Dear Colleagues,When the future generations look back at how we worked through this crisis, I feel they’ll see our banding together as the hallmark of our resilience. Every day over the last month I have been in awe of the support we are offering one another. I want to thank our members and staff for their amazing resiliency, creativity and strength. We commend you, and we are inspired by you. Members, we are here to serve you.

Since my last letter we’ve made some important progress I’d like to share.

  • Keeping Content Pricing Stable in FY21 to Protect Your Budget – Our Content and Scholarly Communications Initiative team is working directly with vendors to keep costs stable so that you can continue offering vital resources without the worry of increasing prices. We are happy to announce that major vendors such as LexisNexis has already agreed to no price increases. We are working to get a similar arrangement with as many of our vendors as possible.
  • LYRASIS is Investing in our Common Future – As institutional budgets are under assault, LYRASIS will continue to invest in product development, innovation, and new ideas for and with our community. To enhance and accelerate turning ideas into action, a Research and Innovation Division is being formed. Headed by Erin Tripp, Director, Research and Innovation Division, it will include our Leaders Circle (our membership focused on innovation), the Leaders Forums (regional brainstorming and information sessions), and the Catalyst Fund (seed funding of ideas from our community). Complementing this are our professional services and consulting arm staffed with world class experts, our dedicated and very successful grant writing team (nearly $10M since 2015), and our industry research team. This ensures that you will have the programs and services you need for the future. 
  • Advancing Community-Supported Programs – Laurie Arp has become the permanent Director of the DuraSpace Community-Supported Programs Division. This division has successfully become an organizational home for ArchivesSpace, CollectionSpace, DSpace, Fedora, and VIVO, thanks to her collaboration with these communities to advance governance, strategic planning and partnerships.
  • No Price Increases for Membership – For the 5th year in a row, and it couldn’t be more timely, our membership dues will remain unchanged. Prices for our services and programs will not be raised. It is important to share this news so you know with certainty as you plan for the year ahead. In addition, our fiscal services continue without disruption and are an excellent resource for those who need to “park” funds for budgeting purposes. We will begin, with the most sensitivity, to reach out to you with our renewal process so that both our organization and yours can be assured of no interruption of services.

As I mentioned in my last letter, our team is safely working from home, and they remain ready to help you in any way you need. If you have not yet taken advantage of some of our free services intended to respond to this crisis, we encourage you to explore them. Click here to learn more.

As a member-created and member-governed 501C3 we thank you for your support and your trust in us. 

We are in this together. You will not stand alone. We will be with you.

With sincere thanks and on behalf of all of us at LYRASIS,

Robert Miller

Robert Miller
Chief Executive Officer, LYRASIS
robert.miller@lyrasis.org