Knowledge Commons

The KC Champions program helps sustain our open platform where scholars and educators share research, collaborate, and build knowledge together. Become a Champion and strengthen the future of open, nonprofit scholarly communication! 💖

Learn more: about.hcommons.org/kc-champions/

Green Poster with lettering " The Woman of Colour and Black Atlantic Movement Brigitte Fielder"

Before “Transatlantic” was theory, it was movement—of people, stories, and hope. This #ResearchSpotlight traces how early Black women’s writing crossed oceans, reshaping freedom and belonging along the way. Read more: works.hcommons.org/records/z747...

Green poster with lettering titled "How Beale Street Talks and Whispers: The Political Soundscapes of James Baldwin's Novel by Florien Kijlstra"

What does James Baldwin’s Beale Street sound like? This #ResearchSpotlight listens for whispers of love and freedom woven through his words—mapping a political soundscape that still resonates today. Hear what’s beneath the surface: works.hcommons.org/records/vgz8...

Knowledge Commons Champions with URL about.hcommons.org/kc-champions/

Looking to support a nonprofit organization that believes the global exchange of knowledge should be without barriers, or icky user data management policies?

Become a KC champion! The perks include custom domains and special merch. 💖

Sign up today! about.hcommons.org/kc-champions/

Tours are open!

Registration is now open for the #arlisna2026 tours! Learn more about the art, architecture, and culture of Montreal while learning more from your colleagues at the conference! linktr.ee/arlisna

Screenshot of the Knowledge Commons homepage

Another day, another report of a for-profit academic website exploiting user data 🙄😫

Create an account on Knowledge Commons (hcommons.org)! We're a nonprofit where users can create websites, upload works to our open access repository, and so much more. And guess what? We don't sell your data! 💖

For anyone interested in sharing elsewhere, Knowledge Commons ( @kcommons.bsky.social ) provides a fantastic alternative: a scholar-run, open platform for profiles, an IR, and more.

The "Works" section would be a great home for everyone's deleted papers! hcommons.org

Reflecting on what we love most about open scholarship:

We love the connections it creates across institutions and disciplines.
We love the communities it strengthens.
We love the collaboration it makes possible.
And we love the impact humanities research can have when it’s shared widely. 💗

Green poster with lettering titled "Black Living Data Booklet By Fathe Day"

What does it mean to live “black data”? This #ResearchSpotlight turns to Faithe Day as they explore how digital archives can honor Black life beyond extraction—toward care, creation, and connection. Read in full: works.hcommons.org/records/jg2n...

Green poster with lettering titled "The Power and Precariousness of Black Women's Digital Self-representation in Britain by Francesca Sobande"

How do Black women navigate digital mirrors? This #ResearchSpotlight turns to Francesca Sobande’s conference paper, where identity and image meet resistance and risk. Step into the digital reflections: works.hcommons.org/records/j5p4...

There’s just something about seeing the humanities thrive that makes us feel all the love. 💗

At Knowledge Commons, we’re passionate about supporting open scholarship and creating space for humanities research to be shared, discovered, and celebrated.

And this report - an interesting and worthwhile read from @samuelmoore.org et al.! - is hosted on KC Works, the platform I oversee as Technical Lead for @kcommons.bsky.social.

It's gratifying to see the infrastructures I build and maintain in use, making humanities scholarship available for all.

This February, we’re sharing what we love about Knowledge Commons 💕

Open research. Shared knowledge. Stronger scholarly communities.

We’re proud to support humanities scholars by helping their work connect, travel, and reach wider audiences.

A decorative graphic for MSU ethics week

💕 TOMORROW 💕 Join the Commons team from 9am-10am for "The Ethics of Open Scholarship," brought to you by MSU Ethics Week. All are welcome for this open discussion. Register now! msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Dear Open Access,
Thanks for making research open, shareable, and easy to fall in love with. 💌 You help scholars and communities everywhere discover and connect through knowledge.

#KnowledgeCommons #OpenAccess #OpenKnowledge #Humanities #ScholarlyCommunication

A decorative graphic illustrating "Ethics Week, Feb. 16-20, 2026" at Michigan State University

📣 Happening next week 🗣️ Join the KC team on February 17 from 9am-10am for "The Ethics of Open Scholarship," a webinar taking place as part of MSU's Ethics Week. This event will explore how to create better equity in the open access and open science movements. Register now! tinyurl.com/59ppxbr9

Green poster with lettering titled "The Black Press Research Collective Newspaper Project: Visualizing the History of the Black Press in the United States by Kim Gallon and Hollis Robbins"

Today's #ResearchSpotlight highlights The Black Press Research Collective Newspaper Project led by Kim Gallon and Hollis Robbins—mapping over a century of journalism that shaped the Black freedom struggle. Visualize Black press history here: works.hcommons.org/records/0tm5...

It's #LoveData week and there is a lot to love about Knowledge Commons! ❤️ Today we're celebrating the KCWorks stats dashboard with an infographic showing 4 of the hidden secrets. 🤫

View the infographic in KCWorks! works.hcommons.org/records/8j0f...

I'll be speaking next week at MSU's ethics week on The Ethics of Open Scholarship panel. My section will be on the labor of OA and the invisible infrastructures that shape it.
ethics.msu.edu/events/ethic...

One thing we love about Knowledge Commons is how it brings humanities scholars together to share open, accessible research across disciplines. Building community + supporting open knowledge = a win-win. 💗

#KnowledgeCommons #OpenKnowledge #AcademicResearch #ScholarlyCommunication

A flyer advertising Ethics Week at Michigan State University. Text reads "Ethics Week strives to actively involve the MSU community in meaningful ethics conversations, encouraging a campus-wide engagement with contemporary moral challenges. Explore different aspects of ethics, focusing on issues that resonate with our current societal context through panel discussions, workshops, interactive sessions, and more."

Next week, as part of MSU's 2nd annual Ethics Week, the Commons team will present "The Ethics of Open Scholarship." This panel will be led by members of the Commons team, and will include discussion of creating greater equity in scholarly and scientific communication! Register: tinyurl.com/59ppxbr9

Green poster with lettering titled "Black Game Studies by Lindsay Grace"

Powering possibility through play. This #ResearchSpotlight dives into Black Game Studies, tracing how Black creativity and critical thought shape the terrain of digital play. Explore the worlds being built: works.hcommons.org/records/lind...

Building the Commons: How Knowledge Commons is navigating challenges through community and collaboration A case study developed with Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Director of Knowledge Commons and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at Michigan State University

@kcommons.bsky.social hows what’s possible when infrastructure is built with its community — and what’s at risk when funding doesn’t match importance.

Read more: investinopen.org/blog/buildin...

Why do we love open access? 💖
Because knowledge should be shared, not locked away. At Knowledge Commons, we support open, accessible humanities research so scholars, students, and communities can discover and build on work without barriers.

#KnowledgeCommons #OpenAccess #Humanities #HigherEducation

Openness in the arts, humanities and social sciences: Documenting open research practices beyond STEM (A MORPHSS Project Report) Conceptual frameworks of 'Open Science' and their implementation by funders, journals, institutions and other organisations have been criticised on the grounds that they are tailored primarily to quan...

In the MORPHSS report **Openness in the arts, humanities and social sciences: Documenting open research practices beyond STEM**, we explore the narrow focus of existing frameworks of open research & propose more inclusive ways of accommodating the diversity of open practice across all disciplines.

Our February newsletter has officially launched! 🚀

Read more of the month's highlights you may have missed, including our brand new theme, how you can become a KC Champion, and so much more!

💌: mailchi.mp/599e0dd7b0a3...

Graphic promoting Ethics Week at Michigan State University

The Ethics Institute at MSU is holding their second ever Ethics Week on Feb. 16-20, 2026! View the schedule now, and sign up for "The Ethics of Open Scholarship," which will be presented by the KC team. More details: ethics.msu.edu/events/ethic...

Green poster with the caption" Introduction: Black Lives Matter by Sben Korsh Jonathan Massey Meredith TenHoor"

In today’s #ResearchSpotlight, explore how design, space, and protest shape the ongoing fight for racial justice: works.hcommons.org/records/4j6v...

We are pleased to announce that Knowledge Commons has recently received a $20,000 donation from @digitalscholar.bsky.social to support our platform! We offer our sincere thanks to Digital Scholar for their generous donations and continued support. You can read more on our blog 💙

Once again I have to say how proud I am to work on this project and how much it means to be that others see what we're trying to do and the ways in which we're trying to enact our organization's values into our platform. #opeanaccess #repositories