Leveraging Grey Literature - Capitalizing on Value and the Return on Investment: A Cumulative Case Study.

Farace D., Frantzen J., Biagioni S., Carlesi C., Stock C.

Grey Literature; Web portal; Repositories; H.3.7 Digital Libraries 

Leveraging grey literature not only seeks to capitalize on its value for science and the public good, but also anticipates a return on investments in some measure. In an attempt to assess GreyNet's return on investment in grey literature, this study identifies and reviews efforts made to leverage its own information products and services, since its relaunch in 2003. The method of approach is a cumulative case study from 2003 onwards of a select number of information products and services provided by GreyNet. Each were introduced to serve the interests of the grey literature community and their production and supply remain sustained. The first step in the study provides a brief description of GreyNet's types of stakeholders and the nine selected resources intended to serve the grey literature community. Available statistics and data corresponding to the resources are also incorporated here. The second step is the design and implementation of an online survey among GreyNet stakeholders in an effort to determine their involvement. And, in the third and final step an analysis is carried out as to the observed uses of the information resources in step one with the results of the survey conducted among GreyNet stakeholders in step two. Results from this study seek to establish an accepted level of disparity among the intended purposes, observed uses, and the involvement of stakeholders. The outcome hopes to better enable GreyNet to leverage its information resources - ensuring its positional advantage and enabling it to function more effectively.

Source: Seventeenth International Conference on Grey Literature. A New Wave of Textual and Non-Textual Grey Literature, pp. 165–173, Amsterdam, NL, 1-2 December 2015