DSpace 10.0 is due to be released in May/June 2026. This major release is the first (of

two) to include features from DSpace-CRIS in order to achieve a merger of both

products.

This presentation will discuss the new features and improvements arriving to the

DSpace platform that arrive in 10.0, including those coming from DSpace-CRIS. These

new features include an audit trail, ability to customize URL paths for items, authority

framework enhancements, etc. The exact set of features released with version 10.0 will

be announced in April/May.

We’ll briefly discuss the ongoing maintenance releases for 9.x, 8.x and 7.6.x, including

the end to support for 7.6.x with the release of 10.0.

In addition, we will provide an overview of the DSpace and DSpace-CRIS merger

process, including the roadmap towards completing the merger in the DSpace 11.0

release, due in May/June 2027.

With a view to supporting the ongoing development of DSpace, we’ll conclude by

providing ways that individuals can contribute to these upcoming releases, along with

ways that institutions can support DSpace by becoming a member.

Interface language plays a key role in making repositories accessible to everyone. When users do not

sufficiently share the language of a repository’s interface, content can become difficult or even impossible to

find, despite being present in the system. In addition to translation, technical details such as search

configuration, character handling, and interface layout can have a major impact on how well a repository

works for different languages.

Because most DSpace development happens in English-speaking environments, language-related challenges

outside that context are often underestimated. Over time, DSpace has added support for many interface

languages, which can give the impression that multilingual support works flawlessly out of the box. In

practice, many institutions still struggle—especially when working with non-Latin alphabets, right-to-left

languages such as Arabic or Hebrew, or combinations of multiple languages.

This presentation looks at common multilingual scenarios in DSpace, from adding a single non-English

language to supporting multiple languages with different writing directions. Using real-world examples, it

highlights frequently overlooked issues around search configuration, language-specific behaviour, interface

rendering, and metadata. While the topic is technical by nature, the focus is on clear explanations that are

accessible to both technical and non-technical audiences.