Institutions that benefit from the free arXiv online repository that has revolutionized the way scientists communicate will share in its governance and financial support under a new business model created by Cornell University Library. (Pronounce it "archive." The X represents the Greek letter chi.)

Beginning in January and running through 2017, the Simons Foundation will provide up to $300,000 per year as a matching gift for the funds generated through arXiv's membership fees. The grant also provides $50,000 per year as an "unconditional gift" that recognizes the library's stewardship of arXiv.

"arXiv is now recognized as a public good that's critical to scientists," said Anne Kenney, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian. "Through the generous support of the Simons Foundation and our member institutions, a tool that has transformed scholarly communication is becoming self-sustaining, and the library is proud to help facilitate that transformation."

As a young physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the early '90s, Paul Ginsparg, Ph.D. '81, created arXiv.org, a service where physicists could post their papers as "e-prints" prior to formal publication. The idea caught on, submissions multiplied, and subject matter expanded to include mathematics, astrophysics, computer science and, most recently, biology and statistics. Eleven years ago Ginsparg joined the Cornell faculty, bringing the arXiv with him to be managed by Cornell University Library. In 2011 alone, arXiv saw close to 50 million downloads from all over the world and received more than 76,000 new submissions.

The library has been steering arXiv toward sustainability since January 2010, when it launched an initiative to create a business model that would engage libraries and research laboratories that benefit most from the service. A 2011 planning grant from the Simons Foundation helped develop operating principles and establish a governing board.

"For me and for a large fraction of the active researchers in mathematics, physics and computer science, interaction with the arXiv is a daily practice. arXiv has changed the way we access information. This new resource is even more important for the many scientists who don't have direct access to great libraries," said David Eisenbud, director of mathematics and the physical sciences at the Simons Foundation.

Through arXiv, scientists in developing countries have the same instant online access to new research materials as faculty members at Ivy League schools, and the same opportunity to distribute their own work.

The new model has garnered partners from more than 120 member institutions in more than a dozen countries, each contributing $2,300 to $4,000 per year based on how much their researchers use the service.

"The sustainability planning process focused on how to diversify revenue models -- but, equally importantly, we wanted to make sure arXiv could establish a set of governance principles. It's setting an example of a transparent and reliable community-supported service," said Oya Rieger, arXiv program director and associate university librarian for digital scholarship services, who has led the process of creating the new structure.

Members elect a member advisory board, chaired by Rieger, which advises on business and technical matters. A scientific advisory board, including Ginsparg, advises on content policies. The arXiv has no peer-review process, although it restricts submissions to those with scientific credentials. Volunteer moderators around the world screens submissions for appropriate topics.

To learn more, visit arxiv online and the Cornell University Library.