After three years of planning, we've started implementing the new arXiv membership model in January 2013. We are pleased to report that we currently have 173 members representing 22 countries.
To help with arXiv's support and governance, the membership program aims to engage libraries and research laboratories worldwide that represent arXiv's heaviest institutional users. Each member institution pledges a five-year initial funding commitment to support arXiv. arXiv's sustainability plan is founded on and presents a business model for generating revenues. Cornell University Library (CUL), the Simons Foundation, and a global collective of institutional members support arXiv financially. The financial model for 2013-2017 entails three sources of revenues:
- CUL provides a cash subsidy of $75,000 per year in support of arXiv's operational costs and an in-kind contribution of all indirect costs, which currently represents 37% of total operating expenses.
- The Simons Foundation contributes $50,000 per year in recognition of CUL's stewardship of arXiv. In addition, the Foundation matches $300,000 per year of the funds generated through arXiv membership fees.
- Each member institution pledges a five-year funding commitment to support arXiv. Based on institutional usage ranking, the annual fees are set in four tiers from $1,500-$3,000. In 2013, Cornell raised approx. $340,000 through membership fees from 173 institutions.
We are grateful for Simons Foundation's support. The gift aims to encourage long-term community support by lowering arXiv membership fees, making participation affordable to a broader range of institutions. This support helps ensure that the ultimate responsibility for sustaining arXiv remains with the research communities and institutors that benefit from the service most directly.
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- Created an interim Scientific Director position to bring in scientific expertise to Cornell's arXiv team and to provide intellectual leadership for arXiv's operation. We are in the process of recruiting an interim Scientific Director in order to test and further refine this position.
- Established a Member Advisory Board (MAB) to represent participating institutions' institutions’ interests and to provide input to CUL on issues related to repository management and development, standards implementation, interoperability, development priorities, business planning, and outreach and advocacy. Representation on MAB is reserved for libraries, research institutions, laboratories, and foundations that are members of arXiv and that contribute to the financial support of the service. The MAB bylaws detail the goals, composition, operation, and election of the Board.
- Created bylaws for the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to describe the group's goals, composition, operation, and member election process.
- Developed a program roadmap (2013 & 2014) to bring further transparency to arXiv team's goals and priorities, especially for SAB and MAB members to help them understand the vision, priorities, and challenges to be able to contribute to the arXiv's arXiv’s governance.
- Held an annual meeting for SAB and MAB. The discussion topics included: budget review, IT development priorities, moderation tools and policies, Scientific Director position, arXiv reserve policy, fund raising strategies.
- Developed a set of procedures for describing how arXiv reserve funds can be used
- Created a Library Guide to provide basic information about arXiv.
- Continued the dialogue with a group of publishers/societies that are interested in Cornell's sustainability planning efforts to discuss the emerging mandates for open access and ideas for collaboration.
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