The paper lays out the current state of Samvera, in terms of its core software and the underpinning architecture. To set the software in context, the paper describes the Samvera community and its organizing structures. The White Paper aims to provide a useful introduction to those new to Samvera, and to act as a positioning document for those wanting to understand where Samvera is at. Finally it provides a framework for navigating the future.
Contributors to the Samvera codebase require the consent of their institution or organization and to give this, the employer must sign a Corporate Contributor License Agreement. This is the downloadable form.
Samvera Partners must sign a formal one page Letter of Agreement (LoA) in support of the formal and legal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Steering Group in April 2012. A composite document comprising the 2012 MoU, amendments made to it in 2018 to reflect the name change from Hydra to Samvera, changes made in 2019 to reflect governance changes in the Community, a version of the MoU showing the effect of these amendments, and a blank Letter of Agreement are in this downloadable document.
A presentation updating delegates at Samvera Connect 2018 about work on the Valkyrie gem. A video recording of this session is available at the 'Related URL' below.
Avalon will demonstrate how an initial plan to re-architect Avalon Media System utilizing the Hyrax stack has paired with efforts to ensure greater sustainability of both Avalon and Samvera as framework and community. Following that goal, the past year the Avalon team has made terrific strides toward the development of Avalon 7, in part through community collaborative work with Hyrax and Samvera teams. Additionally, we'll cover work aimed at preservation and scaled hosting of Avalon, as well as a range of activities including IIIF development for audiovisual media, collaborations with Avalon users, new features such as OHMS integration, our participation in community interest and working groups, and our efforts at outreach to find and assist new and potential users. A video recording of this session is available at the 'Related URL' below. and Presentation to delegates at Samvera Connect 2018 described thus
An update to delegates at Samvera Connect 2018 about Samvera's Hyrax software. A video recording of this session is available at the 'Related URL' below.
A presentation at Connect 2018 updating delegates on the recommendations of Samvera's Governance Working Group. A video recording of this session is available at the 'Related URL' below.
Samvera circulated a "Season's Greetings" card for the first time in December 2020. It features the Samvera tree festooned with decorative lights and incorporates in the winter scene the logos for Samvera's major software items.
Samvera's annual Connect conference was held on-line because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A design had been created in anticipation of t-shirts at a face-to-face conference but it was used, instead, as the conference logo. 'Souvenirs' bearing the design were available via an on-line shop.
Triangular sticker and hex sticker for Samvera's 'Valkyrie' gem based on an illustration from the 1910 edition of 'The Rhinegold & the Valkyrie' by Richard Wagner, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. The work is available as an e-book under Project Gutenberg as a work on which US copyright has expired.
At Samvera Connect 2019 there was a small number of presentations about ongoing work on Wings - "a Valkyrie adapter with data compatibility with Active Fedora" as part of the technology stack under the Hyrax gem. There were references to "Hyrax on Wings" and, almost inevitably, two related hex sticker designs emerged.
Following a number of successful trademark applications, "TM" was added to the basic Samvera logo. The Samvera logo is a registered trade mark in the USA and is the subject of trademark applications in Canada, the UK and the EU.
The Hydra logo that was the branding for the Hydra Project throughout most of its existence under that name. It was dropped when the Community changed name to Samvera in order to avoid a trademark dispute.
Following the change of name from the Hydra Project to Samvera, the Steering Group commissioned a set of logo designs for the community. Of those submitted, the tree, in autumn colors, was the clear favorite. This logo went into use mid-2017. The Samvera logo is a registered trade mark in the USA and is the subject of trademark applications in Canada, the UK and the EU.
Since its inception in 2008, Samvera (previously the Hydra Project) has had a number of logos, both for the Community itself and for its various initiatives. Most of these logos have had a serious purpose, some have been more flippant. Most of them have, at one time or another, been available on our sought-after hex stickers. We've tried to gather them here and provide some context for each. We've also tried to track down some of the marketing materials and artifacts they were used on. Each year we commission a new design for our conference t-shirt. You'll also find a record of those here!
Materials from Samvera Connect 2019. The conference attracted some 150 people from 40+ institutions to Washington University in St Louis, MO. This collection contains slide decks from presentations and panel sessions, posters from the Poster Reception, photographs and more.
Materials from Samvera Connect 2018. The conference attracted some 170 people from 60 institutions to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. This collection contains slide decks from presentations and panel sessions, posters from the Poster Reception, photographs and more.