Absolutely, this is why popularity of the project matters, as it means it is more likely to be tested and actively maintained. And as a good citizen you should

Absolutely, this is why popularity of the project matters, as it means it is more likely to be tested and actively maintained. And as a good citizen you should participate! Also: if you find you need to write this non-core functionality in-house you could consider open sourcing it yourself. If you're right that this is a need not filled by existing libraries you might just find a community grows around your version to help you maintain it.