Open Access has seen increased acceptance in recent years, yet academic libraries continue to struggle with supporting and growing the Open Access institutional repositories (IRs) and increasing faculty awareness of and buy-in for Open Access and related scholarly communication issues. In this presentation, we propose a reframing of Open Access and scholarly communication strategies using the twelve principles of permaculture, an environmental design theory that provides a sustainable architecture for self-maintained agricultural systems modeled from naturally occurring ecosystems (Hemenway, 2009). Such an approach is beneficial for many reasons. Permaculture emphasizes maximum benefit from minimum effort and resources, which resonates with libraries that face increased strain on budgets and personnel. Further, the theory encourages that waste of resources and efforts be eliminated completely, which can guide libraries as they move towards maximizing efficiency in a changing academic culture. Permaculture also stresses that practitioners respect the diversity of the smaller ecosystems that make up the bigger picture, a principle which OA advocates and humanists are now advocating. We will share these insights and other such distillations of the permaculture design principles and offer our map to how they can be applied to Open Access and scholarly communication endeavors as we continue to make our path toward sustainable dissemination and preservation practices of today’s research output. Hemenway, T. (2009). Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. Chelsea Green Publishing. p. 5.

1. Aligning the Principles of
Permaculture Design with
Sustainable Open Access Practice
Open Access Un/Conference: Promote, Impact, Assess
San Jose State University || October 25, 2013
Jennifer Laherty 10/29/2013
Digital Publishing Librarian
IU Libraries-Bloomington
Stacy Konkiel
Science Data Management Librarian
IU Libraries-Bloomington

2. Handout:
http://goo.gl/T9bR29:
Twitter:
#PermOA and #OAW13
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

3. Stacy Konkiel
https://twitter.com/skonkiel
Research interests include data information
literacy for graduate and undergraduate
populations, as well as the application of
altmetrics in academic library settings.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

4. Overview
•
•
•
•
•
Why this topic now?
What is Permaculture?
The Scholarly Communication landscape
The 12 principles of Permaculture design
Creating sustainable Open Access
practice
• Discussion
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

5. Why this topic now?
• Many years; effecting change; slowly
• Burnout, sure, but running through all our
efforts is a positive vein
• Needed a boost of spirit; enter
Permaculture Design Principles
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

6. What is Permaculture?
An ecological design system for sustainability.
create community
build
grow & restore
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

7. Bill Mollison
Permaculture is a „Positivistic‟ response to
environmental crisis. It is about what we
want to do and can do rather than what we
oppose and want others to change. This
response is both ethical and pragmatic,
philosophical and technical.
Mollison, B. C., & Holmgren, D. (1987). Permaculture one: a perennial agriculture for
human settlements. Tyalgum, N.S.W.: Tagari.
Holmgren, D. (2002). Permaculture: principles & pathways beyond sustainability.
Hepburn, Vic.: Holmgren Design Services.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

8. The Scholarly Communication Landscape
Reality #1: We live in a capitalist society.
Big Ag
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
Big Pub
10/29/2013

9. The Scholarly Communication Landscape
Reality #2: Our current systems are based on the
assumption of unlimited resources.
Big Ag
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
Big Pub
10/29/2013

10. The Scholarly Communication Landscape
Reality #3: New technologies and philosophies are
upending the dominance of traditional systems.
Big Ag
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
Big Pub
10/29/2013

11. The 12 Permaculture
Principles & 3 Ethics
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10/29/2013

12. Observe & Interact (Holmgren)
Observe Continuously | Evolve | Adapt | Avoid Copying Gimmicks
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10/29/2013

13. Observe & Interact (Libraries)
Listen | Build Relationships | Observe | Design | Reply
Win:Win
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10/29/2013

14. Catch & Store Energy (Holmgren)
Collect at peak abundance;
build assets for future generations.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

15. Catch & Store Energy (Libraries)
We do this.
Question today: how to do this
cooperatively while serving
locally?
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10/29/2013

16. Obtain a Yield (Holmgren)
Move from demanding
consumer to responsible
producer
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10/29/2013

17. Obtain a Yield (Libraries)
Info consumers
can understand
economic, IP,
access/preservation
issues especially when
they become info
producers
If something we‟re doing
Isn‟t benefiting the library
community, or larger
community, change/stop.
Example: storing data.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

18. Apply Self-Regulation and
Accept Feedback (Holmgren)
• Discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that
systems can continue to function well.
• By empowering ourselves, we contribute to a
more balanced world.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

19. Apply Self-Regulation and
Accept Feedback (Libraries)
• If a user tells us our IR is difficult to use, accept
it and plan to incorporate change in future
design.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

20. Use and Value Renewable
Resources & Services (Holmgren)
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10/29/2013

21. Use and Value Renewable
Resources & Services (Libraries)
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10/29/2013

22. Produce No Waste (Holmgren)
• Definition (Mollison) of a pollutant: “As an output of any
system component that is not being used productively by any
other component of the system.”
• Minimize/eliminate waste.
• What looks like waste could be exchange.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

23. Produce No Waste (Libraries)
Connectivity | Shared Resources | Efficiencies
COLLABORATION
SHared Access Research Ecosystem
(SHARE)
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

24. Design From Patterns to Details
(Holmgren)
• “Can‟t see the forest for the trees.”
• Step back. Observe patterns in nature and society
which can form the backbone of our designs. Fill in
details as we go. Complex systems that work tend to
evolve from simples ones that work.
• Need to develop a shared language for talking about
scale because it is a constant source of error and
misunderstanding in any collective action.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

25. Design From Patterns to Details
(Libraries)
• Based on the
“patterns” you see in
others‟ practices,
adapt to your own
needs, then figure out
the details later.
• Make generalizations
based on observed
disciplinary needs,
tailor to individual
needs later.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

26. Integrate Rather Than Segregate
(Holmgren)
• By putting the right things in the right place,
relationships develop between those things and they
work together to support each other.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

27. Integrate Rather Than Segregate
(Libraries)
• Many cooperative
relationships go into designing
successful systems.
• In favor of partnerships across
campus, and offering diverse
services.
Copyright advice from lawyers in the
library
Designing data repositories that
connect with Dropbox
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

28. Use Small & Slow Solutions
(Holmgren)
• Systems should be designed to perform functions and
the smallest scale that is practical and energy-efficient
for that function.
• Working to produce anything of value can be a
painstaking experience when we are used to seeing
things apparently appear from nowhere.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

29. Use Small & Slow Solutions
(Libraries)
• We are indeed moving slowly
and making small changes.
1998
• Working with 1 researcher at
a time allows us build
capacity to help whole
departments.
2012
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10/29/2013

30. Use & Value Diversity (Holmgren)
• Diversity values vulnerability to a variety of threats and
takes advantage of the unique nature of the
environment in which it resides.
• Think systematically, accept diversity.
• Innovators doing interesting things – which may or may
not be worthy of further development – can provide
information that others may find useful in developing
their own unique sustainable solutions.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

31. Use & Value Diversity (Libraries)
• Disciplinary differences call
for disciplinary solutions.
• Diversity in hiring keeps
organizations changing for
the better.
• Freely exchanging
information with other
libraries allows you to learn
and adapt new solutions to
your own needs.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

32. Use Edges & Value the Marginal
(Holmgren)
• Design that sees an edge as opportunity rather than a
problem is more likely to be successful and adaptable.
• The interface between things is where the most
interesting events take place. These are often the most
valuable, diverse and productive elements in the
system.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

33. Use Edges & Value the Marginal
(Libraries)
• Find the “edges” in
your library and
leverage for outreach
and connection.
• Build relationships
across all of campus.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

34. Creatively Use & Respond
to Change (Holmgren)
• We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by
carefully observing, and then intervening at the right
time.
• While stability is important, evolutionary change is
essential. Durability, depends, paradoxically, on
flexibility and change.
• 4 phases of ecosystem change:
o
o
o
o
Conservation
Release
Reorganization
Exploitation
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

35. Creatively Use & Respond
to Change (Libraries)
• Stay engaged in the
conversation
• Changes are happening
in the scholcomm
“ecosystem”; how can we
use them to our
advantage?
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

36. Creating Sustainable OA Practice
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

37. We are all designers
Design maxims that everyone benefits from:
• All observations are relative
• Top down thinking, bottom up action
• The landscape is the textbook
• Failure is useful so long as we learn
• Elegant solutions are simple even invisible
• Make the smallest intervention necessary
• Avoid too much of a good thing
• The problem is the solution
• Recognize and break out of design cul-de-sacs
Source: Holmgren, D. (2002). Permaculture: principles & pathways beyond sustainability. Hepburn, Vic.:
10/29/2013
Holmgren Design Services. Page 15.
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY

38. References
Holmgren, D. (2002). Permaculture: principles &
pathways beyond sustainability. Hepburn, Vic.:
Holmgren Design Services.
Holmgren, D (2012). The Essence of permaculture: a summary
Of permaculture concepts and principles taken from
‘Permaculture principles & pathways beyond sustainability.’
http://holmgren.com.au/downloads/Essence_of_Pc_EN.pdf
http://www.permaculture.org/
@skonkiel; @jlaherty; #PermOA; CC-BY
10/29/2013

39. Questions - Discussion
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10/29/2013

40. Thank you!
Jen: jlaherty@indiana.edu // @jlaherty
Stacy: skonkiel@indiana.edu // @skonkiel
Download this presentation:
http://hdl.handle.net/2022/16976
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10/29/2013