DSpace Glossary of Common Program Terms

Code Review

The process of examining changes to the DSpace codebase proposed via a Pull Request (PR). The evaluation and examination of code change proposals via PRs ensures that any changes merged into the DSpace codebase reflect correctness, quality, sustainability, and long-term maintainability.

Coffee Hour

A monthly informal check-in opportunity for current or potential users of DSpace provided by the DSpace Program Coordinator.

Committer

A volunteer who has been granted write access to the DSpace source code repositories. Committers are the only Developers authorized to merge code changes (via Pull Requests) or make direct commits to the source code. This role is earned through demonstrated, ongoing involvement and is associated with responsibility for maintaining code quality and program standards. New Committers may be nominated by anyone but must be approved via a majority vote of existing Committers. If a Committer strongly disagrees with proposed code changes, they have the power to veto any suggested change. Vetoes are rarely used, but they cannot be overridden and stand until withdrawn (which may occur after a period of discussion or compromise). The Committer Groups is organized and managed by the DSpace Technical Lead. 

Community

See DSpace Community

Consortium / Consortia

A formal association of DSpace Members that combine contributions to the DSpace Program. Usually organized around common languages or geographic regions. Membership through a consortium provides a collective mechanism for institutions to help sustain the software and influence its strategic direction. 

DCAT

See DSpace Community Advisory Team

Developer

A volunteer who contributes to the development of the DSpace Software or related components. Developers may design features, fix bugs, perform Code Reviews, test pull requests, write code, or submit patches, but do not necessarily have permission to commit changes directly to the repository. All code contributions from developers are reviewed by other Developers or Committers before being incorporated into official releases. If the Developer contribution is approved, a Committer will merge it into the codebase.

DSpace

An open-source platform used by organizations, primarily libraries, universities, and research institutions, to collect, manage, preserve, and provide access to digital content.

DSpace Community Advisory Team

A group of community volunteers consisting mostly of repository managers, system administrators, or scholarly communication librarians. DCAT provides structured feedback and guidance to the Steering Group and the Leadership Group. DCAT members advise on community needs, priorities, outreach, and the impact of proposed changes to DSpace. The team serves as a formal channel between end users and the organizations responsible for stewarding the DSpace Program.

DSpace Deep Dive

A DSpace Program Staff supported initiative that provides free webinars to Developers, repository managers, and other Community members to explore features, best practices, implementation approaches, or upcoming enhancements in a detailed format that encourages discussion and practical learning. 

DSpace Development Fund

A Community-driven funding initiative that pools financial contributions from member institutions and organizations to support prioritized enhancements to DSpace. The Fund is used to sponsor new features, technical improvements, bug fixes, and other development activities approved through DSpace Governance. It provides a transparent and collaborative mechanism for sustaining the software and accelerating work that benefits the entire DSpace Community.

DSpace Governance

The formal structure and processes through which the DSpace Program establishes its strategic direction, priorities, and decision-making frameworks. It ensures the long-term sustainability, accountability, and community-aligned roadmap of the DSpace initiative. Governance is made up of two Teams: DSpace Leadership and DSpace Steering.

DSpace Interest Group

A Team formally recognized by DSpace Governance that forms around a shared interest within the DSpace Community. Interest Groups provide a space for members to discuss common goals, use cases, and ideas. They are typically ongoing, with no fixed start or end date, and may not have specific deliverables or reporting requirements. While they are not required to report back to Governance, they are encouraged to provide feedback based on their discussions. Interest Groups may also establish Working Groups or collaborate with existing Working Groups to pursue concrete outcomes.

DSpace Member

An institution, organization, or individual that formally provides financial support to DSpace through a monetary contribution to the DSpace Program. Contributions may be made in any amount and in any currency, and specific Membership Tiers are associated with different levels of access to governance opportunities. Membership is open to all, regardless of the institution's size, type, or geographic location. In return for funding DSpace, members receive certain rights and privileges as listed on the DSpace website (dspace.org/membership). Members contributing $2,500 or more receive the right to participate in community Governance processes and to be considered for nomination and election to Governance bodies. 

DSpace Membership

The formal status held by institutions that financially support DSpace. Membership is renewed annually and represents an ongoing commitment to sustaining the software and community. Membership is granted in exchange for a monetary contribution and provides structured benefits as listed on the DSpace website (dspace.org/membership).

DSpace National User Group

A regional or national group of organizations that collaborate to support and advance the DSpace Program. User Groups can be formally or informally organized and are always self-directed. Active User Groups hold annual or semi-annual events, maintain shared communication channels, collaborate on ongoing initiatives, promote DSpace within their region or country, and advocate regional or national interests to Program Staff and Governance. 

DSpace Program

The formal organizational structure responsible for the coordination, sustainability, and day-to-day operations of the DSpace initiative. 

DSpace Program Staff

Individuals gainfully employed by DSpace via the Organizational Home to manage and support the operations of the DSpace Program. Program Staff handle administrative, coordination, and communication tasks, including the management of Member relations, facilitating Governance processes, overseeing Community initiatives, and organizing the volunteer-based development work of the DSpace Software. They act as a central resource for both the global DSpace Community and DSpace Governance bodies. 

DSpace Program Coordinator

A role within Program Staff responsible for the ongoing coordination of various activities within the DSpace Community. The Program Coordinator supports Community engagement, coordinates meetings, runs annual elections, manages communications, and helps administer initiatives. The position serves as a central point of contact for members and the global DSpace Community.

DSpace Registry

A central and global directory that lists organizations using DSpace. Inclusion in the Registry is opt-in and subject to review and approval.

DSpace Software

See DSpace

DSpace Teams

Official groups within the DSpace Program organized around specific functional areas, responsibilities, or initiatives, such as Governance, development, documentation, or Community engagement. 

DSpace Technical Lead

A role within Program Staff responsible for the oversight of the technical development of the DSpace Software.

DSpace Technical Support Engineer

A role within Program Staff supporting the activities and work of the DSpace Technical Lead. 

DSpace User

Any individual or institution who interacts with or makes use of the DSpace software. This includes a wide range of roles such as repository managers, content submitters, administrators, metadata editors, and end users who search, view, or download materials. A DSpace User does not need to be involved in software development and may engage with the platform either through its web interface or associated tools and services.

DSpace User Group

See DSpace National User Group

DSpace Working Group

A temporary or ongoing Team within the DSpace Governance structure tasked with addressing specific issues, projects, or policy areas. Governance Working Groups are composed of Governance members, Community members, or stakeholders who collaborate to research, propose, and develop recommendations for consideration by the broader DSpace Governance bodies. They report to governance bodies, primarily DSpace Steering.

DSpace-CRIS

A platform built on DSpace that adds Current Research Information System (CRIS) capabilities, allowing institutions to manage, track, and report on research activity and research entities, not just research outputs. DSpace-CRIS is not maintained by the DSpace Program, but by 4Science (a Registered Service Provider). As of November 2025, Steering and Leadership approved the merger of DSpace-CRIS code back into DSpace.

DSpace-GLAM

DSpace-GLAM is a configuration of DSpace-CRIS which tailors its behavior to Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums (GLAM) that focuses on managing, preserving, and providing access to cultural heritage and archival collections, rather than primarily scholarly research outputs. Similar to DSpace-CRIS it is maintained by 4Science (a Registered Service Provider).

Elections

The annual process by which eligible Member institutions (with the Membership Tier of Bronze or higher) select the members of the Leadership Group.

Governance

See DSpace Governance

Interest Group

See DSpace Interest Group

Leadership

The Governance body composed of representatives from Member institutions and the broader DSpace Community that approves strategic priorities, the budget, and the roadmap, and helps steer long-term direction. All Leadership Group members with voting rights are volunteers.

Lyrasis

The current Organizational Home of DSpace.

Member

See DSpace Member

Membership

See DSpace Membership

Membership Tier

A defined level of financial contribution within the DSpace Program that determines the rights, privileges, and recognition an institution receives as a Member. Membership Tiers allow institutions to support DSpace at a level that aligns with their capacity and engagement goals. For an overview of current Membership Tiers, visit dspace.org/membership.

National User Group

See DSpace National User Group

Organizational Home

The legal and administrative host organization that provides the institutional, financial, and operational framework within which the DSpace Program operates. The current organizational home of DSpace is Lyrasis. 

PR Testing

Testing a Pull Request (PR) means running and verifying the proposed code changes to ensure they work as intended and do not introduce new issues.  

Program Staff

See DSpace Program Staff

Pull Request (PR)

A feature in GitHub that allows a community developer to propose changes to the DSpace codebase and request that those changes be tested, reviewed, and merged into the main code.

Registered Service Provider (RSP)

Companies officially recognized as partners by the DSpace Program that charge for professional services related to DSpace, such as hosting, implementation, customization, migration, or ongoing technical support. Current Registered Service Providers can be found at https://dspace.org/registered-service-providers/ 

Registry

See DSpace Registry

RSP

See Registered Service Provider

Steering

The primary operational Governance body responsible for ongoing oversight and execution of strategic priorities set by the Leadership Group. Steering has a fixed number of nine voting seats. All Steering Group members with voting rights are volunteers. Steering is a subset of Leadership and is voted from Leadership members.

Teams

See DSpace Teams

User

See DSpace User

User Group

See DSpace National User Group

Working Group