Dear Friends,
By now I hope you are aware of the exciting I'm thrilled to share news that DuraSpace and LYRASIS intend to merge their two non-profit organizations. The boards of each organization have unanimously affirmed their interest in pursuing a merger. The Jan. 25, 2019 A press release is here. A FAQ with more detailed information can be found here. and FAQ published this morning has more detailed information <here> and <here>. These resources outline a what a merged organization could look like and how it could bring eight global, community-supported technology communities under one roof.
Until we have an opportunity to engage of a more personal level, I want to take this opportunity to personally explain to you, our valued DuraSpace members, some of the reasons why we are seeking to amplify our efforts and impact by merging with LYRASIS.
Our efforts have always been aimed at amplifying our collective voicse to a larger member base around the world. The combined strength of our two organizations will multiply our ability to serve our growing community. Perhaps Tyler Walters, Dean, University Libraries, and Professor, Virginia Tech, and President, DuraSpace Board of Directors, says it best, “We are excited by the possibilities inherent in becoming one organization. There is great potential for open technology projects and their invested research institutions to experience more value creation, lower costs of doing business, and an invigorated environment to lead and innovate through this merged organization.”
The combined organization will have the ability to fulfill many long term share why I'm excited about the intent to merge. I feel a combined organization will have increased capacity to fulfill needs expressed by our members, including:
- Amplifying our voice to a larger member base,
- Increased Providing access to additional staff and investment dollars to that will accelerate our work and build our momentum;
- improved member benefits to strengthen our products and services;
- ,
- Providing new benefits to members that will strengthen our projects and programs,
- increased Increasing opportunities for product integration that will bolster our OSS community-supported products as viable end-to-end solutions and alternatives to proprietary products;
- Flexible support to OSS/community-supported projects/programs based on need and revenue
- , and
- Providing more flexible supports and services to community-supported technology communities, making it easier to support small or start-up initiatives.
President of the DuraSpace Board of Directors, and Dean of University Libraries at Virginia Tech, Tyler Walters express his excitement about the intent to merge, saying, “There is great potential for open technology projects and their invested research institutions to experience more value creation, lower costs of doing business, and an invigorated environment to lead and innovate through this merged organization.”
As always, thank I am in ongoing discussions with stakeholders regarding merger details, implications, the timeline for public communications, and opportunities for follow up. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss. Thank you for your continued support of our work on this and other initiatives aimed at providing enduring access to the world’s digital heritage.
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