LYRASIS was created in April 2009 from the merger of SOLINET and PALINET, two US based library networks. NELINET, the New England library network, also merged into LYRASIS in late 2009. In January 2011, the Bibliographical Center for Research, Denver, CO phased out operations and joined LYRASIS.
Overview
LYRASIS is a 501 nonprofit membership organization whose mission is: "to support enduring access to the world’s shared academic, scientific and cultural heritage through leadership in open technologies, content services, digital solutions and collaboration with archives, libraries, museums and knowledge communities worldwide." Organizational goals include: the development and selection of new technology solutions; fostering community-wide projects that help deliver better outcomes and services; content creation, acquisition and management; support for new content models and strategies; and large-scale knowledge management programs. LYRASIS has more than 1,000 members in 28 countries. LYRASIS is staffed by more than 50 individuals and the company has three main areas of focus: community supported/open source software; technology hosting services; content creation and acquisition. LYRASIS also offers consulting services. Members of LYRASIS include academic, public, special, school, and state libraries, as well as archives and museums. Kate Nevins was the Executive Director of LYRASIS from 2009 until her retirement in 2015. Robert Miller assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in June 2015. In January 2019 LYRASIS and DuraSpace announced their intention to merge. This is the second time the two organizations have planned a merger.
Services
Community Supported Open Source Software – LYRASIS is the structural and fiscal organizational home to two open source software solutions that have a combined membership of over 350 institutions. This unique model allows for community-driven governance and contribution to work inside the boundaries and security of a professionally managed host organization. Technology Hosting Services – LYRASIS oversees the hosting and migration services for over 100 institutions from community software platforms. In addition, the software engineers and program managers from LYRASIS contribute code, training and documentation to the community. Content Creation and Acquisition – LYRASIS is responsible for the negotiation of contracts with over 80 publishers, vendors, and partnering organizations. Consulting and Training – LYRASIS has workers who assist members in digitization, preservation, digital preservation, disaster preparedness and strategic planning. Fiscal Services – LYRASIS assists institutions manage their annual budgets by allowing them to deposit funds for future use, protecting it from unanticipated budget adjustments. Leader’s Circle, Leaders Forum and Catalyst Fund – More than 200 LYRASIS members are actively involved in these programs so far, engaging in early innovation exploration, cross-institution collaboration and initial vetting of ideas, services and programs. Our members work together on new ideas and trends throughout the year in informal forums. ideas submitted by members are then selected by vote of the to be funded. During the annual Member Summit, Catalyst Fund recipients report on progress and members work together to consider future directions for funded projects, including expansion and potential grant or business planning. Investments – LYRASIS works with members to submit and receive grants from foundations such as The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support ideas and programs on behalf of its members and other libraries, archives and museums who need access to these innovative programs. Furthermore LYRASIS has reinvested proceeds from its traditional investments into potential ideas, program and solutions to benefit its membership.
Open source
Since 2013 LYRASIS has supported a number of open source software efforts. LYRASIS serves as the organizational home for two open source communities, ArchivesSpace and CollectionSpace. In addition LYRASIS offers hosting, support and code contributions to two more open source efforts, Islandora and Library Simplified.
