Overview
The Johns Hopkins University Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) is committed to building awareness of the value and impact of open source software. We provide resources, tools, and engineering support to promote the use of open source within the university’s academic community. We also support the participation of faculty, staff, and students in open source through educational programs, information sharing, and guidance on best practices.
To learn more about how the OSPO can support your open source work, please contact us by email.
Services
GitHub Enterprise/Campus: The OSPO has established a university-wide GitHub enterprise account available for all Johns Hopkins affiliates and organizations. The enterprise GitHub account includes several features not available in free GitHub accounts and covers costs for existing paid JHU GitHub accounts. If you are currently paying for a GitHub account, or wish to access additional features available through the enterprise account, please email the OSPO to migrate your account(s) into the enterprise account.
Bitergia: The OSPO can provide analytics and dashboards that describe the impact and reach of your open source software.
IDIES: The OSPO is the first point of contact for Baltimore City organizations that wish to work with the Institute for Data Intensive Engineering and Science (IDIES).
Semesters of Code: Through a partnership with JHU’s Department of Computer Science and Microsoft, the OSPO supports JHU students’ participation in Semesters of Code, a course offering a mentored experience with open source software from both within and beyond Johns Hopkins University. Semesters of Code feature open source projects that emphasize research and social impact. More information about Semesters of Code can be found via the class GitHub repository.
Resources
Choose an Open Source License – a starting point to help communities make an informed choice by providing information on popular open source licenses in a simplified fashion. For more specific help on licensing, reach out to the OSPO.
It Takes a Village: Open Source Sustainability for Cultural and Scientific Heritage – a practical reference source and toolkit designed to help open-source software programs serving cultural and scientific heritage organizations plan for long-term sustainability.
Mozilla Open Leadership Training Series – Open source is about more than just a license, it’s also about working in the open. The Mozilla Open Leadership Training Series teaches you best practices in “working open” – a way of working where everyone is invited to collaborate, and any new product or knowledge is shared widely and freely.
History
The DRCC launched the first US university-based OSPO by working with open source companies and foundations with the goal of establishing a model for other universities. Through the OSPO, Johns Hopkins University has become a member of the Eclipse Foundation including access to their working groups. The JHU OSPO is also part of the OSPO++, CURIOSS, and SustainOSS networks, all of which work to support and promote the work of OSPOs and open-source programs within academic and civic organizations. The Open Source Programs Office is generously supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.