Examining Open Source Software Management Challenges & Solutions for Irish Universities
Organiser(s): Clare Dillon
PhD research and Open Source Software Community Organiser, University of Galway, Lero, Open Ireland Network
Abstract
Open Source Software (OSS) and tools form a critical part of Open Research practices. Much of the most widely used research software is open source. In certain fields (e.g. computer vision), research papers will no longer be accepted for publication without the accompanying software being made available as open source for reproducibility.
As a result of the increasing focus of OSS as part of Open Research, there is a growing international set of best practices focusing on the management of the use, contribution to, and creation and maintenance of OSS in academic institutions. These practices are being compiled by a number of organisations such as The Turing Institute (https://the-turing-way.netlify.app/), POSSE (https://teachingopensource.org/POSSE) etc. The goal of this event will be to help participants explore the state of OSS management within their institutions and to share some of these best practices.
Participants will leave with a prioritised list of OSS challenges for their particular institution and a reference list of resources from the international OSS in academia community which can help address those challenges.
About
Clare Dillon is an open source and InnerSource advocate. Clare is currently a PhD researcher with the University of Galway, investigating Code Ownership concepts in InnerSource. She works with Lero, Ireland’s Software Development Research Centre on their OSPO team, and works with a global community of university OSPOs. In 2021, Clare co-founded Open Ireland Network, a community for those interested in advancing open source at a national level in Ireland. From 2021-2023, Clare was the Executive Director of InnerSource Commons, the world’s largest community of InnerSource practitioners. Clare has also been a community organizer with OSPO++, working to support the establishment of University and Government OSPOs globally. Previously, Clare was a member of the Microsoft Ireland Leadership Team, heading up their Developer Evangelism and Experience Group. Clare is a qualified coach and an experienced facilitator. She frequently speaks at international conferences and corporate events on topics relating to the open collaboration and future of work.