Day/Time/Room
June 18, 2026 | 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | North Ballroom
Title: Finding Your Place in Open Source Software: A Hands-on Workshop for First-Time Contributors
Presenters:
- Steel Wagstaff, he/him, Customer Experience Lead, Pressbooks
- Zach Davis, President, Cast Iron Coding (Manifold)
- Adam Hyde, CEO, Kotahi Foundation (Ketty/Coko)
- Alec Smecher, Development Associate Directory, Public Knowledge Project
Description: Free and open source software (FOSS) powers much of the library publishing ecosystem, yet many potential contributors are uncertain about how they belong in open source software communities. Barriers such as perceived technical requirements, fear of making mistakes, unclear onboarding processes, outdated documentation, exclusionary language, and a lack of visible mentorship can discourage participation, particularly from those without formal software development backgrounds. This interactive, hands-on workshop will provide a welcoming, inclusive, and practical introduction to contributing to open source software projects, emphasizing that meaningful contributions extend far beyond writing code. Led by maintainers and leaders from major open source publishing projects (Pressbooks, Manifold, Coko/Ketty, and the Public Knowledge Project), this session will guide participants through a variety of contribution pathways, including proposing features/reporting issues, improving documentation, testing usability and accessibility, and providing translations.
After a brief framing presentation, participants will work in small, facilitated breakout groups with project representatives to explore real project repositories, issue trackers, and contribution guidelines. Attendees will identify contribution opportunities aligned with their interests and skills and take concrete first steps toward participation. The workshop is designed to resemble a supportive edit-a-thon rather than a traditional hackathon, prioritizing learning, confidence-building, and community connection over technical output.
This session requires a hands-on format to ensure participants leave not only with conceptual knowledge, but with direct experience navigating open source contribution workflows and engaging with project communities. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how open source projects function, how their expertise is valuable, and how to continue contributing beyond the conference.