arXiv Update - January 2017 - arXiv public wiki - Dashboard

"During 2016, we witnessed another important milestone as arXiv turned 25. Since its inception in 1991 with a focus on the high energy physics community, arXiv has significantly expanded both its subject coverage and user base. 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.

arXiv@25

From the 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 Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and the Member Advisory Board (MAB) 2015 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 fundraising effort, pursuing grants and collaborations. To accomplish this goal, we first focused on creating 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 used the 25th anniversary of arXiv as an important milestone to engage us in a series of vision-setting processes including:

• Conducted a SAB/MAB survey to poll their opinions on future directions and priorities
• Implemented a user survey based on the initial findings of the vision-setting exercise (survey results)
• Held a technical infrastructure workshop to brainstorm and refine a set of possible technology options for the re-implementation of all or parts of arXiv, and to provide a solid foundation for additional development 
• Implemented a survey targeting arXiv's approximately 150 moderators to expand our understanding of their needs"