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Introduction to arXiv
Started in August 1991 by Paul Ginsparg, arXiv.org is internationally acknowledged as a pioneering digital archive and open access distribution service for research articles. The e-print repository, which moved to the Cornell University Library in 2001, has transformed the scholarly communication infrastructure of multiple fields of physics and plays an increasingly prominent role in mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, and statistics. arXiv is an essential component of scientific communication for many researchers worldwide in order to rapidly and widely disseminate their findings, establish priority of their discoveries, and seek feedback to help improve their work.
As of February 2017, arXiv includes over 1.2 million e-prints. During 2016, the repository saw 113,380 new submissions and over 100 million downloads from all over the world. arXiv has an international scope, with submissions and readership from around the world, and collaborations with U.S. and foreign professional societies and other international organizations. Including indirects, arXiv’s operating costs for 2017 are projected to be approximately $1.2 million, including 9 FTE staff, server maintenance, and networking.
As 2017 is the last year of the current five-year business model , working with the Member Advisory Board (MAB), the arXiv team has created a sustainability model for 2018–2022. The purpose of the plan is to lay out a business model for arXiv including anticipated expenses, potential revenue streams, value propositions, and communication strategies. The plan entails only the regular operation of arXiv—in other words, what we call “keeping the lights on.” It should be seen as a baseline operational budget, as it does not factor in additional expenses required for R&D or new development projects such as arXiv-NG.
What is arXiv’s financial model through 2017?
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- In 2018, CUL’s direct financial contribution will increase from $75,000 to $170,000, including the salary of Program Director (.40 FTE) as a bridging strategy until we identify additional revenue sources. The MAB recommended that the Program Director's salary be considered a direct cost due to its prominent and necessary role. Prior to 2018 this position has been included with indirect costs.
- University-negotiated indirect cost rate for administration & staff support (HR, finance, facility & IT); based on direct costs (less CUL in-kind staff contribution) at 26%. Includes McLaren (0.2 FTE), Steinhart (0.1 FTE), Bolduc (0.15 FTE).
- University-negotiated indirect cost rate for maintenance, custodial & other facility-related costs; based on direct costs (less CUL in-kind staff contribution) at 11%.
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Position Description | Staff | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
User support (management + staff + student) | 1FTE Entwood, 1FTE Weiskoff, 1FTE Salguero, 0.5FTE Goldweber, 0.6FTE students | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
IT (management + staff) | 1FTE Lessmeister, 1FTE Caruso, 0.5FTE Fielding, 0.5FTE Perez, 0.50FTE Barker (CAC) | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Leadership: Program Director , Scientific Director, CTO | 0.4FTE Rieger , 0.4FTE Scientific Director, 0.3FTE Payette | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Membership, Finance, Policy– included in indirect | 0.2FTE McLaren, 0.1FTE Steinhart, 0.15FTE Bolduc | 0.45 | 0.45 | 0.45 | 0.45 | 0.45 |
Total FTE: | 9.15 | 9.15 | 9.15 | 9.15 | 9.15 |
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Purple indicates a line that is assumed by CUL (in addition to indirects); however, it would be reconsidered as we secure additional income (e.g., add a Society membership tier).
What funds are generated through the online giving campaigns?
arXiv has run three week-long online giving campaigns to-date: the first campaign in September 2015 generated about $16,200 in donations, the second in June–July 2016 about $31,475 in donations, and and a campaign in February-March 2017 generated around $31,700. We aim to raise at least $50,000 per year through online giving campaigns. A secondary goal of the online giving campaigns is to remind arXiv users that although arXiv.org is free to use, it is not free to produce.