Seizing the Moment: Does AI Change the Value Proposition for the Adoption of Open-Source Software?

Thursday, October 01, 2026 | 3:15PM–4:15PM MT
Session Type: Poster Session
Delivery Format: Poster Session
Higher education institutions spend enormous amounts of money on commercial software solutions, even when community-led open-source alternatives exist. It has been hard for low-resourced, open-source projects to compete with commercial products, but AI changes the game. Longstanding community-led open-source programs already have established governance structures that can shepherd the next generation of technology solutions. Is this a moment for higher education to take control, collectively, of its technology needs and work together to build and sustain resilient and open solutions that allow institutions to retain full ownership of their data. This panel brings together leaders from important community-supported technologies that are part of the Lyrasis Organizational Home (ArchivesSpace, DSpace, Fedora and VIVO) to discuss how their programs are adapting and what their hopes are for the future of open source.

Presenters

  • Bridget Almas

    Director of Operations Community Supported Technologies, LYRASIS

  • Tim Shearer

    Associate University Librarian for Digital Strategies & IT, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill