I just turned in my final paper for this degree, I won’t say last ever because I thought I was done with study two degrees and a diploma ago, and look what happened. 
The paper was for an Internet studies class, but given how much of what we do as librarians is tied up in Internet governance and policy, it was easy to find a library-related topic for this class. My topic was The impact of policy and governance on access to scientific and scholarly knowledge online.
Libraries have played a key part in debates on this issue thus far. Access to Knowledge includes initiatives like Open Access, but also licensing and legislative advocacy, programs to get electronic journals into libraries in developing nations, and working towards a WIPO Development Agenda.
I bookmarked many of these resources at del.icio.us throughout the semester, but here’s a more annotated look at some of the critical resources on this topic -
Kirsop, B., Arunachalam, S., & Chan, L. (2007). Access to Scientific Knowledge for Sustainable Development: Options for Developing Countries. Ariadne (52).
The benefits of access to research for capacity building, partnerships and networks in developing nations.
Nicholson, D. R. (2007). International Copyright Trends and Access to Knowledge Initiatives in Africa. Paper presented at the World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council. [PDF]
Recent article surveying the need for protection of Traditional Knowledge in African nations, the A2K treaty, and other initiatives to improve ICT infrastructure and availability of research.
Boyle, J. (2004). A Manifesto on WIPO and the Future of Intellectual Property. Duke Law & Technology Review, 1-12.
The need for balanced intellectual property rights, pre-WIPO Development Agenda.
World Intellectual Property Organization. (2007, October 1). Member States Adopt a Development Agenda for WIPO.
If you are interested in copyright and IPR reform, you’ll be interested in the development agenda. It was adopted just a month ago, so it is too early to tell if there will be beneficial outcomes, but this is a start. The aim is for social issues (amongst others) to be taken into consideration when IP changes are proposed.
Treaty on Access to Knowledge (Draft).
The draft treaty was an attempt to determine an international framework of copyright norms online. Libraries were also strong supporters of the proposed Treaty, and called for WIPO to establish minimum exceptions and limitations to copyright worldwide, and consideration of developing nations.
The position of libraries in governance and the Access to Knowledge movement:
Committee on Copyright and Other Legal Matters. (2005). The IFLA Position on Copyright in the Digital Environment.
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