This “Library of Libraries” is a compilation of the top resource collections found among the co-op community. The links you will find here have been included for their breadth or originality and are organized alphabetically.
Ontario Co-operatives Association (OCA)

Easy-to-use library hosting about 130 useful resources such as infographics, short overviews, guides, fact sheets, etc.  Topics include “About Co-ops”, Co-op Development, Co-op Governance, Government Relations & Advocacy, Co-op Jobs, Co-operative Young Leaders, etc.

Plunkett Foundation

75+ tools and resources that have either been internally produced or provided by reliable organisations from the co-operative sector.  English.

Rural Development – United States Department of Agriculture

The USDA Publications for Co-operatives page provides 365 publications, reports and educational materials. These are primarily authored by USDA staff, but include publications by University partners and other cooperative specialists. Publications are grouped into 3 series, Cooperative Information Reports (CIR-series), Research Reports (RR-series), and Service Reports (SR-series).  Contents are in Spanish and

Rural Development Institute (RDI) – Brandon University

RDI has 5 strategic research directions: rural immigration, regional economic development, governance and capacity building, rural infrastructure and services, and rural innovation. With roughly 175 resources, it hosts a strong publications page – organized by either Research Interest or Publication Type: archived newsletters, factsheets, posters, publications for sale, workshops/webinars, books,

SE Space (Social Economy Space)

Offers 300+ direct resources, organized by subject, author, and title and easily searchable by keyword. A collection of digital documents on co-operatives and the wider social economy, including both academic papers and grey literature and focuses on materials that are relevant to the Canadian experience and highlights work of Canadian researchers.  Materials

SolidarityNYC

The SolidarityNYC Resource Library hosts roughly 30 of member’s favourite reports, posters, workshops, or book articles.  

Sustainable Economies Law Center

The Law Library offers six different eResource libraries stocked with legal guidelines, FAQs, and templates to help navigate complex regulatory landscapes for urban farming, cooperatives, small and community-owned enterprise, community currencies, and food and farming enterprises.  Resources are in English.  

The Canadian Community Economic Development Network Toolbox (CEDNet)

With over 1,250 resources, the CED Toolbox offers websites, publications, case studies, videos, and more in an easy to use format organized by language, format, category, and year. It showcases Evaluation and Social Return on Investment resources, reflections and commentary by staff and members in the blog, “Social Economy Stories”

X