United States of America, October 21st, 2024,
Lyrasis & DSpace leadership group DSpace/DSpace-CRIS merger.
At 4Science, as the lead contributor to the DSpace community and DSpace-CRIS, we are very excited to welcome the decision by the DSpace Leadership Group to investigate the potential DSpace/DSpace-CRIS merger. This great initiative has set the goal to strengthen the landscape of open-source repository solutions. We at 4Science, as the developers and maintainers of the free and open-source DSpace-CRIS solution, have been promoters of enhancing DSpace’s capabilities to meet the evolving needs of institutions worldwide. The merger will represents a significant step towards creating a more robust, feature-rich, and holistic platform that will benefit institutions worldwide.
The leadership group discussion set the goal of a possible merger by 2026 with the release of DSpace 10. During this period, the DSpace community will analyze the two platforms thoughtfully to ensure that the alignment and merger meet the DSpace community’s needs and requirements. The always-evolving repository landscape requires DSpace to take a big step forward in technological advancements, and the merger is a natural consequence.
If you are not familiar with DSpace-CRIS, you can explore our website: DSPACE-CRIS – 4Science and explore the videos DSpace-CRIS Use Cases (youtube.com)
Key Advantages of the Proposed Merger:
- Enhanced Features: DSpace users will gain access to advanced CRIS features, such as improved capabilities, enhanced reporting tools, hierarchical metadata schemas, and much more.
- Improved User Experience: With the merger institutions will benefit from the integration of enhanced features to better meet the always evolving needs of institutions.
- An innovative platform: The merger will strengthen DSpace’s position in the repository world, offering a competitive and flexible solution for institutions worldwide.
- Improved Feature Adoption: The merger could facilitate quick integration of popular DSpace-CRIS features, such as enhanced statistics and customizable entity display pages.
- Community benefits: Bringing together the expertise of both DSpace and DSpace-CRIS communities will emphasize innovation and collaborative problem-solving.
What to expect
Susanna Mornati, COO of 4Science and DSpace leadership group member said: “We are very happy about this announcement, and we fully support the DSpace Leadership’s decision. This potential merger aligns with our commitment to open source and the advancement of DSpace. We look forward to contributing with our expertise to keep leading the innovation for the future of DSpace.” At 4Science, we want to highlight our dedication to the DSpace community. We will continue to play a key role in the analysis and potential implementation of this merger. Our team of experts will actively participate in the planning groups, offering insights from years of developing and supporting institutions using DSpace-CRIS. We encourage the DSpace community members and DSpace users to support this process and provide feedback. Together, we can create a DSpace platform that meets the evolving needs of institutions globally.
For more information about 4Science’s role in this initiative or to discuss how this potential merger might benefit your institution, please contact us at dspace@4science.com. You can also explore additional resources at www.4science.com or on our YouTube page, 4Science—YouTube.
At 4Science, we are the leading provider of open-source solutions and a Certified Platinum Provider for DSpace, we have been playing a crucial role in advancing DSpace and DSpace-CRIS to meet the complex needs of institutions worldwide. We will not stop here, and this merger will benefit the DSpace community worldwide. We aim to support institutions in accelerating innovation and adopting Open Access solutions.