This is an incomplete list of major features coming in 9.0. Many more features are still under review for inclusion. This list will be updated as the release gets closer.
Support for tracking usage statistics via MatomoAnalytics(a Google Analytics alternative): https://github. com/DSpace/dspace-angular/pull/4018 and DSpace can now integrate with Matomo Analytics, in order to track usage statistics, search statistics and downloads. This requires an existing Matomo account or instance. See screenshots at https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/10435
ORCID Login flow is improved. Users logging in via ORCIDcan now merge their ORCID login with an existing DSpace login. They Users can also can login via ORCID without sharing their email from their ORCID account to DSpace. See https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/pull/9849for more details
Request a Copynow supports sending a secure download link for larger files. Files under a (configurable) size threshold are still attached in requests. But, larger files now send a secure (auto-expiring) link to allow the requester to download the file. https://github.com/DSpace/dspace-angular/pull/3984
ALTCHA captcha protection is now supported.Currently, it's At this time, ALTCHA is only used by the (updated) Request a Copy feature. It may be extended to other features in the future.
Embargo release dates for embargoed files are now displayed on Item page.The user interface includes a new "showAccessStatuses" configuration for bitstreams on the Item page. When enabled, any embargoed files will show a "badge" next to the file name on the Item page. This badge will display the date the embargo ends. Screenshots can be found in the comments of https://github.com/DSpace/dspace-angular/pull/3882
Creative Commons license display now uses the backend configuration. The existing "cc.license.name" and "cc.license.url" configurations on the backend are now used by the frontend to determine which metadata field(s) to use for display of the CC license on the Item page. See https://github.com/DSpace/dspace-angular/pull/3165