Project Hydra: A thus far successful OS project 

Introduction Jeremy Friesen Digital Library Frameworks Specialist University of Notre Dame [email protected] @jeremyfriesen github.com/jeremyf ndlib.github.io Presentation at goo.gl/XmG4aL 

First Rule of Open Source: Don’t name your project after an unkillable mythological beast. projecthydra.org github.com/projecthydra Preamble 

What is Project Hydra It is tools to help build and manage an institutional repository for Libraries and Archives Think digital objects and their corresponding metadata. Its gems, Rails applications, and Rails engines. 

What is Project Hydra for Me For me, it is a distributed community of people working, on behalf of disparate institutions, to solve problems far larger than each could possibly solve on our own. Describe, preserve, and disseminate all the things! 

How the Hydra Gets Made Things that are successful for us: ● Meet face to face often ○ Instead of licensing fees, we have travel budgets ○ Commitment is highest after face to face…maximize that ○ Splurge for an Airbnb house for a week 

● Commit to Inclusion ○ Always invite others to the table, old heels mix with new members ○ Be in the places where you might find new members How the Hydra Gets Made 

● Code of Conduct ○ Review regularly and share it early and often ○ We are working out how to “remember” violations How the Hydra Gets Made 

● Focus on Passion not Job Descriptions ○ When making introductions, don’t ask “What do you do?” Instead ask “What do you want to learn or focus on?” How the Hydra Gets Made 

How the Hydra Gets Made ● Do Not Seek Grant Funding ○ Grants require some level of arbitrary structure, when the money runs out the structure will collapse 

How the Hydra Gets Made ● Recognize and Accept the Ebb and Flow of Commitment ○ Our institutions pay our salary and sometimes the immediate institutional need wins out on collaboration 

How the Hydra Gets Made ● Collaboration is expensive but it builds trust, an important open source currency 

Thank You Jeremy Friesen Digital Library Frameworks Specialist University of Notre Dame [email protected] @jeremyfriesen github.com/jeremyf ndlib.github.io Presentation at goo.gl/XmG4aL