diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bc418fc26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+<!---
+ Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ limitations under the License.
+-->
+<!---
+ +======================================================================+
+ |****                                                              ****|
+ |****      THIS FILE IS GENERATED BY THE COMMONS BUILD PLUGIN      ****|
+ |****                    DO NOT EDIT DIRECTLY                      ****|
+ |****                                                              ****|
+ +======================================================================+
+ | TEMPLATE FILE: contributing-md-template.md                           |
+ | commons-build-plugin/trunk/src/main/resources/commons-xdoc-templates |
+ +======================================================================+
+ |                                                                      |
+ | 1) Re-generate using: mvn commons:contributing-md                    |
+ |                                                                      |
+ | 2) Set the following properties in the component's pom:              |
+ |    - commons.jira.id  (required, alphabetic, upper case)             |
+ |                                                                      |
+ | 3) Example Properties                                                |
+ |                                                                      |
+ |  <properties>                                                        |
+ |    <commons.jira.id>MATH</commons.jira.id>                           |
+ |  </properties>                                                       |
+ |                                                                      |
+ +======================================================================+
+--->
+Contributing to Apache Commons Lang
+======================
+
+You have found a bug or you have an idea for a cool new feature? Contributing code is a great way to give something back to
+the open source community. Before you dig right into the code there are a few guidelines that we need contributors to
+follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on top of things.
+
+Getting Started
+---------------
+
++ Make sure you have a [JIRA account](https://issues.apache.org/jira/).
++ Make sure you have a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup/free).
++ If you're planning to implement a new feature it makes sense to discuss you're changes on the [dev list](https://commons.apache.org/mail-lists.html) first. This way you can make sure you're not wasting your time on something that isn't considered to be in Apache Commons Lang's scope.
++ Submit a ticket for your issue, assuming one does not already exist.
+  + Clearly describe the issue including steps to reproduce when it is a bug.
+  + Make sure you fill in the earliest version that you know has the issue.
++ Fork the repository on GitHub.
+
+Making Changes
+--------------
+
++ Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work (this is usually the master/trunk branch).
++ Make commits of logical units.
++ Respect the original code style:
+  + Only use spaces for indentation.
+  + Create minimal diffs - disable on save actions like reformat source code or organize imports. If you feel the source code should be reformatted create a separate PR for this change.
+  + Check for unnecessary whitespace with git diff --check before committing.
++ Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format. Your commit message should contain the key of the JIRA issue.
++ Make sure you have added the necessary tests for your changes.
++ Run all the tests with `mvn clean verify` to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.
+
+Making Trivial Changes
+----------------------
+
+For changes of a trivial nature to comments and documentation, it is not always necessary to create a new ticket in JIRA.
+In this case, it is appropriate to start the first line of a commit with '(doc)' instead of a ticket number.
+
+Submitting Changes
+------------------
+
++ Sign the [Contributor License Agreement][cla] if you haven't already.
++ Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
++ Submit a pull request to the repository in the apache organization.
++ Update your JIRA ticket and include a link to the pull request in the ticket.
+
+Additional Resources
+--------------------
+
++ [Contributing patches](https://commons.apache.org/patches.html)
++ [Apache Commons Lang JIRA project page](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LANG)
++ [Contributor License Agreement][cla]
++ [General GitHub documentation](https://help.github.com/)
++ [GitHub pull request documentation](https://help.github.com/send-pull-requests/)
++ [Apache Commons Twitter Account](https://twitter.com/ApacheCommons)
++ #apachecommons IRC channel on freenode.org
+
+[cla]:https://www.apache.org/licenses/#clas
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 74c841251..8d91cba19 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,37 +14,87 @@
  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  limitations under the License.
 -->
+<!---
+ +======================================================================+
+ |****                                                              ****|
+ |****      THIS FILE IS GENERATED BY THE COMMONS BUILD PLUGIN      ****|
+ |****                    DO NOT EDIT DIRECTLY                      ****|
+ |****                                                              ****|
+ +======================================================================+
+ | TEMPLATE FILE: readme-md-template.md                                 |
+ | commons-build-plugin/trunk/src/main/resources/commons-xdoc-templates |
+ +======================================================================+
+ |                                                                      |
+ | 1) Re-generate using: mvn commons:readme-md                          |
+ |                                                                      |
+ | 2) Set the following properties in the component's pom:              |
+ |    - commons.componentid (required, alphabetic, lower case)          |
+ |    - commons.release.version (required)                              |
+ |                                                                      |
+ | 3) Example Properties                                                |
+ |                                                                      |
+ |  <properties>                                                        |
+ |    <commons.componentid>math</commons.componentid>                   |
+ |    <commons.release.version>1.2</commons.release.version>            |
+ |  </properties>                                                       |
+ |                                                                      |
+ +======================================================================+
+--->
 Apache Commons Lang
 ===================
 
-Lang provides a host of helper utilities for the java.lang API, notably String manipulation methods, basic numerical methods, object reflection, concurrency, creation and serialization and System properties. Additionally it contains basic enhancements to java.util.Date and a series of utilities dedicated to help with building methods, such as hashCode, toString and equals.
+Apache Commons Lang, a package of Java utility classes for the
+  classes that are in java.lang's hierarchy, or are considered to be so
+  standard as to justify existence in java.lang.
 
-More information can be found on the [homepage][home].
+Documentation
+-------------
 
-The [commons developer mailing list][ml] is the main channel of communication for contributors.
+More information can be found on the [homepage](https://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-lang3).
+The [JavaDoc](https://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-lang3/javadocs/api-release) can be browsed.
+Questions related to the usage of Apache Commons Lang should be posted to the [user mailing list][ml].
 
 Where can I get the latest release?
 -----------------------------------
-You can download source and binaries from our [download page][download].
+You can download source and binaries from our [download page](https://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-lang3/download_lang3.cgi).
 
 Alternatively you can pull it from the central Maven repositories:
 
 ```xml
+<dependency>
   <groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
   <artifactId>commons-lang3</artifactId>
   <version>3.3.2</version>
+</dependency>
 ```
 
+Contributing
+------------
+
+We accept PRs via github. The [developer mailing list][ml] is the main channel of communication for contributors.
+There are some guidelines which will make applying PRs easier for us:
++ No tabs! Please use spaces for indentation.
++ Respect the code style.
++ Create minimal diffs - disable on save actions like reformat source code or organize imports. If you feel the source code should be reformatted create a separate PR for this change.
++ Provide JUnit tests for your changes and make sure your changes don't break any existing tests by running ```mvn clean test```.
+
+If you plan to contribute on a regular basis, please consider filing a [contributor license agreement](https://www.apache.org/licenses/#clas).
+You can learn more about contributing via GitHub in our [contribution guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md).
+
 License
 -------
-Code is under the [Apache Licence v2][license].
+Code is under the [Apache Licence v2](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.txt).
 
 Donations
 ---------
-You like Apache Commons Lang? Then [donate back to the ASF][donate] to support the development.
+You like Apache Commons Lang? Then [donate back to the ASF](https://www.apache.org/foundation/contributing.html) to support the development.
 
-[home]:http://commons.apache.org/lang
-[ml]:http://commons.apache.org/lang/mail-lists.html
-[download]:http://commons.apache.org/lang/download_lang.cgi
-[license]:http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.txt
-[donate]:http://www.apache.org/foundation/contributing.html
+Additional Resources
+--------------------
+
++ [Apache Commons Homepage](https://commons.apache.org/)
++ [Apache Bugtracker (JIRA)](https://issues.apache.org/jira/)
++ [Apache Commons Twitter Account](https://twitter.com/ApacheCommons)
++ #apachecommons IRC channel on freenode.org
+
+[ml]:https://commons.apache.org/mail-lists.html
diff --git a/src/assembly/bin.xml b/src/assembly/bin.xml
index 576229197..fb1e07c9a 100644
--- a/src/assembly/bin.xml
+++ b/src/assembly/bin.xml
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
                 <include>LICENSE.txt</include>
                 <include>NOTICE.txt</include>
                 <include>RELEASE-NOTES.txt</include>
+                <include>README.md</include>
+                <include>CONTRIBUTING.md</include>
             </includes>
         </fileSet>
         <fileSet>
diff --git a/src/assembly/src.xml b/src/assembly/src.xml
index a9a048699..994ccb4a1 100644
--- a/src/assembly/src.xml
+++ b/src/assembly/src.xml
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
                 <include>build.xml</include>
                 <include>default.properties</include>
                 <include>build.properties.sample</include>
+                <include>README.md</include>
+                <include>CONTRIBUTING.md</include>
             </includes>
         </fileSet>
         <fileSet>