This presentation was given by Arran Griffith of LYRASIS, during the NISO Hot Topic Virtual Conference "Open Source and Community-Supported Infrastructure." The event was held August 24, 2022.

1. Fedora: How A Software Need
Created A Community
Arran Griffith - Fedora Program Manager, LYRASIS

2. “Fedora is a robust, modular, open source
repository system for the management and
dissemination of digital content. It is especially
suited for digital libraries and archives, both for
access and preservation. It is also used to
provide specialized access to very large and
complex digital collections of historic and
cultural materials as well as scientific data.”
What is Fedora?

3. Program in 2022
Current Stats:
Fedora Version 6.2
● 6.0 was released in June 2021
● Represented the largest major release since
Fedora 4
350+ known installations across the globe
● Based on self-recorded data from LYRASIS
DuraSpace Registry
~53 Active Members
● Funding comes solely from a tiered
membership model
● Open source project means funding is entirely
volunteer
Core Committers - all volunteer
● 9 currently active core committers
Governance Group – all volunteer
● Meet every 2nd month
Active Communications Channels
● Slack
● Google Group listservs
● Monthly newsletter
Paid Program Team
● Program Manager - Arran Griffith
● PT Contract Developer
● 10-15% time Tech Lead

4. Rewind

5. 1997: Sandy Payette & Carl Lagoze create first FEDORA at Cornell
● Identified a need to create a repository architecture to suit the changing needs of repository
management
1998 - Fedora reference implementation developed and made available
1998 - Payette & Lagoze publish initial Fedora article
2000: Thornton Staples and Rosser Wayland at UVA implement first prototype digital library system
using
Fedora architecture
2001: Cornell & UVA receive a grant from the Mellon Foundation to build open source Fedora
FEDORA: Flexible, Extensive, Digital Object Repository Architecture
And the rest is history!

6. Building Community
● 1+1 = many
● Listening
● Building Trust
● Addressing decreasing engagement
● Looking to the experts

7. Funding
● Grants
● Mergers
○ 2009 DSpace & Fedora Communities became DuraSpace
○ 2019 LYRASIS & DuraSpace come together and Fedora gains
LYRASIS as an organizational home along with a suit of other
DuraSpace Community Supported Programs
● Membership Model for Funding
○ Tiered model gives increasing value added add-ons at each
level
○ Decreases in membership funding have forced us to
get more creative

8. Adapting Technology
● Do what you do best
○ Build trust over time by staying constant in your directives
● What you do in response to bad decisions will determine your future
○ Fedora 6 was developed in response to the community’s request to return
to Fedora 3 roots
■ Nearly 3 years to release, but needed to do it right
● Bad choices happen
○ What will you do when they do? How will you adapt?
○ Fedora 3 → 4 was a necessary change, but had complex outcomes
■ Trust was lost

9. Looking Forward
Fedora 6.0 released in June 2021
● Continue to support migrations and maintain
software
Community Technology Survey
● Send out multiple times a year to poll for
features and remain actively engaged
It Takes a Village (ITAV) Sustainability Planning
● ITAV is an IMLS Grant-funded project to help
open source communities identify areas of
opportunity and reach program sustainability
● Formation of Strategic Planning Sub-Committee
in Jan 2021 to undergo this work
New avenues for continued communication and
engagement

10. Looking Forward

11. Thank You
Arran Griffith - arran.griffith@lyrasis.org