What is libcom.org?

Updated

libcom.org is a volunteer-run archive and publishing platform for people working to improve their lives, communities, and working conditions. It hosts articles, historical archives, classic texts, and organizing resources, and its archive is provided completely free of charge. If you are looking for libertarian communist, anarchist, or working-class history material — or practical writing on work and organizing — it is a place to read, browse, and potentially contribute to.

What kind of content is on libcom.org

The site mixes contemporary writing with digitized historical material. From the homepage and featured sections, the range includes:

  • Historical archives — complete online archives of publications such as Intercom (a UK ultra-left review) and Common Sense journal (24 issues published between 1987 and 1999).
  • Autobiography and testimony — for example Out of the Ghetto by Joe Jacobs, described as an essential autobiography of a working-class Jewish activist in London covering 1913–1939.
  • Classic texts — including Colin Ward's Anarchy in Action, Gilles Dauvé's Capitalism and communism, and Murray Bookchin's lecture On spontaneity and organisation.
  • Guides to major works — such as a guide to navigating the different versions of Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle on the site.
  • Interviews and analysis — for example an interview with Arif Dirlik on the pre-1949 Chinese anarchist movement, and Fanonian Practices in South Africa.
  • Contemporary articles and journalism — including pieces republished from outlets like DOPE Magazine.

The homepage also surfaces "Featured Tags" such as Ukraine and Palestine, and topic entries like Prison organising, Work: an introduction, and Introductions.

Who runs it and how it is funded

libcom.org states it is run entirely by volunteers and provides its archive completely free of charge. It asks for two kinds of support:

  • Volunteers to help with archiving and editing content.
  • Donations toward hosting costs.

No pricing, subscription, or login requirement is stated in the available site information, so treat access as open unless you find otherwise on the site itself.

When libcom.org is useful to you

  • You want primary-source archives of left publications that are otherwise hard to find in one place.
  • You want introductory or classic texts on anarchism, libertarian communism, and workers' organizing.
  • You are researching working-class and radical history (for example, the Anarchist Hall in Norwich in 1891, or the Bradford 12).
  • You want to contribute as a volunteer archivist or editor.

It is less suited as a general news source or as a place for content outside its political and historical focus.

How to start using it

  1. Open the homepage and scan the Latest section for recent additions.
  2. Use Featured Tags (e.g. Ukraine, Palestine) to jump into a topic cluster.
  3. Browse topic entries like Work: an introduction or Classic Texts if you want a structured entry point.
  4. If you want to help, look for the site's volunteering and donation links mentioned on the homepage.

A practical note: because much of the value is in the archives, searching for a specific publication or author name (e.g. Intercom, Common Sense, Colin Ward) is often faster than browsing.