Welcome to the first DSpace newsletter of 2025! The DSpace community has been abuzz with exciting activities and events, and we are happy to share the latest news and updates with you. In this newsletter, you will read about new releases, welcome a new DSpace member, learn about upcoming community events and much more!

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NEWS

We are pleased to announce the release of DSpace 8.1 and 7.6.3! Both versions were released on February 10, 2025 and contain performance improvements, accessibility improvements and bug fixes. Many thanks to the community for the contributions to these releases. To download DSpace 7.6.3 or 8.1, access the release notes:

Release Announcement 7.6.3 | Release Notes 7.6.3

Release Announcement 8.1 | Release Notes 8.1

We are also pleased to announce the release of the first Accessibility Conformance Report (VPAT) for DSpace. This report evaluates the conformance of DSpace 7.6.2 and 8.0 with accessibility standards, providing transparency about the platform's strengths and areas for improvement in supporting users with disabilities.You can view the full report on the DSpace website.

TECHNICAL UPDATE

DSpace and DSpace-CRIS intent to investigate merger

In case you missed it, DSpace Governance announced an intent to investigate a merger of DSpace and DSpace-CRIS in October of 2024. You can find the announcement on the DSpace Community Google Group. Governance has since completed the process of forming two planning groups to undertake this investigation: one focused on strategic issues related to a potential merger, and one to develop a technology roadmap for potentially combining the codebases. Both planning groups have recently begun their work.Updates will be shared with the community as new developments occur.

CERTIFIED PARTNER NEWS

Please email us with your news to add to the DSpace News area of the website and our social accounts.

MEMBERSHIP

We are very happy to announce that one new institution has recently become a DSpace member at the Silver level! Please join us in welcoming the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Is your institution interested in becoming a DSpace member? Learn more about the benefits of becoming a member and how to do so on our website.

Join today!

Have you ever wondered how the DSpace community operates? Who makes up the community, and how do these various parts work together to form the vibrant and dynamic community that defines DSpace?

Watch a new video entitled “An Overview of the DSpace Community” to find out!

This new video is the first of a series that explains the DSpace community and how you can get involved. Stay tuned! More videos will be released in the coming months.

DSpace Events and Conferences

The German User Group is happy to announce that the 2025 DSpace Praxistreffen is scheduled March 27-28, 2025 at the Universität Bamberg. This event is free and open to all, but registration is required. Please register online if you are planning to attend.

See the event’s program and get more information about the 2025 DSpace Praxistreffen on the DSpace Wiki.

Additionally, the Polish DSpace Community will hold its User Group inauguration meeting from May 18-20, 2025, at the Nosalowy Park Hotel & SPA in Zakopane. The goal of the meeting is to integrate the DSpace community in Poland, discuss needs of Polish scientific institutions related to the development of DSpace, and to exchange experiences of local repository managers. During the meeting, the official Polish DSpace User Group will be established and the leaders of the group will be chosen.

Learn more at the official meeting website.

DSpace at Open Repositories 2025

Tim Donohue, DSpace Technical Lead, and Holger Lenz, DSpace Program Coordinator, will be at this year’s Open Repositories Conference from June 15-18, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

They will be hosting a DSpace Developer Meet-Up and Q&A Workshop on Sunday, June 15, 2025.

Learn more at OR2025 Workshops program page.

GET INVOLVED

DSpace Community Advisory Team (DCAT)

The DSpace Community Advisory Team holds monthly open Zoom meetings for repository managers, developers and users of DSpace.

DSpace Developers Meeting

DSpace Committers and Community Developers hold a weekly meeting every Thursday. Anyone is welcome to attend. Topics may include release planning, reviewing upcoming code changes and other technical discussions.

A Coffee with Holger: Meet-Up with the DSpace Program Coordinator

Do you have questions about the DSpace Community? Do you wonder how to get involved? Are you interested in becoming a DSpace member, but are not sure where to start? Join us for the monthly virtual DSpace Coffee Hour!

This event series, which takes place on every third Tuesday of the month, provides an informal opportunity to ask questions, discuss ideas and suggestions, connect with other members in the DSpace Community, or just say "Hi" and introduce yourself.

Watch out for announcements and more information on the DSpace Community Google Group!

REGISTRY

Is your DSpace repository listed in the registry? Help us maintain reliable information on the community of DSpace users around the world by registering your repository today.

ABOUT LYRASIS

Lyrasis, a nonprofit membership organization, partners with member libraries, archives and museums to create, access, preserve and manage information, with an emphasis on digital content, while building and sustaining collaboration, enhancing operations and technology, and increasing buying power. Lyrasis is the organizational home of DSpace and coordinates this newsletter.