About
Content and Criteria
The Community Knowledge Open Library (CKOL) is a growing online database created by the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN) at Concordia University. CKOL stores resources from groups and stakeholders working with English-speaking communities in Quebec. These resources can be accessed via a full-text search engine.
The resources are “grey literature.” This is material falling in a grey area between archives and commercially published documents. Grey literature is intended for public distribution, but published informally or non-commercially. Examples found in CKOL include annual reports, research reports, briefs, press releases, PowerPoint presentations, newsletters, infographics, and pamphlets. CKOL does not include either commercially published material (academic journals, books with ISBN numbers, etc.), or archival material (meeting minutes, internal documents or e-mails, manuscript notes, etc.).
Please note that grey literature is typically not subject to the same rigorous checks as formally published material. Here is a web page and checklist to help you evaluate the trustworthiness of the material.
Any views or opinions represented in the publications within this database belong solely to the authors. They do not necessarily represent those of QUESCREN or its funders.
Goals
CKOL is intended for community groups, researchers, policymakers, journalists, and other knowledge users. It aims to:
- Increase awareness and understanding of English-speaking Quebec by expanding the knowledge base
- Preserve and disseminate material that is vulnerable to disappearance
- Support the production of research and evidence-based policy using this material
CKOL Partners: Who They Are and How to Join
QUESCREN has signed distribution agreements with a growing roster of organizations serving Quebec’s English-speaking communities from across the province. These include regional advocacy groups, sectoral umbrella groups, and others. Click here for a list and descriptions of partners.
If you would like to become a CKOL partner and share your resources in this library, please contact QUESCREN or fill out this form.
Use of Material
QUESCREN has obtained licensing agreements from authors when possible, but we recognize that CKOL may contain copyrighted material that has not been specifically authorized by the copyright holders. QUESCREN believes that CKOL content is covered under current fair dealing copyright laws (Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42)).
The resources in CKOL are being made available strictly for information, education, and research purposes. Unless the resource specifies otherwise, third-party users are not authorized to use or reproduce the works herein for any commercial purpose or to further distribute, perform, or alter works in any way without express permission of the identified author or owner of the copyright or proxy.
If you feel like there is something on CKOL that should not be for any reason, please contact QUESCREN. We will contact you to discuss the material’s possible removal from this website.
Credits
Creator of CKOL: Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network (QUESCREN)
CKOL Management Team
- Patrick Donovan (QUESCREN)
- Ana Gomez (QUESCREN)
- Lorraine O’Donnell (QUESCREN)
Web Interface Development
- David Lesieur (Whisky Echo Bravo)
Project Consultants
- Rebecca Miller, Classification system development and cataloguing
- Aurelia Roman, Copyright consulting
- Dorothy Williams, Partnership development and content gathering
Thanks also to staff at Concordia University Legal Services, Concordia University Library, and Concordia’s Translation Services.
Funders
The Secrétariat aux relations avec les québécois d’expression anglaise (SRQEA), Gouvernement du Quebec, funded this project.
Additional support for this initiative was provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Health Canada supported by Dialogue McGill at McGill University, the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities, and Concordia University.
