In order to get a grip of what is going on in the field of free and open hardware, design and manufacturing, a dedicated library would be useful. When studying these topics, I’d like to build this library, as a collection of links, articles, cases and useful references. The aim is that this little library may be useful for myself and for others. Other existing overviews will be included. Note that it is a work in progress …

The library is set up with the free reference management software Zotero; integrated in Firefox, adding, tagging and managing the library is not much work. At the same time the collection is accessible through the web. Having it set up as a group collection in Zotero, others can also easily contribute to it; if you’re interested in helping out, let me know. Here’s the microfactoria collection at Zotero.

Below is an initial overview of the main categories and topics that I’d like to include in the library. In the process these topics will inevitably be expanded, feel welcome to comment!

General aspects and community organisation

• Free / Libre / Open / Commons Hardware
• Licenses and protection mechanisms
• “intellectual property” or intellectual monopolies
• political economy
• local economy: networks that have an impact on the local economy
• roadmaps, strategies and plans

Professions & Industries

• architecture
• automobile
• biology
• chemistry
• clothing
• electronics
• farming
• genetics
• industrial design
• materials
• manufacturing
• medicines
• science and science education

Machines & products

• 3D Printers
• 3DScanners
• Extruders
• Mills
• Presses
• Solar concentrators
• Turbines
• Wind mills

Spaces and organisations

• hacklabs
• fablabs
• home workshops
• ecovillages
• marketplaces and exchanges
• companies

Other

• Remarkable persons