The DSpace Community includes all the research institutions that are using the DSpace digital repository system. From 2003-2004, a group of research institutions participated in the DSpace Federation Project to study the adaptability of DSpace to organizations with varied needs.

Funded by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Cambridge-MIT Institute, this one-year study began the process of building a collaborative federation of institutions running DSpace.

Collaborating Institutions

The following research institutions participated in the year-long research study of the DSpace Federation Project:

• Cambridge University
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Ohio State University
• University of Rochester
• University of Toronto
• University of Washington

DSpace Federation Project Events

The DSpace Federation Project conducted several events for collaborating institutions during the study period to bring administrators, technologists, academics, and librarians together.

• Technical Workshop, January 29th-31st, 2003, at MIT
• Policy and Planning for DSpace Implementations Workshop, July 7th–8th, 2003 at MIT
• DSpace Federation User Conference, March 2004 at MIT

DSpace Federation Project Report

At the conclusion of the one-year study period, the DSpace Federation Project published its findings. See the Mellon Foundation year-end report for the DSpace Federation for details on the project and its outcome, as well as case studies of each participating institution.

DSpace Foundation - Continues what DSpace Federation Started

The DSpace Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides support to the growing community of organizations that use DSpace. The foundation assumes responsibility from the DSpace Federation Project for providing leadership and support to the ever-growing DSpace community and promotes even wider distribution and use. We encourage all organizations using DSpace to join the DSpace Community. Michele Kimpton, formerly of the Internet Archive (www.archive.org) is the Executive Director of the newly formed DSpace Foundation.

Note that the DSpace name is trademarked by MIT to prevent any commercialization of the system using that name, but institutions running DSpace are free to rename the system on their user interface.