Here's some news: the projects behind the digital repository platforms DSpace and Fedora have joined efforts and will now live under a bigger umbrella called DuraSpace. This new organization will still enable full and independent functioning of Fedora and DSpace, but there will be new joint projects aimed at advancing digital preservation technology and addressing a larger group of stakeholders.
The May 9, 2009 press release that announced the DuraSpace partnership emphasizes the first new project of its portfolio: DuraCloud. DuraCloud is currently in a year-long pilot phase, and has the advantage of being backed as an NDIIPP project. What makes it special is that it seems to be the first repository project to use cloud technology to store data. Institutions will be relieved of a huge economic and technological burden if they no longer have to store the data themselves. The Library of Congress announcement states that, "Duracloud will let an institution provide data storage and access without having to maintain its own dedicated technical infrastructure." Which means the servers (and knowledgeable techies) are provided with the DuraCloud product.
This means that the duties of the institutions with repositories that are supported by cloud storage technology will be refined to making the repository data standardized and accessible, which is probably a better way to spend time and funding for them. DuraSpace and DuraCloud will maintain the open source and non-profit legacies of DSpace and Fedora, which makes this new organization and its first project even more appealing to institutions on tightened budgets.
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