DSpace Federation Governance Options March 2006 DSpace Federation

DSpace Federation Governance Options March 2006 DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Governance Options Status quo DSpace only Start a new non-profit Collective of open source projects Organization for Open Source Software, or other open source organization Governance Options Join an existing non-profit Apache via Incubator, or other open source project Library or higher education organization Reside within a university Start a new or join an existing for-profit Others? March 2006 DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Status Quo l l Can the current situation continue to work? Pros: l l MIT and HP provide legal coverage MIT and HP provide resources, leadership and general support Low cost and informal approach for community Cons: l l l March 2006 No mechanism for collective representation and governance Community cannot enter into agreements collectively Risk: will DSpace live beyond the efforts of its founders? DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Start a Non-Profit l Pros: l l l March 2006 l Protect individuals from liability Protect intellectual property Enter into agreements collectively Collective leadership and project guidance Live beyond efforts of founders Coordination with commercial ventures Cons: l l l Sustainability/funding Lose legal protection, etc. of MIT and HP Risks of a solo venture Competition for resources/funding with other open source projects Reiterative infrastructure with other OSS HE projects - doesn’t take advantage of economies of scale DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Join an Existing Non-Profit l Options: l l l Library or higher education organization Another open source project, like Apache Another university OOSS? Integration: l l March 2006 Stand-alone structure Fully integrated DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Join an Existing Non-Profit l Pros: l l Greater stability than solo venture Less start-up time than a solo venture Access to new users and resources Cons: l l l March 2006 Possible culture or mission clashes or other misalignments Requires resources for due diligence May require ongoing leadership from the community DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Start a For-Profit or Join an Existing One l Examples of business models: l l l Dual license model Service and support Installation and integration consulting Repository hosting Software customization and consulting Open issues: l l l March 2006 Is the DSpace community large enough to sustain a forprofit business? Does a for-profit model run contrary to the community’s values? Who would lead such an initiative? DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Other Options? March 2006 DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting

Governance Options Status quo DSpace only Start a new non-profit Collective of open source projects Organization for Open Source Software, or other open source organization Governance Options Join an existing non-profit Apache via Incubator, or other open source project Library or higher education organization Reside within a university Start a new or join an existing for-profit Others? March 2006 DSpace Federation Governance Advisory Board Meeting