Allow designers to use previous versions of a library

I work in the design system team, and we’re constantly updating and publishing the Figma component library. This is great for users who already have design files: They can choose whether or not to accept our updates.

BUT for designers starting work on a NEW file, they can only use the current version of the Figma library components. That may sound ideal, but it’s not.

Here’s why: Often product engineering teams are some way behind the changes that we publish in the Design System team. They simply may not be able to implement those changes quickly, or possibly, at all. Their designers may want to work with previous versions of the Figma library in order to design TO THE PRODUCT. If they are forced to use the current library, this can cause confusion in the product teams, because devs and QA won’t be able to work to or check against those designs.

Could the lovely Figma guys somehow allow designers to choose which version of a library they pull assets from?