No Merger: LYRASIS and DuraSpace End “Intent to Merge” Plan

Here’s the full text of a brief statement we just received from the two organizations.
From the Statement:

Following four months of formal due diligence and six months of exploration, the Boards of LYRASIS and DuraSpace have decided that a full merger is not currently the best way for each organization to achieve its long-term goals. In lieu of a formal merger, LYRASIS and DuraSpace will continue to pursue more informal collaborations that benefit members and communities of both organizations while allowing each organization to remain focused on its mission. This decision is the result of extensive investigations and good faith due diligence.
Following the decision to dissolve the “Intent to Merge”, both organizations will discontinue the due diligence and public comment phase.

UPDATE: Lyrasis CEO Robert Miller Posts Letter re: End of Plan to Merge With DuraSpace
From the Letter:

I want to be sure you know that there will be no reduction of services or increased costs for members as a result of this merger not taking place. All strategic licensing, hosting, training, consulting, grants and fiscal management projects will continue unhindered and our members will see no disruption in those services. This proposed “Intent to Merge” was a partnership of equals, and LYRASIS remains fiscally healthy and will continue to explore new partnership opportunities in the future.
Before signing off, I’d like to share two new pieces of exciting news:

• LYRASIS has hosted 10 Leaders’ Forums across the country this year, with two more still to come in May, focused on identifying current and future needs of archives, libraries and museums in the areas of digital content, content management and open source technology solutions. We plan to use the lessons learned in these forums to design a new strategic plan that will clearly align LYRASIS services with identified needs and opportunities for our members.
• There will be no increase in membership dues for the 2016/2017 fiscal year! After much work by my team, we are working to deliver more value for you, our members, while reducing internal costs to keep your dues down. Hooray!

In conclusion, I want to thank you all for your input, your participation and your support as we explored this exciting opportunity. We plan to continue this conversation and bring new ideas and projects your way in the coming months.

Direct to Letter (via Lyrasis, Tumblr)

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