From users' perspective, arXiv continues to be a successful, prominent subject repository system serving the needs of many scientists around the world. However, under the hood, the service is facing significant pressures. The conclusion of the recent SAB and MAB annual meetings was that, in addition to the current business model with a focus on maintenance, the arXiv team needs to embark on a significant fund raising effort, pursuing grants and collaborations. We need to first create a compelling and coherent vision to be able to persuasively articulate our fund raising goals beyond the current sustainability plan that aims to support the baseline operation. We’d like to use the approaching 25th anniversary of arXiv as an important milestone to engage us in a series of vision-setting exercises.

Strategy and Timeline for Vision Setting and Fund Raising

November-December 2015:

• Identify a number of areas to be considered for a vision setting process and create a survey instrument - COMPLETED
• Conduct a SAB/MAB survey to poll their opinions on future directions and priorities (Vision Setting Survey) - COMPLETED
• Start the user survey planning process - COMPLETED
• Hire a part-time person (or assign this role to an existing staff) to work with us in coordinating the planning activities - COMPLETED

January-March 2016:

• Analyze and report findings of the vision setting exercise and organize follow up discussions
• Start the 2016 annual fund raising campaign with the goal of increasing annual contributions (MAB subgroup will come up with recommendations to increase annual membership revenue)
• Plan, test, conduct a user survey based on the initial findings from the vision exercise, taking into consideration different segments: users as readers, users as submitter, users as moderators
• Hold the first planning meeting with a small group (10-12) of colleagues representing scientists, librarians, funders, publishers/societies, federal agencies to discuss our preliminary findings
• Receive recommendations from the MAB IT subgroup about hosting a meeting with experts to consider arXiv's current infrastructure and workflows - hold an initial planning meeting
• Host IT external consultants to advise us on future directions
• Consider submitting an NSF workshop proposal (based on finding thus far that need to be further explored)
• Continue to identify funding sources, make initial contacts
• Repeat the online fund raising campaign (Give button) based on the findings of the pilot conducted in September 2015

April 2016-June 2016

• Analyze findings - prepare proposals and white papers for consideration
• Develop scenarios, work plans, etc.
• Plan an August workshop (in conjunction with MAB/SAB annual meeting)

August  2016

• 25th anniversary workshop to discuss the future of arXiv based on proposals that will be shared in advance 
  
  • Goals: engaging different stakeholders in a conversation about arXiv's future

September-November 2016

• Vision - grant writing and work plans (our hope is that by then through the planning activities during the last several months, we'll already have ideas for funding sources and even might have done some initial work)