailed collection analysis of the CSCL. The scope of the project included:
- Identifying analogous hubs
- Mapping the services offerings and funding schemes offered by and sustaining the identified hubs
- Conducting an analysis of the Library’s current collection
- Benchmarking the collections held in the CSCL against those in these hubs
- Developing actionable recommendations to support the Library’s collection development and financial sustainability
Phase 1: Landscape Analysis
The landscape analysis identifies 76 analogous resource hubs, worldwide. For the methodology used to search and identify these hubs, many of the resource hubs were listed on the CSCL’s directory of hubs, however, many were also found using advanced Google searches. The resource hubs analysed were predominantly not-for-profits, relying on donations as their primary source of funding. While most organisations focused on being a dedicated resource hub for social change, other organisations stated that training was their primary service offering.
Phase 2: Collection Benchmarking
The second phase of the project audited the Library’s current collection to identify development opportunities by assessing new materials found during the landscape analysis and quantitatively benchmarking collections. We found that the CSCL boasts one of the largest collections amongst its peers, with approximately 2,000 resources and items presented in an accessible, user-friendly manner with many different ways to engage with the content. Most notably, the collection was one of the few with an up-to-date focus on current social change issues in the global context. The CSCL is unique in both its breadth and depth of scope, which they are still able to maintain while consistently striving to remain up-to-date on current events.
Recommendations
Our recommendations focus on expanding directories, seeking alternative funding, tailoring marketing activity, and understanding user perspectives.
The Commons Social Change Library is the largest and most impactful hub of its kind, with a strong focus on current social change issues in the global context.
Authors
- Melinda Hewett, PhD candidate, School of Psychology.
- Hannah Bennett, PhD candidate, School of Agricultural & Food Sustainability.
- Tracey Nayler, PhD candidate, Faculty of Medicine.
- Md Amjad Hossain Reyad, PhD candidate, School of Architecture Design and Planning.
This report was produced as part of the Global Change Scholars Program at the University of Queensland.
Read the Report
The Commons Social Change Library: a comparative analysis of social change resource hubs (PDF)