organizing the library economy.
We aim to radically change the way we interact with resources in our communities and foster democracy, collaboration, and mutual aid
As a democratic organization, our platform will change and develop for the needs of our membership while maintaining adherence to our core values. Our founding documents (Manifesto, bylaws, etc.) are still in the process of being written, and we hope that anybody interested in joining us will help draft these documents, providing a strong foundation for our Coop going forward. Anyone interested in becoming an at-large member can help us draft these documents.
We propose a tiered commons with two primary structures. The first tier, The Distributed Sharing Network (DSN), allows members to list personal property on our platform, where other members can request to borrow a listed item at the discretion of the owner. The second tier, Central Commons Network (CCN), consists exclusively of items owned in common democratically between the local, regional, or national community according to the principle of Usufruct (the right to use and benefit from an item but not destroy or sell). Items in the CCN will be acquired through donations of physical items or bought with democratically controlled funds. As a larger network of mutual aid we also aim to grow and provide food for the community, provide education and training to eachother, and facilitate service where needed between community members.
Core Values
Usufruct (Shared Use & Stewardship):
Resources, especially within the Central Commons Network (CCN), are for everyone to use and benefit from. Members can use resources responsibly but do not exclusively own them, can’t sell or destroy them, and can’t permanently prevent others from using them. This approach encourages sustainability and fair access instead of private hoarding.
Irreducible Minimum (Basic Needs Guarantee):
PLOT is dedicated to ensuring all active members can reliably access essential resources needed for a dignified and empowered life. This is considered a social right, not an act of charity. The specific resources will be defined and expanded by members through democratic processes.
Complementarity (Mutual Strength & Diversity):
The community’s diverse skills, experiences, knowledge, and perspectives are seen as crucial assets. PLOT aims to create an environment where differences enhance collective abilities and where mutual learning is favored over competition.
Mutual Aid (Collective Care & Reciprocity):
PLOT functions on the principle of voluntary cooperation and reciprocal support. Members contribute their time, skills, and resources based on their abilities and can draw support from the network according to their needs, which helps build social connections and collective resilience.
Direct Democracy (Equal Voice & Participation):
All significant decisions about policies, resource allocation, and governance are made in open, inclusive, and participatory assemblies at the appropriate level of the federated structure. Every member has one equal vote, and while consensus is the goal, decisions can be made by majority vote if needed and agreed upon.
Horizontal Governance (Non-Hierarchy & Accountability):
PLOT utilizes a non-hierarchical system with distributed authority. Leadership roles are functional, temporary, and rotate among members, with leaders being strictly accountable to the assemblies that appointed them. Delegates can be recalled by their sending body at any time.