Fedora update: future planning, staffing changes, and elections
Este Pope
Dear Fedora community members,
Sharing some details about the Fedora program - where we are right now, and where we hope to be heading in the future as we reach an important milestone with Fedora 6.0 and see some transitions taking place.
Fedora 6.0!
First, the release of Fedora 6.0 is still just a few months old, and we couldn’t be more pleased or proud of this major accomplishment. If you haven’t kicked the tires on Fedora 6.0 yet, please do and let us know what you think. With migration tooling, a search interface, continued support of the API, the Oxford Common File Layout incorporated, and additional work on the Camel toolbox still ongoing, we feel there are many aspects of the software that will enable institutions to continue to rely on Fedora as core digital library infrastructure for years to come.
Fedora Future Planning
We need to hear from you about what you’d like Fedora to focus on in the future. One of the strengths of Fedora is the track record of nearly two decades of community-supported efforts guiding the maintenance and development of the software, and we want to lean on that strength now as we imagine the future. In the months of September and October, we are gathering input widely from members and potential members to set the development and project agenda for the next 2-3 years. If you haven’t already filled out the form to show your interest in talking to us, please do so or reach out to Arran Griffith (arran.g...@lyrasis.org).
Fedora Leaders are working on our plan for the coming year to build out a 2-3 year technical roadmap, with a general timeline as follows:
September and October 2021 - gathering input on technical roadmap
November and December 2021 - synthesize input and develop technical roadmap
January and February 2022 - release technical roadmap and identify needs to achieve goals
Staffing updates
In addition, while we are very sad to see David Wilcox move on from his work with Fedora (and also feel excited for him in his new career path!), we will begin recruiting to fill this role in October. We recognize we need the support of that role in order to adequately plan for the future, so please think about people you know who might be interested in the job and look for a posting soon. As outlined, we are actively gathering input from the community and stakeholders to set the technical roadmap. We will plan recruitment for a technical position in early 2022 once that roadmap is ready, given that it will be instrumental in defining the skills and direction needed from that role.
LYRASIS staff Arran Griffith and Danny Berstein continue to be critical members of the Fedora team and we look forward to continuing to work with them in building the next phase of Fedora.
Membership and getting involved
Finally, if you’re on the fence about participating in Fedora leadership, we urge you to say yes to the opportunity to get involved. We welcome and need new voices and participants, and are currently seeking nominations for two at-large community seats through September 24th. And if your organization isn’t a member but is thinking about it, now is a great time to participate. You can contact Arran Griffith (arran.g...@lyrasis.org) to find out more about membership or elections, or reach out to us as the current chairs to learn more.
Best wishes,
Este Pope, Fedora chair
Tim Shearer, Fedora chair-elect