GreyNet International Business Report 2019
TextRelease / Grey Literature Network Service
ISSN 2542-4572
This business report is intended to provide a comprehensive, up to date overview of the workings of
TextRelease and its International Grey Literature Network Service. TextRelease is an independent
information and publishing bureau specializing in the field of grey literature and networked information.
GreyNet was founded in 1992 and re-launched in 2003 under the leadership and direction of
TextRelease. Since its re-launch, it has developed into an international network capable of serving
various sectors of government, academics, business and industry as well as subject based communities
producing, processing, distributing, and preserving grey literature. GreyNet’s mission is dedicated toresearch, publication, open access, education, and public awareness to grey literature, which requires
now more than ever an infrastructure commensurate to its real potential.

1

In order to accommodate further growth, enhance its existing resources, and rise to challenges requiredfor innovation, GreyNet powered by TextRelease will outsource the International Conference Series on
Grey Literature starting in 2020. GreyNet will continue as corporate author to the serial publications
published by TextRelease such as the GL Conference Proceedings, the Program Books, and The Grey
Journal. Likewise, all partnerships, licensed agreements, collaborations with service providers, andcontracts undertaken by TextRelease on behalf of GreyNet will remain in effect. The work by GreyNet’s
Resource Policy Committee, Social Media Publishing Committee, and Education and Training
Committee will likewise remain intact. GreyNet will further maintain representation on the Conference
Program Committee outsourced to new management in 2020. More on these and other developments
are found in this Business Report.
Dominic Farace, Director
Amsterdam, November 2019

Contents

2

Page:

Leadership in the field of Grey Literature

3

Company Information

3

GreyNet Associate and Institutional Members

4Partnerships and Agreements

5

Other Publishing Agreements

5

GreyNet International – Infrastructure 20196

Products, Services, and Professional Activities

6

International Conference Series on Grey Literature 1993-20196

Conference Hosts and Sponsors 1993-2019

9

The Grey Journal, 2005-2019

10

Other Serial and Non-Serial Publications

11

Other GreyNet Publications

11

Social Media and Networking

11

GreyNet’s Open Access Resources and Service Providers

12

GreyGuide is GreyNet's Web Access Portal and Repository

12

Pisa Declaration on Policy Development for Grey Literature Resources

13

Conference based Projects on Grey Literature, 1993-2000

14

Conference based Research Projects on Grey Literature, 2003-2019

14

GreyNet Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in Grey Literature

14

GreyNet Award Recipients, 1999-2019

15

GreyNet Honorary Member Register16

Educational and Training Initiatives in Grey Literature

16

GreyWorks – Summer Workshop Series on Grey Literature

17

GreyForum – Series of Onsite and Online Courses, Seminars, and Workshops

17

GreyNet’s Sustained mix of Income and Open Sources

17

Financial Indicators

18

GreyNet’s Sources of Revenue

18

Operating Costs

19

GreyNet Statistics

19

SWOT Analysis

20

GreyNet Timeline 1992-201821

Leadership in the field Grey Literature

Dominic Farace,

Jerry Frantzen,

Director 1992 …

Tech. Assistant 1996 …

Dr. Dominic Farace is the Founder/Director of GreyNet, Grey Literature Network Service, since 1992.
In the above capacity, he is author, journal editor, guest lecturer, and curriculum developer in the field ofgrey literature. Farace is also a recipient of the Golden Candle Award in 2000 for his work in the field ofgrey literature as well as the Victorine van Schaick Prize in 2008 for The Grey Journal, International
Journal on Grey Literature.

3

Company Information
TextRelease

Established April 1, 2003

Address:

Javastraat 194-HS, 1095 CP Amsterdam, Netherlands

Phone:+31 (0) 20 331 2420

Email:

info@textrelease.com

Legal Status:

Independent, Sole ProprietorshipCommercial Banking:

Rabobank Amsterdam, IBAN: NL70 RABO 0313 5853 42

Credit Card Recipient:

Visa Card, MasterCard, and American Express

Tax Office (NL):VAT No. NL1203.62.867.B01

Registered (NL) :Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce No. 34188522

Registered (USA):

DUNS No. 408545049

GreyNet was formerly powered byTransAtlanticDF GreyNet

1992-1998, Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce No. 229159

MCB/UP GreyNet

1998-2000, Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce No. 33229159

Notice GreyNet is provided by TextRelease (DUNS Number 408545049), which is a private company basedin Amsterdam. TextRelease is a sole proprietorship owned and operated by Dominic Farace. TextReleasehas no agents or other signatories.

GreyNet Associate and Institutional Members

4

DANS-KNAW, Netherlands

EBSCO Publishing, United States

Associate Member 2014 - …

Associate Member 2005 - …

ISTI-CNR, Italy

CVTISR, Slovak Republic

Associate Member 2012 - …

Associate Member 2012 - …

University of Florida, United States

KISTI, South Korea

Associate Member 2018 - …

Associate Member 2013 - …

NTK, Czech Republic
Associate Member 2010 - …

Nuclear Information Section, IAEA
Associate Member 2013 - …

TIB Hannover Germany

UWM-SOIS, United States

Associate Member 2017 - …

Institutional Member 2018 - …

GreyNet provides two levels of organizational membership: Associate and Institutional. The
Associate Members together constitute GreyNet’s corporate authorship, which is tasked with capturing
various types of information including factual, bibliographic, biographic, documentary and full-text alongwith accompanying metadata, research data, and post-publication data issuing from the annual
Conference Series on Grey Literature as well as related workshops in this field of information. This bodyof textual and non-textual content is then further compiled, edited, and published in a number of serial
publications.

Partnerships and Agreements
Over the years, GreyNet powered by TextRelease has entered into a number of agreements with otherbusinesses and organizations for the advancement of grey literature. Among these include:

FEDGrey Working Group

Inist

Portal and Repository

Repository

5
TIB AV-Portal

German National Library for Science and Technology, 2018 - …

WorldWideScience.org

World Wide Science Alliance, 2016 - …

OpenAIRE

Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe, 2015 - …

ISTI-CNR

GreyGuide Repository and Web Access Portal, 2013 - …

DANS Data Archive

GreyNet Research Data entry and open access, 2012 - …

FedGrey Working GroupFEDLINK-GreyNet Memorandum of Understanding, 2011 - …

ICSTI

GreyNet Partnership, 2009 - …

Inist-CNRS

OpenGrey [formerly OpenSIGLE] Repository, 2007 - 2017EBSCO/LISTA-FT

License Agreement for The Grey Journal, 2005- ...

Other Publishing Agreements
CSA/PAIS Int.

A&I Service for ‘The Grey Journal’, 2006 - …

LISA Index

A&I Service for ‘The Grey Journal’, 2006 - …

SCOPUS/Elsevier

A&I Service for ‘The Grey Journal’, 2009 - …

Thomson Reuters

A&I Service for ‘The Grey Journal’, 2009 - …

Clarivate – Web of Science

A&I Service for the GL Conference Proceedings, 2009 - …

Curran’s Scopus | Compendex A&I Service for the GL Conference Proceedings, 2004 - …
Cabell's DirectoriesTGJ Journal Listing, 2013 - …

EBSCO

TGJ Subscription Agent, 2005 - …

Emerald

Rights to former GreyNet content 1994-2000 via open access, 2009

De Gruyter/Saur

Monograph on Grey Literature, 2010

GreyNet International – Infrastructure 2019

In providing an infrastructure commensurate to its mission and core activities, GreyNet is supported byfour working committees. Together they advance GreyNet’s manifold mission dedicated to research,
publication, open access, education, and public awareness to grey literature

Products, Services, and Professional Activities
6

As Program and Conference Bureau, the main activities of TextRelease include the identification andnegotiation with potential conference hosts for the annual conference venues and the identification andacquisition of conference sponsors and advertisers. The formation of Program Committees andChairpersons along with the initial draft of conference themes incorporated in the announcements andcall-for-papers. TextRelease maintains contact with authors throughout the lead-up to the conference
providing them with guidelines for their content submissions and informing them of their status on theconference program. TextRelease is further responsible for the design, compilation, editing, andpublication of conference materials and documents issuing from the Conference Series. Foremost
among these are the conference site, newsletters, program books, and conference proceedings.

International

Conference Series on

Grey Literature, 1993-2019
The GL Conference Series began as a biannual event in the early ‘90s, however with its relaunch in
2003, the conference series rose to an annual event. The GL Conference Series maintains atransatlantic character alternating between Europe and North America. However, participants fromrecognized organizations worldwide actively sponsor and participate.

GL1
GL2
GL3
GL4

GL5
GL6
GL7
GL8

7

GL9
GL10
GL11
GL12

GL13
GL14
GL15
GL16

Weinberg Report 2000
Amsterdam RAI Congress Center, 13-15 December

(NL)

1993

Grey Exploitations in the 21 Century
Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., 2-3 November

(USA)

1995

Perspectives on the Design and Transfer of STI
EU Jean Monnet Building, Luxembourg, 13-14 November(LUX), 1997

New Frontiers in Grey Literature
Kellogg Conference Center, Washington D.C., 4-5 October

(USA)

1999

Grey Matters in the World of Networked Information
KNAW Congress Center, Amsterdam, 4-5 December

(NL)

2003

Work on Grey in Progress
NYAM Conference Center, New York, 6-7 December

(USA)

2004

Open Access to Grey Resources
INIST-CNRS Congress Centre, Nancy, 5-6 December

(FR)

2005

Harnessing the Power of GreyUNO Conference Center, New Orleans, 4-5 December

(USA)

2006

Grey Foundations in Information Landscape
Provincial House, Antwerp, 10-11 December

(BE)

2007

Designing the Grey Grid for Information Society
Amsterdam Science Park, 8-9 December

(NL)

2008

The Grey Mosaic, Piecing It All Together
Library of Congress, Washington D.C., 14-15 December(USA) 2009

Transparency in Grey Literature, Grey Tech Approaches …
National Library of Technology, Prague, 6-7 December(CZ)

The Grey Circuit, From Social Networking to Wealth Creation
Library of Congress, Washington D.C., 5-6 December(USA) 2011

Tracking Innovation through Grey Literature
National Research Council, Rome, 29-30 November

(IT)

2012

The Grey Audit, A Field Assessment of Grey Literature
CVTISR, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 2-3 December

(SK)

2013

st

2010

Grey Literature Lobby, Engines and Requesters for Change
Library of Congress, Washington D.C., 8-9 December(USA) 2014

GL17

A New Wave of Textual and Non-Textual Grey Literature

(NL)

2015

KNAW Congress Center, Amsterdam, 1-2 December
GL18

Leveraging Diversity in Grey Literature(USA) 2016

The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, 28-29 November
GL19

Public Awareness and Access to Grey Literature

(IT)

2017

National Research Council of Italy, CNR Rome, 23-24 October

8

GL20

Research Data Fuels and Sustains Grey Literature
Loyola University New Orleans, Louisiana, 3-4 December

GL21Open Science Encompasses New Forms of Grey Literature(Germany) 2019
German National Library for Science and Technology, 22-23 OctoberGL2020 Open Science Encompasses New Forms of Grey Literature

National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Forthcoming 19-20 November(USA) 2018

(IT) 2020

GL Conference Hosts 1993-2019
CNR Rome
CUA Washington D.C.
CVTI SR Bratislava
EU CEC/DG XIIIEWI Brussels
FEDLINK, Library of Congress
German National Library for Science and Technology
Inist-CNRS, Nancy
MCB University Press
NTK Prague
New York Academy of Medicine

Italy
United States
Slovak Republic
Luxembourg
Belgium
United States
Germany
FranceUnited Kingdom
Czech Republic
United States

GL Conference Sponsors 1993-2019

9

ACM Digital Library
British Library
BIOSIS
City of Amsterdam
City of Nancy
CRL
DANS-KNAW
Deanet Media Company
DTIC
EAGLE
EBSCO Publishing
EIPASS | European Informatics Passport
Elsevier
Endeavor Information Services
EU Bookshop
EU Cordis
GESIS
ICSTI
IIa, Inc.
ISTI-CNR
JST
KISTI
LLC
NIS-IAEA
NTIS
NLE
NLM
OSTI-DOE
Springer Verlag
Swets
Swinburne University of Technology
Thomson Reuters
TIB Hannover
University of Florida; George A. Smathers Libraries
University of Ljubljana
UWM, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Wiley

United States
United Kingdom
United States
Netherlands
FranceUnited States
Netherlands
Italy
United States
Luxembourg
United States
Italy
Netherlands
United States
Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Germany
FranceUnited States
Italy
Japan
Korea
United States
Austria
United States
United States
United States
United States
Germany
Netherlands
Australia
United States
Germany
United States
Slovenia
United States
Italy

The Grey Journal, 2005-2019
International Journal on Grey Literature, ISSN 1574-1796

10

TGJ Volume 15, Special Winter Issue
TGJ Volume 15, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 15, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 15, Number 3, Autumn

2019
2019
2019
2019

Grey Repositories in the face of Digital Challenges
Data Librarians Speak Out on Grey Literature
Open Access to Grey Research Data
Advancing Open Science and Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 14, Special Winter Issue
TGJ Volume 14, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 14, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 14, Number 3, Autumn

2018
2018
2018
2018

Rethinking the Role of Grey Literature in the Digital Age
Open Access, New Grey Literature, and Data Compliance
Breaking New Ground in Grey Literature
Profiling Grey Data for Public Access

TGJ Volume 13, Special Winter Issue
TGJ Volume 13, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 13, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 13, Number 3, Autumn

2017
2017
2017
2017

Current Trends that Impact Grey Literature
Grey Literature Domain in Broad View
Finding and Bridging Knowledge Gaps via Grey Literature
Mapping Crossroads in the Field of Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 12, Special Winter Issue
TGJ Volume 12, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 12, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 12, Number 3, Autumn

2016
2016
2016
2016

New Challenges and Opportunities Facing Repositories
Mining Textual and Non-Textual Data Sources
Convergence and Change in Grey Literature
Data Fuels and Validates Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 11, Special Winter Issue
TGJ Volume 11, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 11, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 11, Number 3, Autumn

2015
2015
2015
2015

The Value Grey Literature in Repositories
Raising Awareness to Grey Literature
Publishing, Licensing, and Open Access
Topical and Technical Advances in Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 10, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 10, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 10, Number 3, Autumn

2014
2014
2014

Sustaining Good Practices In Grey Literature
Research Communities And Data Sharing
Weighing up Public Access to Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 9, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 9, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 9, Number 3, Autumn

2013
2013
2013

Adapting New Technologies for Grey Literature
Tracking Grey Literature Across Disciplines
Improving Grey Literature through InnovationTGJ Volume 8, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 8, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 8, Number 3, Autumn

2012
2012
2012

Social Networking and Grey Literature
Data Frontiers in Grey LiteratureManaging Change in Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 7, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 7, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 7, Number 3, Autumn

2011
2011
2011

Transparency in Grey Literature
System Approaches to Grey Literature
Research and Education in Grey Literature

TGJ Volume 6, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 6, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 6, Number 3, Autumn

2010
2010
2010

Government Alliance to Grey Literature
Shared Strategies for Grey Literature
Research on Grey Literature in Europe

TGJ Volume 5, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 5, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 5, Number 3, Autumn

2009
2009
2009

Paperless Initiatives for Grey Literature
Archaeology and Grey Literature
Trusted Grey Sources and Resources

TGJ Volume 4, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 4, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 4, Number 3, Autumn

2008
2008
2008

Praxis and Theory in Grey Literature
Access to Grey in a Web Environment
Making Grey more Visible

TGJ Volume 3, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 3, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 3, Number 3, Autumn

2007
2007
2007

Grey Standards in Transition and Use
Academic and Scholarly Grey
Mapping Grey Resources

TGJ Volume 2, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 2, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 2, Number 3, Autumn

2006
2006
2006

Grey Matters for OAI
Collections on a Grey Scale
Using Grey to Sustain InnovationTGJ Volume 1, Number 1, SpringTGJ Volume 1, Number 2, Summer
TGJ Volume 1, Number 3, Autumn

2005
2005
2005

Publish Grey or Perish
Repositories - Home2Grey
Grey Areas in Education

Other Serial and Non-Serial Publications

PRQ

ELIS

De Gruyter | Saur

11
Publishing Research Quarterly - Spring Issues on Grey Literature 2004-2007

ISSN 1053-8801

Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 2017 (3rd Ed.)

ISBN 978-0-8493-9712-7

De Gruyter - Grey Literature in Library and Information Studies, 2010

ISBN 978-3-598-11793-0

Other GreyNet Publications
Conference Proceedings on Grey Literature

2004 - 2019ISSN 1386-2316

Conference Program Books on Grey Literature 2003 - 2019ISSN 1386-2308

GreyNet Quarterly Newsletter2009 - 2019ISSN 1877-6035

GreyWorks Summer Workshop Series

2009 - 2019ISSN 2211-1425

GreyForum Series, Onsite-Online Workshops

2013 - 2019ISSN 2213-5735

Social Media and Networking

GreyNet LinkedIn Grouphttps://www.linkedin.com/groups/3718857/

GreyNet Twitter Social Blogging

https://twitter.com/GreyLitNet

GreyNet International Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/greynetinternational

GreyNet RSS Feeds

http://www.textrelease.com/rss.xml

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey Literature Network Service

GreyNet’s Open Access Resources and Service Providers
Over 375 metadata records originating in the GL Conference Series
includingtheircorresponding

full-text

papers,PowerPoint

slides,abstracts, biographical notes, and post-publication commentaries areavailable via the OpenGrey Repository http://www.opengrey.eu. This webbased resource has become a significant reference tool for GreyNet’s
own referral service. In 2007, GreyNet (data provider) signed anagreement with INIST (service provider) in which all of its past and futurecollections of conference preprints would be openly accessible in the OpenGrey Repository. In 2009,
GreyNet purchased back the rights to content from its first four conference proceedings (1994-2000),
making these also openly accessible and thus guaranteeing that its collections would becomprehensive.
Agreement has been reached between OpenGrey and OpenAIRE,
whereby GreyNet’s Collection of Conference Preprints in the OpenGrey

12

Repository are now harvested and accessible in OpenAIRE via its
Discovery services.
GreyNet completed the second phase of an Enhanced Publications
Project (EPP) in which research data accompanying conference
preprints are entered in the DANS Data Archive and cross-linked to metadata records in the OpenGrey
Repository. Since the project’s completion in 2012, research data accompanying conference preprints in
the GL-Series are requested as an integral part of the annual call-for-papers and is now embedded in
GreyNet’s workflow. GreyNet currently has over 35 research datasets in DANS. More on this project at
www.greynet.org/opengreyrepository/enhancedpublications.html.
The TIB AV-Portal is a web-based platform for quality-tested
scientific videos. TIB and GreyNet International have a Media
Partnership. Video recordings of GreyNet International events will
be hosted on the AV-Portal. The GreyNet International logo will be shown on the publisher's page in the
AV-Portal and GreyNet International will be acknowledged as publisher in the metadata of each video.

Redefines GreyNet’s position on the information landscape
The Portal and Repository to Good Practices and Resources in Grey
Literature http://greyguide.isti.cnr.it/ offers information professionals, practitioners and students sharedcommon ground in the field of grey literature. In early 2014, GreyNet (content provider) reachedagreement with ISTI-CNR (service provider) to embark on the GreyGuide Project. GreyNet collections

and web content that were only accessible either via its website or allied conference site beganmigration to the GreyGuide Repository and Portal. This would allow for combined search, browse, andretrieval capability across collections - whereby standardized metadata and full-text can be harvested
online. Alongside good practices in grey literature, GreyNet’s in-house collections of persons andorganizations in the field of grey literature, as well as research projects, conference proposals,conference papers, and other resources in grey literature are now openly accessible via the GreyGuide.

BIO

Starting in 2018, the ORCiD (a unique,persistent digital identifier assigned toan author-researcher) was included asa metadata field in the BIO Collection
as well as in TGJ, The Grey Journal.

Who is in Grey Literature

GLA Conference Proposals
GLP Conference Papers

GreyNet also became a minting
service for DOIs (a unique, digital
object identifier that is assigned tocontent, which provides a persistentlink to its location on the Internet). The
DOI field is included in the GLP andRGL Collections.

RGL Resources in Grey Literature

WorldWideScience.org is a global science gateway comprised ofnational and international scientific databases and portals among
which now include the GreyGuide, OpenAIRE, OpenGrey,TIB AV-Portal, and DANS via NARCIS. WorldWideScience.org

13

accelerates scientific discovery and progress by providing one-stop searching of databases from aroundthe world. Multilingual WorldWideScience.org provides real-time searching and translation of globallydispersed multilingual scientific literature.

The Pisa Declaration on Policy Development
for Grey Literature Resources
In April 2014, information professionals from prominent European academic andresearch centers met in Pisa to address issues dealing with the policy andmanagement of grey literature resources. This meeting resulted in the formulationof the Pisa Declaration on Policy Development for Grey Literature Resources – afifteen-pointroadmap,which

serves

as

a

guide

for

organizations

involved in the production, publication, access and use of grey literature well into the 21st Century. The
Pisa Declaration much like the Budapest, Bethesda, and Berlin Declarations are neither inventions of
the mind nor improvements in doing the same things better – instead, they offer a different approach indealing with information and data to meet the market needs and requirements of today. Until now, theproblem was the lack of cooperation and coordination between and among organizations dealing withgrey literature. However, the time of going it alone is now ended. The Pisa Declaration marks the closeof an era of ad hoc policy and decision making with regard to grey literature resources. Since its original
publication in English, the Pisa Declaration has been endorsed by over 140 information professionals
from renowned organizations worldwide and has now been translated into 21 languages: Armenian,Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Tagalog, and Turkish.

Conference based Projects on Grey Literature, 1993-2000
Since the initial launch of the GL-Conference Series, GreyNet in collaboration with its pool of authors
compiled and edited four information resources. And since its relaunch in 2003, GreyNet annually
carries out research projects beneficial to stakeholders in the international grey literature community.

1993 - 2000 Bibliographic Database on the Topic of Grey Literature
1995 - 2000 International Guide to Persons and Organizations in Grey Literature
1997 - 2000 Glossary of Terms in Grey Literature
1999 - 2000 International Journal on Grey Literature (IJGL)
Conference based Research Projects on Grey Literature, 2003-2019
2003 Literature Review of four Pioneers in the field of grey literature
2004 General Survey on Grey Literature and a Citation Analysis
2005 Author Survey on Grey Literature and a Citation Analysis
2006 Project Information Data, PID-Study
2007 Design and implementation of a distance education course on Grey Literature2008 OpenSIGLE-GreyNet: A Service and Data Provider Project2009 OpenSIGLE-GreyNet: e-Infrastructures FP7 Proposal
14

2010 Comparative study of peer review by grey and commercial publishers
2011 Enhanced Publications Project - Phase 1: Survey and Post-Publication Data
2012 Enhanced Publications Project - Phase 2: Linking Research Data to Full-text
2013 Guide to Good Practice in Grey Literature – GreyGuide Project and Repository
2014 Guide to Good Practices and Resources in Grey Literature – GreyGuide Web Access Portal
2015 Leveraging Grey Literature – A Cumulative Case Study
2016 Policy Development for Grey Literature Resources: Assessment of the Pisa Declaration2017 Data Papers are Witness to Trusted References in Grey Literature2018 Open Data engages Citation and Reuse: A Follow-up Study on Enhanced Publication
2019 AccessGrey, Securing Open Access to Grey Literature for Science and Society
GreyNet Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in Grey Literature
Since 1999, GreyNet has issued an award in recognition for an author(s) contribution to the field of grey
literature. Nominations for the GreyNet Award are based on a number of criteria (1) Results from
conference evaluation forms, (2) Publication of the authors’ full-text paper in the official Conference
Proceedings, (3) Selection and publication of the authors work as a journal article, thus exporting anddistributing research results originating in the Conference Series, and (4) Prior history of the author
and/or author’s organization in the field of grey literature. The recipient may also be an information
professional, whose significant contributions over the years has sustained the growth and developmentof GreyNet International.

GreyNet Awards 1999 – 2019
1999
Julia Gelfand, University of California Irvine, USA
Awarded for her work as journal editor on grey
literature.

2000
Daniela Luzi, National Research Centre, ItalyAwarded for her methodological approaches togrey literature.

2004 Bertrum MacDonald, Dalhousie University, CanadaAwarded for his study on the marine science community and grey literature.

2005 Keith Jeffrey, CCLRC U.K. and Anne Asserson, University of Bergen, Norway
Awarded for their work on CRIS systems for grey literature.

2006 Marcus Banks, New York University School of Medicine, USA
Awarded for his work on open access to grey literature.

2007 Todd A. Chavez [et al.], University of South Florida, USA
Awarded for his research on the Karst community and grey literature.

2008 Anne Gentil-Beccot, CERN, Switzerland
Awarded for her research on the physics community and grey literature.

2009 Debbie Rabina, Pratt Institute's School of Information and Library Science, USA
Awarded for her research on copyright licenses and legal deposit of grey literature.

15

2010 Joachim Schöpfel, University of Lille, FranceAward presented for his extensive research and publications on grey literature.

2010 Christiane Stock, Inist-CNRS, FranceAward presented for her work and publication on the OpenSIGLE Repository

2011 Bonnie C. Carroll and June Crowe, Information International Associates, Inc. USA
Awards presented for their work on scientific data in grey literature and NGOs.

2012 Petra Pejšová, National Technical Library, Prague, Czech RepublicAward presented for her research and management skills in the field of grey literature2013 Marcus Vaska, Knowledge Resource Service; University of Calgary, CanadaAward presented for his extended research in raising awareness of grey literature.

2014 Kiyoshi Ikeda, Intellectual Resources Department, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, JAEA
Award for his work in collecting, organizing, and disseminating data and information on
nuclear accidents and in particular the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident.

2015 Marnix van Berchum, Data Archiving and Networked Services, DANS-KNAW, Netherlands
Award presented for the technical support as service provider for GreyNet’s research data
issuing from the International Conference Series on Grey Literature.

2015 Stefania Biagioni, Institute of Information Science and Technologies, ISTI-CNR, ItalyAward presented for the development and maintenance of the GreyGuide Repository and Web
Access Portal for GreyNet’s Collections and Resources.

2016 Blane K. Dessy, Library of Congress, Washington D.C., USA
Award presented in recognition for sustained support enabling research and development in thefield of grey literature.

GreyNetAward Recipients 1999 – 20192017 Dobrica Savić, Nuclear Information Section; International Atomic Energy Agency, UNAward for his leading role in drafting, promoting, and assessing the ‘Pisa Declaration on Policy
Development for Grey Literature Resources’.

2018 Tomas A. Lipinski, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee; School of Information Studies, USA
Award for his corpus of publications dealing with legal issues and information rights in the fieldof grey literature.

2019 Plato L. Smith, University of Florida, George A. Smathers Libraries, USA
Award for his work dealing with grey literature research data, its reuse, and preservation. As
well as for his profound organizational support.

GreyNet Honorary Member Register
The international Grey Literature Network Service celebrated last year its Twentyfifth Anniversary and understands that this milestone was reached in great partthrough the financial and content contributions of its associate, institutional, andindividual members. In recent years, a number of GreyNet Members have retired; however, they16

continue to share interest in the field of grey literature and remain in contact with GreyNet’s range of
information services and activities. As an organization, GreyNet chooses to honor these information
professionals and seeks to offer a token of lasting thanks for their sustained support.

⁕ Roberta Shaffer ⁕ Herbert Gruttemeier ⁕ Keith Jeffery⁕ June Crowe ⁕ Janie Kaplan ⁕ Rosvita Vaska

Educational and Training Initiatives in Grey Literature
Course modules and training are available not only to instructors and students at
Schools and Colleges of Library and Information Science, but also toprofessionals and practitioners working to serve their knowledge based
communities. Through the years, GreyNet has taken an active role in curriculum
development and instruction. Such initiatives include:
Workshops and Seminars
Introduction to Grey Literature, Supply and Demand Side Grey, Strategies and Future Trends, etc.
Distance Education Program 2007-2009
Undergraduate Accredited Course on Grey Literature via the University of New Orleans, USA
Guest Lecture Series 2004-2008
Lectures on Grey Literature for Masters Students at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Presentations at Conference, Meetings, and Other Events
Invited Papers and Presentations on topics related to Grey Literature

GreyWorks - Summer Workshop Series on Grey Literature
ISSN 2211-1425
Benchmarks and Forecasts on Grey Literature, Washington DC, USA

May 5, 2009

Benchmarks and Forecasts on Grey Literature, Amsterdam, NL

July 2, 2009

Transparency Governs the Grey Landscape, Washington DC, USA

Aug.10,2010

Ten Strategies for Grey Literature, Amsterdam, NL

Sept.9, 2011

Strategic Mapping of Grey Literature, The Hague, NL

Aug.31,2012

Grey Boot Camp: Exposure to the Grey Landscape, Washington DC, USA

July 25,2013

Leveraging Grey Literature: A Training in Resource Assessment, DC, USA

Aug.11,2015

Leveraging Grey Resources: A Training Module, UvA, Amsterdam, NL

Sept.21,2016

Data Papers: An Open Access Tool for Citizen Science, OBA, Amsterdam, NL

Aug.16, 2018

GreyForum - Onsite and Online Seminars and Workshops“Where grey literature provides common ground for information professionals”

ISSN 2213-5735

17

Grey Literature and Information Ethics, St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, UK

Jan.31, 2013

Grey Literature and Information Rights, KNVI Conference, NL

Nov.14,2013

Grey Literature and Policy Development, CNR Pisa, Italy

April 7, 2014

Grey Literature and Digital Preservation, Pinto Huis, Amsterdam, NL

Nov.30,2015

Wikipedia for Grey Resources, Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA

May 2, 2016

Data Papers, Trusted Tool in Research & Data Sharing, University of Florida, USA

Mar.20, 2018

Open Data for Research and Enhanced Publication, CNR, Pisa, Italy

May.25, 2018

Data Papers, The Why and How, NTK Prague, Czech Republic

Oct. 23, 2018

Grey Literature and the Circular Economy, OBA, Amsterdam, NL

Sept, 5, 2019

GreyNet’s Sustained mix of Income and Open Sources

TIB
AVPortal

Financial Indicators
Since its relaunch in 2003, GreyNet has increased and diversified its sources of revenue. Where it
initially was dependent almost solely on participant fees issuing from the international conference
series, it has since increased revenues issuing from membership fees, sponsorship fees, advertising,
the sale of publications, journal licensing, royalties, as well as educational and training activities. In
2018, membership and sponsorship fees accounted for 55% of the revenues, conference andworkshops fees accounted for 25%, and publication fees were 15%. Together, these three sources ofrevenue accounted for 95% of GreyNet’s gross income. The remaining 5% of the income was acquired
via other administrative services.

18

As seen in the chart above, revenues issuing directly from conference fees have considerably
decreased over the years, while the number of conference participants has not. This can be accounted
for by the fact that GreyNet has acquired more organizational members as well as conference sponsors.
Their paid membership and sponsorship fees entitle them to participation in the conferences. Anotherfactor that explains the decrease in conference revenues are the reductions now offered to authors,
students, and employees of host organizations.

Gross Revenues Per Annum
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

€40,900€41,164€45,803€40,189€41,578€41,690€38,712€40,582€39,066

These figures are based on direct revenues, while other indirect revenues also have to be taken into
consideration. For example, a conference host that provides the location, equipment, and catering forthe annual event circumvents costs to the Program and Conference Bureau. A sponsor for a social
event linked to a conference is yet another example of indirect or non-accounted revenues without
which TextRelease/GreyNet would be unable to meet its operating costs.

Operating Costs
Direct and indirect costs associated with TextRelease and its Grey Literature Network Service include
human resources, office maintenance, travel and lodging (related to site visits, conferences, workshops,
committee meetings and other field work), conference materials and publications, as well as special
events (annual award dinner, social programs, reception, conference tours, etc.). An overview of such
expenditures are provided in the table below.
Human
Resources

OfficeMaintenanceTravel andLodging

Conferencing
and Publications

Full time Director

Office Supplies & Equipment

HotelsPouches

Freelance Technician

Utilities

AirfareBadges

Project Workers

Printing and Postage

TrainsProgram books

Accountant

Telecom

Auto rentals

Newsletters

Notary of the Public

Insurances

Taxis

Proceedings

Tax Consultant

Taxes

Gas

JournalChamber of Commerce

Public transit

Websites

Bank and Credit Cards

Meals

Course Materials

Web services

Promotional items

GreyNet Statistics (As of December 31, 2018)19

The statistics provided are from a number of sources including Network Solutions Web logs,
EBSCO licensed publishing, GreyNet Service Providers, as well as, in-house administrative files.

2018
Year
End
12

2017
Year
End
12

2016
Year
End
11

GreyNet Statistics
GreyNet Organizational Members

54

53

40

Countries with GreyNet contacts

519

507

280

Organizational contacts worldwide (see Map below)

406

375

360

Contributing Authors/Researchers

1070

1020

1000

GreyNet Distribution List

683

684

690

GreyNet LinkedIn Members

1240

1264

1285

GreyNet Twitter Followers

129

119

98

GreyNet Facebook Friends

35

30

25

Research Datasets in the DANS Archive

379

379

363

Full-text metadata records in OpenGrey Repository

677

624

538

Full-text metadata records in GreyGuide Repository

6856

4044

2457

Full-text TGJ article downloads from EBSCO LISTA-FT database11160

10760

14576

Page views to TextRelease.com -- Conference site

42688

43,60044514

Page views to GreyNet.org – Website

711,719

530,452

265,993

Page views to GreyGuide – GreyNet’s Web Access Repository

GreyNet Organizational contacts worldwide

20

SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Leadership role, an established and recognized international information network, GreyNet as Brand
Name, Corporate Memory, Partnerships and Agreements, Good Will, Commitment to Open Access,Over twenty-five years expertise in the field of grey literature, Sustained information resources, and a
track record of before and after sales delivery and service, Established banking and fiscal control.

Weaknesses
ICT issues such as website functionality including graphic design, online ordering, use/user statistics
and their analyses, underdeveloped marketing, sales, and promotional activities. Insufficient reserves
for further investment. A sole proprietorship seen as an obstacle to potential membership. Insufficient
presence at key national and international conferences where grey literature is either directly or
indirectly related to the themes and programs.

Opportunities
Further role in training and education, as well as research and (digital) publication. Ability to upgrade,enhance, and leverage existing products and services. Increased potential for sponsorship. Better
access to funding and grants. Streamlining the workflow through outsourcing. Further cooperation withthe open access community as well as further cooperation with commercial publishers and licensing
agents. More use of available social media and networks.

Threats
Continuity, inability to respond to growth leading to missed opportunities, infrastructure’s command of
the ever-changing information landscape, an uncertain financial climate.

GreyNet Timeline 1992-2018“Over a Quarter Century of Service to the International Grey Literature Community”
2018 - 20162015 - 20142013 - 2011 2010 -2008

2007 - 2000

1999 -1992

2018
GL20 TwentiethInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature,
Loyola University,
New Orleans, USA
3-4 December

2015
GL17
SeventeenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature in
the KNAW
Amsterdam2013
GL15 FifteenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature,
Bratislava, SK
2-3 December

2007
GL9 NinthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature in
Antwerp with EWI
as Host;1999
GL’99 FourthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature
in Washington
D.C. USA

Data Papers
Workshops
UF, Mar. 20th USA
CNR, May 25th IT
OBA, Aug. 16th NL
NTK, Oct.23rd CZ
DOI Minting
Service
Honorary
MemberRegister2017
25th Anniversary
GreyNetGL19 Nineteenth
21International
Conference on
Grey Literature in
Rome, Italy with
CNR as Host.
23-24 October
Data Papers
Project
2016
GL18 EighteenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature
at The New York
Academy ofMedicine, USA
28-29 November
Pisa Declaration
Assessment
Study
5th GreyForum
Wikipedia for Grey
Resources at LOC
in D.C., USA
Associate Member
WorldWide
Science Alliance
GreyGuide
via WWS.org
GreyWorks’16
Leveraging Grey
Resources,
Amsterdam, NL...

Pisa Declaration
Translated into 19
languages
Special Winterissue of TGJ on
Repositories
GreyWorks’15
Leveraging Grey
Literature,
Washington D.C.
Facebook
RSS Feeds
4th GreyForum
DigitalPreservation,
Amsterdam, NL
2014
GL16 SixteenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature in
Washington D.C.,
Host FEDLINK/LC
New GreyNet
Infrastructure
3 GreyForum
PolicyDevelopmentrdPisa Declaration

1st GreyForum
Information
EthicsGreyWorks’13
Summer Series
LaunchGreyGuide
Repository

2nd GreyForum
Information
Rights
2012
GL14 FourteenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature
in Rome, Italy
with CNR as Host
GreyWorks’12
SummerWorkshop Series
International
Directory ofOrganizations in
Grey Literature
GreyNet’s
Collection ofresearch data in
DANS Archive2011
GL13 ThirteenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature,
Washington D.C.
FEDLINK as Host

Twitter

GreyWorks’11
Summer Series

GreyGuide
web access portal

OAI7 Open
Access Workshop
in Geneva, CH

OpenAIRE Portal
to GreyNet’s
Collection ofConference
Preprints in
OpenGrey

OpenGrey
succeeded
OpenSIGLE
Password
Access to Serials

2010
GL12 Twelfth
International
Conference on
Grey Literaturein Prague with
NTK as Host
Monograph on
Grey Literature
published by
De Gruyter|Saur
GreyWorks’10
SummerWorkshopSeries;GreyNet’s
Retro.Collections
1993-1999 in
OpenSIGLE
GreyNetlaunched
LinkedIn Group
2009
GL11 - EleventhInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature,
Washington D.C.
FEDLINK Host
GreyWorks’09
relaunch of theWorkshop Series
Grey Literature;
First edition of
GreyNet’s
Newsletter2008
GL10 TenthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literaturein Amsterdam
Science Park;
GreyNet ‘s
Collections
2003-2007 via
OpenSIGLE;
The
Grey
JournalRecipient Dutch
National Award

Grey Literatureaccredited course
via UNO
OpenSIGLE –GreyNet Bilateralagreement
2006
GL8 EighthInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature in
New Orleans

1998
GreyNet mergedwith MCB
University Press1997
GL’97 Third
International
Conference on
Grey Literature
in Luxembourgwith the EC as
Host

2005
GL7 SeventhInternational
Conference on
Grey Literature in
Nancy, Francewith INIST Host

1996
GreyWorks’96
Workshop on
Grey Literaturein College Park
Maryland, USA

The Grey Journal,
TGJ launched1995
GL’95 Second
International
Conference on
Grey Literature
in Washington
D.C. at Catholic
University ofAmerica

2004
GL6 Sixth
International
Conference on
Grey Literature in
New York with
NYAM as Host;First GreyNet
Award Dinner
2003
GL5 Fifth
International
Conference on
Grey Literature in
Amsterdam;
GreyNet’s
relaunch by
TextRelease
2000
GreyNetdiscontinued by
MCB University
Press
Golden Candle
Award

1994
First volume of
the Conference
Proceedings
published1993
GL’93 FirstInternational
Conference on
Grey Literaturein Amsterdam
with EAGLE as
Main Sponsor
1992

GreyNetestablishedunder theauspices ofTransAtlanticDF