From Research to Action: How The Commons Library Turns Ideas Into Impact
Julian Meehan, CC BY 2.0
By Hudson Brown
Article summary
The Commons Social Change Library is transforming how activists and changemakers access practical tools, offering over 1,500 curated resources to support effective advocacy, campaigning, and civic leadership.
By translating academic research and global insights into actionable guides, the library empowers individuals and organisations to counter disinformation, promote democracy, and build people-powered movements.
Through partnerships, podcasts, and social media outreach, the library ensures progressive knowledge reaches the people who need it, making learning accessible, relevant, and responsive to today’s biggest challenges.
There's no shortage of worrying societal trends, from a growing push to abandon net zero to unprecedented levels of workplace burnout.
Yet countless people are actively looking to make a positive change – the only issue is knowing where to start.
This is where The Commons Social Change Library comes in. Founded in 2015 by the Australian political movement GetUp, the online library relaunched four years later as a not-for-profit charitable organisation ready to build the definitive changemakers' resource.
Guided by director Holly Hammond, The Commons Social Change Library has become an invaluable resource for budding and experienced activists and campaigners hoping to drive social good.
Launched with around 350 resources, this free library now has over 1,500 materials, covering diverse topics including campaign strategy, non-violent direct action, coalition building, fundraising, wellbeing and more.
"All the information is there for someone to find. We're informed by the traditional library mentality, where we've carefully categorised information and made it as accessible as possible," says Hammond.
"Anyone looking to make a positive progressive change in the world can access clear information and see themselves as part of the ongoing history of social change."
Supported by a small team of specialist librarians, social movement historians, researchers and communicators, The Commons Social Change Library has become a global hub for all-comers interested in progressive activism, advocacy and justice.
As the library has grown in prominence, respected local and international initiatives have also contributed their resources, with these actionable collections offering strategic advice and informing people-powered campaigns.
The organisation also closely monitors its website traffic for emerging trends, keeping tabs on which resources receive the most attention and why.
Julian Meehan, CC BY 2.0
Meanwhile, ongoing conversations with grassroots groups around the globe help the library's team pursue projects that leave a lasting impact.
Whether gathering resources from a leading voice or creating its own based on considered research, responding to community interests is crucial for shaping a practical archive.
For example, the library recently completed 'Countering Disinformation', a new collection explaining how disinformation targets communities and disrupts public debate.
Yet it also offers useful guidance on what to do about it. Complete with easy-to-understand frameworks and short-form videos, this collection supports people in combating hateful and misleading content when they encounter it online.
"Over the years, we've added much more content, but also more collections. That has become a great asset of our work," says Hammond.
"For example, we have the Democracy Resource Hub, which is all about resisting authoritarianism and promoting democracy.
“We also host the Narrative Change Hub, which explores how people push narrative and value-based communication, helping to shift the Overton window."
Making this information accessible is critical for The Commons Social Change Library. While the team is always keen to add academic research to its resources, they understand that scholarly information doesn't always translate easily into actionable advice.
Julian Meehan, CC BY 2.0
That's why the library crafts summaries of this research that provide the most important takeaways. A recent example is political scientist Erica Chenoweth's '3.5% rule'.
This benchmark captures the idea that when 3.5 per cent of a country's population takes part in non-violent protest, regime change is the likely outcome.
Regularly cited since it was conceived in 2013, the 3.5% rule gained mainstream attention in 2025 as communities sought to organise protests against the U.S. President Donald Trump.
As for the library's role, it gathered and built upon this information, making it available to anyone looking to learn more.
"There have been lots of people wondering what the 3.5% rule means. How did Chenoweth get the 3.5%? Does that mean we don't have to do these other things? We put together an overview of the rule and included other resources, including Chenoweth's writings and relevant podcast appearances.
“That's a good example of how we work," says Hammond.
Julian Meehan, CC BY 2.0
Gene Sharp's '198 Methods of Nonviolent Action' is another resource that illustrates the library's process. Published in 1973, Sharp reviewed thousands of historical instances of nonviolent struggle, cataloguing the methods used to achieve social change.
Hammond notes that the resource has been in the library for years, but recently attracted significant attention, especially from users in the United States.
Yet the library has plans to make this resource more practical by connecting each action with how-to guides, case studies and historical instances of its use.
"When I started as an activist – this was pre-internet – I learned by doing and being around others," explains Hammond.
"We're building out capacity so people can find the information they need. Someone could want to try a new tactic but not know their options. Now they can look at The Commons to learn more."
Through research projects and varied collaborations with progressive organisations, including the Australian Democracy Network and the Grassroots Global Support Network, The Commons Social Change Library has a vital role in making and shaping progress.
However, Holly says the importance of their work isn't just about bringing like-minded people to the library; it's about taking the library to the people.
To do so, they've expanded their reach on social media, sharing eye-catching graphics and explainer videos that distill the library's valuable resources.
They've also taken to the airwaves, hosting a monthly radio show, 'Tiny Sparks and Turning Points', on 3CR Community Radio that explores historical moments of social change in Australia.
And on YouTube, the library publishes its Commons Conversations podcast, where campaigners share their experiences with social movements.
"We encourage people to tune into those shows," says Hammond. "These more off-the-cuff conversations sometimes offer the best insight. And learning from each other is really what The Commons is all about."
This approach also ensures that The Commons Social Change Library is underpinned by a solid structure, where the organisation adapts to people's needs and keeps pace with modern shifts.
With how people engage with social change constantly evolving, finding the ideal materials, including the most appropriate voices, and helping foster the skills needed to engage in this dialogue is paramount to the organisation's mission.
"Who knows how we'll be communicating in 10 or 20 years? What state will society be in, and will the internet still exist?" laughs Hammond.
"This is what I think about when watching too many dystopian films. But you know, one thing you notice from those films is how people who pass on information end up being crucial."